The Cat's Meow (2001)

Director:

Peter Bogdanovich

Writers (WGA):

Steven Peros (screenplay)
Steven Peros (play)

Release Date:

19 September 2002 (Australia)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

"The Whisper Told Most Often..."

Plot:

Semi-true story of the Hollywood murder that occurred at a star-studded gathering aboard William Randolph Hearst's yacht in 1924.

Plot Keywords:

William Randolph Hearst | Hollywood | Yacht | Gossip Columnist | Gossip

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Kirsten Dunst	...	Marion Davies
Edward Herrmann	...	W.R. Hearst
Eddie Izzard	...	Charlie Chaplin
Cary Elwes	...	Thomas Ince
Joanna Lumley	...	Elinor Glyn
Jennifer Tilly	...	Louella Parsons
Claudia Harrison	...	Margaret Livingston
Victor Slezak	...	George Thomas
James Laurenson	...	Dr. Daniel Goodman
Ronan Vibert	...	Joseph Willicombe
Chiara Schoras	...	Celia
Claudie Blakley	...	Didi
Ingrid Lacey	...	Jessica Barham
John C. Vennema	...	Frank Barham
Steven Peros	...	Elinor's Driver

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for sexuality, a scene of violence and brief drug use.

Runtime:

114 min

Country:

USA | Germany | UK

Language:

English

Colour:

Black and White | Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Portugal:M/12 | Finland:K-11 | UK:12 (video rating) | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Singapore:NC-16 | UK:12A | USA:PG-13 | Canada:PG (Ontario)

Filming Locations:

Kyparisi, Greece

Company:

Lions Gate Films

Trivia:

While shooting the exteriors in Greece the crew were cursed with bad weather. It went from sunny to rainy and back again at the drop of a hat which caused major problems with continuity. The whole crew decided that it was Hearst who was at the bottom of it, unhappy that they were making such a film about him. On set, each time the weather changed for the worst someone would shout "That's Hearst!!".

Goofs:

Anachronisms: When he looks up Ince's address, Hearst's address book shows two-letter state abbreviations (CA). These did not come into use until some fifty years later. Further, the address book displays at least one ZIP code, introduced in 1963.

Quotes:

Marion Davies: Nothing can happen this weekend.
Charlie Chaplin: So what are you doing next weekend?

Movie Connections:

References Yolanda (1924)

Soundtrack:

How Ya Gonna Keep 'Em Down on the Farm? (After They've Seen Paree)

Enjoyable, flawed, and yet...

I went to see this movie not expecting much but was pleasantly surprised to find it was a light gaudy slightly malicious but brightly told tale of the rumored murder of Thomas Ince, It was great fun to watch, beautifully shot, with some very sharp dialogue and tasty performances.

I especially enjoyed Cary Elwes as the desperate, conniving Thomas Ince and much of Edward Herrmann's Hearst, the scenes with Elwes with their cat and mouse dialogue sparkled with wit. Kirsten I thought was quite lovable and good but still too young - I didn't believe she was Marion Davies, but more like a teenage version of Marion. Eddie Izzard was a charming, cunning, self assured Charlie Chaplin, but I didn't see the lechery that should have oozed out of him. Joanne Lumley was delicious as the jaded Elinor Gyn.

I did notice a slight frustration with some of the scenes. I wanted a bit more emphasis or drama to accent some of them, they all seemed to play at the same intensity and some of the reaction shots could had more omfph. But still I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Then the next day I started critique it more and noticed more flaws in the movie. The story didn't seem to gather momentum as it went on, but seemed too even in tone and pace. I imagined better ways to shoot some of the scenes and wished for a more mordant tone because the story is a pretty dark one after all. I thought, this seemed to have been shot with the budget and schedule of a TV movie, and was there no time or money to shoot alternative shots, or second takes for the actors?

But then something about the ending made me go back and reassess many of the scenes. Perhaps because I was caught up in the sort of flappergirl feel of the movie, that I did not see that there were secrets and competitions, all sorts of hidden things going on below the gaiety.

It's kind of like Memento, maybe you don't know quite what you are seeing. I wish I could watch it again, because I'm not sure if it's my imagination or if there is re