Cat People (1942 film)
| Cat People | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Jacques Tourneur |
| Produced by | Val Lewton |
| Written by | DeWitt Bodeen |
| Starring |
Simone Simon Kent Smith Tom Conway Jane Randolph |
| Music by | Roy Webb |
| Cinematography | Nicholas Musuraca |
| Edited by | Mark Robson |
| Distributed by | RKO Radio Pictures Inc. |
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Release date
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Running time
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73 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $134,000 |
| Box office | $8,000,000 |
Cat People is a 1942 horror film produced by Val Lewton and directed by Jacques Tourneur. DeWitt Bodeen wrote the original screenplay, which was based on Val Lewton's short story The Bagheeta, published in 1930. The film stars Simone Simon, Kent Smith, Jane Randolph and Tom Conway.
Cat People tells the story of a young Serbian woman, Irena, who believes herself to be a descendant of a race of people who turn into cats when sexually aroused.
At the Central Park Zoo in New York City, Serbian-born fashion designer Irena Dubrovna makes sketches of a black panther. She catches the attention of marine engineer Oliver Reed, who strikes up a conversation. Irena invites him to her apartment for tea. As they walk away, one of Irena's discarded sketches is revealed to be that of a panther impaled by a sword.
At her apartment, Oliver is intrigued by a statue of a medieval warrior on horseback impaling a large cat with his sword. Irena informs Oliver that the figure is King John of Serbia and that the cat represents evil. According to legend, long ago the Christian residents of her home village gradually turned to witchcraft and devil worship after being enslaved by the Mameluks. When King John drove the Mameluks out and saw what the villagers had become, he had them killed. However, "the wisest and the most wicked" escaped into the mountains.
Oliver buys her a kitten, but upon meeting her it hisses. Irena explains that "cats just don't like me" and suggests they go to the pet shop to exchange it, but when they enter the shop the animals go wild in her presence. The shopkeeper says that animals can sense things about people. It gradually becomes clear that Irena believes she is descended from the cat people of her village, and that she fears that she will transform into a panther if aroused to passion.
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