Sex, Violence, and an Emerging
Cult Favorite, February 28, 2002
In general terms, the basic premise of
both original 1942 CAT PEOPLE and the 1982 Paul Schrader remake are the same:
an exotic European beauty is given to transforming into a black panther when
sexually aroused. But Schrader unravels this fantasy concept in some very
Freudian directions, setting his version in against the decadent charm of New
Orleans, introducing a theme of incest, and ramping up the original with a lot
of nudity, a lot of sex, and some of the most graphic violence around. The
result is an American blood-and-gore horror film with a hypnotic European
sensibility that equates both sexual frustration and orgasm with violent death.
The story line concerns two orphaned siblings (Natasha Kinski and Malcom
McDowell) who are reunited in New Orleans as adults-but they are, unbeknownst
to the sister, the descendents of a mutant race who can only mate with their
own kind without transforming into ravening beasts who must then kill to regain
their human form. When sister Natasha rejects her brother's advances and then
falls in love with a hunky zoo director all hell breaks loose.
In some respects the film is
extremely, extremely frustrating, often sliding over the edge from a sexually
provocative shocker into moments of annoying silliness-but on the whole it
works extremely well as a both a sexual fantasy and the penultimate statement
in gratuitous sex and violence. Kinski is ideally cast as the sexy but virginal
Irena; you can literally see the "cat" side of her nature emerge more
and more as the film progresses. McDowell is equally interesting as her mad
brother, and John Heard, Annette O'Toole, and particularly Ruby Dee offer
excellent performances in the supporting cast. The New Orleans backdrop is
extremely effective, and (speaking as one who has been there) the darker side
of the city is perfectly captured; the Moroder score-which includes some sultry
vocals by David Bowie-is also extremely good.
A great many people will loathe CAT PEOPLE, and the reasons
will be diverse. The film is extremely bloody, often to a can-you-stand-to-look-at-the-screen
degree; there is tremendous nudity and considerably sexual activity; and the
combination of sex and violence into a sadomasochistic eroticism is quite
disturbing. Beyond this, more critically inclined viewers may find themselves
annoyed by the script's occasional silliness and the fact that it does not
always go as far over the top as it leads you to expect, and the film's very
literal depiction of fantasy elements will certainly not to be every taste. But
if you have a hunger to walk on the wild side, CAT PEOPLE (which is rapidly
gaining status as a cult film) will suit your need as guilty pleasure. A
personal favorite.
