Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.5

Cat People Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov September 3, 2016

Jacques Tourneur's "Cat People" (1942) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; new video program featuring cinematographer John Bailey; Kent Jones' documentary "Val Lewton: The Man in the Shadows"; archival episode of the French television program Cine regards with footage from an archival interview with dierctor Jacques Tournier; and audio commentary by film historian Gregory Mank. The release also arrives with an illustrated leaflet featuring Geoffrey O'Brien's essay "Darkness Betrayed" and technical credits. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

It is out there in the dark

If you are not yet convinced that the digital boom that reshaped the film industry was one giant leap into mediocrity, you should immediately see this new restoration of Jacques Tourneur’s Cat People. There is pure cinematic magic on display in this film that contemporary directors quite simply will never be able to recreate with digital tools. There will probably be a time when some will come close to replicating the look of films like Cat People, but digital cinematography will never have the same organic pulse. Take my advice, see the new restoration, and you will know exactly what I mean.

They meet at the zoo. Irena Dubrovna (Simone Simon, La Bête Humaine, Seventh Heaven) is sketching a black panther when Oliver Reed (Kent Smith, The Mugger) approaches her and attempts to begin a conversation with her. He isn’t particularly good, but she likes the attention and allows him to walk her home. Then, surprising even herself, she invites him to come up and have tea with her.

Soon after, Irena and Oliver fall madly in love. When they eventually decide to marry, Irena confesses to Oliver that she fears that there might be something deep inside her, a powerful force she might have brought with her from her native Serbia, which would test their union. But Oliver ignores the superstitious warning and assures her that they will have a beautiful life together.

A series of bizarre events, however, quickly force Oliver to change his mind and question how he truly feels about Irena. He then begins spending more time with his beautiful coworker Alice Moore (Jane Randolph, Jealousy), who already suspects that Irena isn’t quite as innocent as she may appear.

Cat People is one big and brilliant masterclass in direction and lighting. While the story it tells has some interesting twists, the main events are not what ultimately makes the film so fascinating to behold. It is its exceptional visual appearance which very effectively stimulates the mind to fill in various gaps. (It is not a coincidence that the ‘monster’ never emerges from the dark). It is basically something of a period interactive project that blends the best of what the horror and noir genres had to offer during the early 1940s.

The story is built around one big character transformation, but the focus of attention is actually on the reactions of the characters that struggle to rationalize it. These ‘struggles’ are the film’s biggest weakness because it very quickly becomes crystal clear what is happening, yet they are necessary because they give Tourneur and cinematographer Nicholas Musuraca (Out of the Past) enough time and material to create and sustain the remarkable atmosphere.

Paul Schrader shot a loose remake of Cat People in 1982 with Nastassja Kinski, Malcolm McDowell, and John Heard. This film is set in the beautiful city of New Orleans, and while it is wonderfully lensed by John Bailey, the most crucial element of its atmosphere is actually the hauntingly beautiful soundtrack from the great Giorgio Moroder (Midnight Express, Scarface).

Cat People Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.37:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Jacques Tourneur's Cat People arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears inside the leaflet that is provided with this Blu-ray release:

"This new digital transfer was created in 2K resolution on a Lasergraphics Director film scanner from a 35mm safety fine-grain master. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, scratches, splices, and warps were manually removed using MTIs' DRS, while Digital Vision's Phoenix was used for jitter, flicker, small dirt, grain, and noise management. The original monaural soundtrack was transferred from a new soundtrack positive created from the 35mm original soundtrack negative at Chace Audio by Deluxe in Burbank, California, where digital restoration was also performed. Additional restoration was undertaken by the Criterion Collection. Clicks, thumps, hiss, hum, and crackle, were manually removed using Pro Tools HD and iZotope RX.

Transfer supervisor and colorist: Lee Kline.
Scanning: Warner Bros. Motion Picture Imaging, Burbank, CA."

It immediately becomes obvious that the the release has been sourced from a new master because the film looks exceptionally healthy and rich. The unique lighting choices and the variety of thick shadows that define the film's noirish atmosphere are now far more effective; depth is also dramatically improved and many of the darker sequences boast completely different types of nuances. Detail is excellent during close-ups and panoramic shots. There are a few bits where small density fluctuations are visible, but they are not a byproduct of poor digital work (compare screencaptures #2 and 10). Grain is unmanipulated and well exposed. There are no traces of sharpening adjustments. Overall image stability is very good. Even the obvious shifts during transitions are solid. Finally, there are no distracting large debris, damage marks, cuts, dirt, stains, or torn frames to report in our review. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Cat People Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 1.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

Depth and clarity are very good. However, there are a couple of areas where I noticed some extremely light buzz in the upper register (see the wedding party in the restaurant where Irena is greeted by another Serbian woman). It has been attenuated, which means that it is a source limitation. There are no audio dropouts, pops, or digital distortions to report.

Cat People Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original trailer for Cat People. In English, not subtitled. (2 min, 1080i).

• John Bailey - in this brand new featurette, cinematographer John Bailey (Paul Schrader's Cat People, Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters) discusses the visual style of the original Cat People film (with some excellent comments about the management of light and shadow), cinematographer Nicholas Musuraca's legacy and the qualities that defined his work, the studio system during the early 1940s, the evolution of the noir genre and the important work of cinematographer John Alton (The Big Combo, He Walked By Night), the notorious pool scene and how its visual design compares to the same scene in Paul Schrader's film, etc. The featurette was created exclusively for Criterion in 2016. In English, not subtitled. (17 min, 1080p0).

• Cine regards - presented here is an archival episode of the French television program Cine regards in which dierctor Jacques Tournier discusses his life, move to America, and career in the film industry. The interview was conducted in the director's home in Bergerac in May 1977. In French, with optional English subtitles. (27 min, 1080p).

• Val Lewton: The Man in the Shadows (2008) - this documentary film, written and directed by Kent Jones, takes a closer look at the life and legacy of the great producer Val Lewton. The documentary is presented and narrated by acclaimed director Martin Scorsese. In English, not subtitled. (77 min, 1080i).
  
  1. In the darkness
  2. The old world
  3. The Selznick way
  4. Important rule
  5. Going deeper
  6. A mutual influence
  7. Freedom
  8. Bit players
  9. The Curse of the Cat People
  10. Secret inspiration
  11. Self-portrait
  12. Karloff
  13. Adrift
  14. Shadow world

• Commentary - this audio commentary with film historian Gregory Mank was also included on the DVD release of Cat People from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment. It was recorded in 2005. This is a wonderful, extremely informative commentary with an abundance of factual information about the history of RKO, Jacques Tourneur, and producer Val Lewton. (Gregory Mank also deconstructs various key scenes from the film). Also included in the commentary are short excerpts from an interview with actress Simone Simon.

• Leaflet - an illustrated leaflet featuring Geoffrey O'Brien's essay "Darkness Betrayed". (The author is editor in chief of the Library of America. His books include The Phantom Empire; Sonata for Jukebox; The Fall of the House of Walworth; and Stolen Glimpses, Captive Shadows: Writing on Film, 2002-2012).

Cat People Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Jacques Tourneur's Cat People is an effective reminder that the film industry is headed in the wrong direction. I truly believe that with the advancement of digital technologies there is an alarmingly large number of new directors now that can no longer create the type of cinematic magic that used to inspire people to go to their local theater and for a short period of time believe the unbelievable. Cat People has plenty of this 'old-fashioned' magic, and now that it has been fully restored, trust me, viewing it can be quite a special experience. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.