Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		2.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		2.5

Cat People Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov November 23, 2013

Paul Schrader's "Cat People" (1982) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of German label Koch Media. The supplemental features on the disc include an audio commentary with Paul Schrader; archival video interviews with the American director; video interview with special make-up effects artist Tom Burman; video interview with filmmaker Robert Wise; promo materials; and more. In English, with optional English or German subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Irena

Nastassja Kinski is Irena Gallier, an elegant young woman who arrives in New Orleans to meet her brother, Paul Gallier (Malcolm McDowell, Caligula, A Clockwork Orange). The two have not seen each other for years, but Paul immediately recognizes Irena at the local airport.

Soon after, it is revealed why - Paul can feel Irena’s presence. He also knows that there is a different side of her personality, a wilder, darker, very dangerous one. For years Irena has been able to suppress it, but lately her mind has been unable to fully control her body.

While visiting the local zoo, Irena meets Oliver Yates (John Heard, Cutter's Way, Snake Eyes), a curator who offers her a job in a gift shop. Irena enthusiastically accepts the offer despite the fact that the pay isn’t good. Later on, the two become lovers.

Meanwhile, a black leopard attacks a lonely prostitute in a rundown hotel and then kills a guard in the zoo. The leopard also breaks into Oliver’s house and tries to kill him, but his partner, Alice, shoots the wild animal. Later on, while performing an autopsy Paul makes a chilling discovery.

Paul Schrader’s Cat People is often viewed as a remake of Jacques Tourneur’s classic 1942 film, but the two have very little in common. Schrader’s film is essentially a psychedelic thriller focused on creating and sustaining a very unique atmosphere rather than telling a chilling story.

There is plenty of nudity in the film, but the visuals are not meant to arouse. Their purpose is to show how difficult it is to resist the power of the wild side which frequently controls the minds of two people. These visuals are usually part of revealing but hardly surprising character transformations.

The film’s greatest strength is the terrific atmosphere. Light and shadow are very effectively used to enhance the sense of uncertainty, while the lush colors during the psychedelic flashbacks could not be more appropriate. (The sequence with the giant tree for instance easily could have been used by Richard Stanely in his equally atmospheric cult sci-fi thriller Hardware). The man chiefly responsible for the film's unique look is Oscar-winning Italian production designer Ferdinando Scarfiotti, who prior to collaborating with Schrader had worked with the great Bernardo Bertolucci on such legendary films as The Conformist, The Last Emperor, and The Sheltering Sky.

The film is also complimented by a hauntingly beautiful soundtrack courtesy of the great Giorgio Moroder (Midnight Express, Scarface). The synthesizer themes, in particular, are amongst the best composed for an early ‘80s film. "Cat People (Putting Out Fire)", the film’s theme song, was performed by David Bowie. The same song was later on rerecorded by Bowie with iconic guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan.

Kinski looks appropriately innocent and brittle at first, and later on dangerous. There is a truly fantastic sequence with her in the second half of the film in which she follows her instincts and goes after a rabbit. McDowell isn’t always convincing but his edgy attitude also feels appropriate. Heard is excellent as the single curator who falls madly in love with a girl that may not be for him.

Schrader and cinematographer John Bailey shot the overwhelming majority of the film on location in New Orleans. The two also collaborated on the acclaimed Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters, Light of Day, the noirish American Gigolo, and Forever Mine.

Note: In 1983, Cat People earned Golden Globe nominations for Best Original Score (Giorgio Moroder) and Best Original Song (Giorgio Moroder/David Bowie).

Cat People Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Paul Schrader's Cat People arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of German label Koch Media.

The high-definition transfer has been struck from a dated source with various serious limitations. There are traces of moderate to strong denoising corrections throughout the entire film (see screencaptures #3 and 7). Sharpening adjustments have also been applied (see screencapture #10). Unsurprisingly, the film has a very harsh digital look that often can be seriously distracting. Color reproduction does not impress. During darker scenes saturation is problematic, while elsewhere the sharpening adjustments have seriously affected color balance (see screencapture #9). Image stability is good. There are no transition issues or edge flicker. Also, there are no large cuts, damage marks, debris, or stains to report in this review. To sum it all up, the technical presentation is unlikely to impress fans of Cat People. The film looks disappointingly harsh and frequently also very flat. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you you will be able to play it on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location. For the record, there is no problematic PAL or 1080/50i content preceding the disc's main menu).

Cat People Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and German DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. For the record, Koch Media have provided optional English and German subtitles for the main feature.

Generally speaking, depth and dynamic intensity are very pleasing. Giorgio Moroder's atmospheric score also benefits a great deal, though you should not expect the 5.1 track to test the muscles of your audio system. At best, you might be pleasantly surprised by the dynamic intensity of the sequences where the leopard is followed closely by the camera. The dialog is crisp, stable, and easy to follow. Also, there are no audio dropouts or distortions to report in this review.

Cat People Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - this audio commentary with director Paul Schrader initially appeared on the R1 DVD release of Cat People which Universal Studios produced back in 2002. In English, with optional German subtitles.

• Interview with Paul Schrader - in this archival video interview, director Paul Schrader discusses the unique themes in Cat People, his decision to cast Nastassja Kinski as Irena Gallier, his status as auteur in America, etc. In English, with optional German subtitles. (11 min).

• Cat People: An Intimate Portrait by Paul Schrader - in this archival video interview, director Paul Schrader recalls how Cat People came to exist, how the various sequences with the leopards were shot, the film's unique visual style, Giorgio Moroder's fantastic soundtrack, etc. In English, with optional German subtitles. (26 min).

• A Discussion With Special Make-Up Effects Artist Tom Burman - in this archival video interview, special effects artist Tom Burman, recalls what attracted him to Cat People and discusses the type of work that was done before and during the shooting of the film. Mr. Burman has contributed to such films as Abel Ferrara's Body Snatchers and Michael Lehmann's Hudson Hawk. In English, with optional German subtitles. (12 min).

• The Special Effects of Cat People - before and after visual comparisons. With music from the film. (4 min).

• Filmmaker Robert Wise on Val Lewton - in this video interview, filmmaker Robert Wise recalls his first encounter with Val Lewton, who produced Jacques Tourneur's Cat People and his initial reaction to the original film, and discusses his work with the famous producer (The Curse of the Cat People). The interview was conducted by Laurent Bouzereau. In English, with optional German subtitles. (4 min).

• German Trailer - German trailer for Cat People. In German, not subtitled. (2 min).

• U.S. Trailer - original U.S. trailer for Cat People. In English, with optional German subtitles. (3 min).

• Original Trailer - original trailer for Jacques Tourneur's Cat People. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• Promo Materials - a collection of original posters, lobby cards, production stills, storyboards, and RKO-Universal promo stills. With music from the film. (7 min).

Cat People Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If Paul Schrader's Cat People happens to be one of your favorite films and you have been waiting for it to transition to Blu-ray, my advice to you is to wait and see how Shout Factory's upcoming release turns out. The German release herein reviewed, courtesy of local distributors Koch Media, uses a high-definition transfer that is quite problematic. Naturally, I cannot recommend it to you.