Cat People

On the heels of his successful American Gigolo, Paul Schrader directed this colorfully stylish 1982 remake of producer Val Lewton/director Jacques Tourneur's shadowy 1942 b&w original. Sporting a gamine-like hairdo, Nastassja Kinski is perfectly cast as Irena, the virginal descendant of a dwindling race of feline humans who revert to panthers when they mate outside of their own species. Although Irena's brother Paul (Malcolm McDowell) offers himself as a partner, Irena sets her sights instead on an unsuspecting zoo curator (John Heard). The interspecies sexual ritual that was only implied in the 1942 film is made clear here, and the violence is far more graphic, but Schrader has fashioned an atmospheric film equal to its forebear. Credit largely goes to “visual consultant” Ferdinando Scarfiotti, who Schrader acknowledges in a new 25-minute interview, as well as in the often redundant audio commentary. Other featurettes include a 10-minute archival interview, with Schrader downplaying the incest theme; director Robert Wise discussing the 1942 original; and a short piece on special make-up effects. Definitely recommended. (T. Rich)