Rating: Summary: Good DVD transfer Review: I recommend this DVD. It is in widescreen 1.85:1 ratio, and the picture quality is good. I agree with the previous commentator that there are no special features on the DVD which is disappointing. This is the barest DVD I have yet seen, not one extra feature, not even an option for sub-titling. But the image quality and sound quality is good. The film itself isn't an all-time classic per/se, but judged from the viewpoint of the time period when it was filmed, it is very good. A very sensual, stylized thriller filmed like a Duran Duran video. As a fan of that era, I love this film and highly reccomend it to early-80's fans everywhere!
Rating: Summary: A Gem from the 80's Review: Yes, Nastassja Kinski is incredibly exotic and sexy in this film. Yes, there is a bit of gore. But no, that's not what defines this as a four - five stars 80's gem. The movie was produced in an extraordinary era of motion pictures; science fiction still had firm foundations in drama (think Twilight-Zone) and was tempered by the limits of production technology. Cat People 1982 was an art film before a blockbuster- a mature piece yet rich in sci-fi fantasy. The cinematography is the same caliber as with other films of its era, such as Blade Runner, the storyline is ingenius, the acting very impressive, and the soundtrack superb (David Bowie has an excellent end track). Not quite a five star film, but a very strong four.
Rating: Summary: Stylish update to a classic. Review: The original b&w Cat People (and it's sequel) are extremely tame compared with this erotic-charged version. Indeed, the originals are downright boring compared to this. The reason? For one thing Kinski is absolutely striking and even distracting. Sorry, but I'm a guy, and Nastassja Kinski was at her most sexy during this period. With those big eyes, luscious lips and...ump, everything else, it's tough to keep up with the flow of the story without your eyes becoming transfixed on her loveliness. What's here is beyond the obvious soft porn feel; but a fine horror outing in the same vein as AMERICAN WEREWOLVE IN LONDON. Kinski is suitably virgin-esque and McDowell suitably slimy. The visuals are very effective but surprisingly limited. The black cats are amazing to watch throughout. Scored by David Bowie and Giorgio Moroder, the music is sufficently creepy and memorable. As for the DVD version, the picture is mostly good. The sound is a little lacking. There were times when I had to turn it all the way up to hear. Other time I'd get my eardrums blown off. Also, no extras at all. I'd like to know how they dealt with all those big panthers. Surely there was a "Making of" feature suitable for inclusion here.
Rating: Summary: The bad and the beautiful (cat) people! Review: This is the most bare-bones DVD I've seen so far. It has the movie in widescreen format and a chapter index, and that's it! Not even a trailer. The image and sound quality are pretty good, and the movie is an interesting remake of the 1942 Val Lewton classic, but this DVD version is not worth the money. If you haven't yet seen this erotic thriller, I recommend you rent the DVD or VHS tape, or buy the cheaper VHS version. One can only hope that this DVD is no longer available from the studio because they are reworking it to make a collectible DVD edition! Paul Schrader's remake has the gorgeous 21 year old Nastassia Kinski as the troubled Irena, and she has several very nice nude scenes. Too many, in fact, according to her. She tried to get Schrader to cut some of them, but fortunately he didn't. And there is also the lovely Annette O'Toole, whose nude scene in the locker room is one of the highlights of the movie. And when the lights go out while she's alone in the swimming pool and she hears the growls of an unseen creature all around her--well, it's pretty spooky! That scene and another, when the streetcar* stops in front of O'Toole with a loud cat-like snarl, are scary and reminiscent of the original moody and atmospheric film, where all was suggested but nothing was shown--everything was left to the imagination. That was not just art, though--it was mostly because of the minuscule budget Lewton had! Today everything is shown and nothing is left to the imagination--which is good, too. Times change, and so do movies! * Electric streetcars in 1982 New Orleans? Even in the 1942 film, it was a bus! Nice shock, though, in both films!
Rating: Summary: Original was better Review: The original was a moody, understated horror film. As for this one: Ew! Yuck! Gross! I saw it in college and damn if I didn't sleep in the living room with the lights on (I couldn't get the image out of my mind of Kinski coming through the front door..or worse, McDowell). That scene when the guy gets him arm pulled off...okay, it could never happen that way, but him lying there twitching in a spreading pool of blood...ack, ack! And the way the camera almost lovingly lingers in the gore of the bedroom scene...ugh! Kinski is a bit too weird-looking (and feral-looking) for my taste, but she was a perfect fit for this film. McDowell is his usual creepy-crawly self, probably even more terrifying than he was in _A Clockwork Orange._ This is certainly a much different film than the first one.
Rating: Summary: Totally 80's ,Totally awesome! Review: A perfect horror film with a sexy,steamy side. The actors are great in their roles, the cat f/x are cool,the romance is haunting. A great twist at the end of the movie. Malcolm McDowell is disturbing and twisted but delivers a good role. Nastassja Is perfect for her part the setting is also perfect. Highly recommendable!
Rating: Summary: Hypnotic Review: It has some great visual trancelike shots.Natassja Kinski and John Heard are very believable as doomed romantics,too bad they couldn't have spent more time on these characters together.Too much nudity of Kinski,she deserves too make more movies that really capture her sensitive and compassionate nature.
Rating: Summary: A haunting, erotic horror movie Review: "Cat People" has two things going for it: a creepy, intriguing story line; and Nastassia Kinski. Kinski is absolutely mesmerizing in the title role; an erotic, exotic presence awakening to her own sexuality and discovering that she can only have a life with one of her own kind. Paul Schrader's direction lends a eerily spooky atmosphere to the film. Malcolm McDowell is excellent as Kinski's brother who sees her as his only salvation, as she sees him as her destruction; John Heard is okay but nothing special as Kinski's lover who finally realizes what she is and commits the act that at once sets her free and imprisons her for the rest of her life; and Ruby Dee has a small but haunting role as the landlady who knows Kinski's secret and confronts her with the devastating reality of what lies ahead for her. There's plenty of blood and plenty of gore, but it all fits in with the story. It's not a great movie, but it's a very good one that deserves a wider audience.
Rating: Summary: Two thumbs up Review: this is the movie where you really wanted to see Natassja Kinski naked. Natassja Kinski has been an excellent choice to play the character Irene. Her extraordinary acting talent and beauty was able to grace a near-awful and too-gory movie. I really loved her with her short black hair.
Rating: Summary: A solid, moody thriller Review: Cat People was of course hit with comparisons to the 1942 original and that, as usual, is unfair. The two have barely a thing in common. Yes, the 80s version has plenty of sex and violence, but so be it, the film has a well-defined look and is certainly moody and atmospheric, which is all we can ask of a horror film so many times. Unlike the original's psychological horror and hammy acting, Schrader is concerned with establishing New Orleans as a bizarre setting for this strange tale of a young woman's sexual awakening and subsequent rampage as a member of the title race. Kinski is perfect in the role as is Heard as Oliver, and McDowell is on hand for his patented creepiness. This film represents a clear vision of the horror only hinted at in the original screenplay by DeWitt Bodeen, and with Scarfioti and Moroder doing the visuals and the music . . .
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