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IMDbPro

Cat People

  • 19421942
  • Not RatedNot Rated
  • 1h 13m
IMDb RATING
7.2/10
23K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
10,619
246
Simone Simon in Cat People (1942)
Theatrical Trailer from RKO
Play trailer1:07
2 Videos
99+ Photos
FantasyHorrorThriller
An American man marries a Serbian immigrant who fears that she will turn into the cat person of her homeland's fables if they are intimate together.An American man marries a Serbian immigrant who fears that she will turn into the cat person of her homeland's fables if they are intimate together.An American man marries a Serbian immigrant who fears that she will turn into the cat person of her homeland's fables if they are intimate together.
IMDb RATING
7.2/10
23K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
10,619
246
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • Jacques Tourneur
    • Writer
      • DeWitt Bodeen
    • Stars
      • Simone Simon
      • Tom Conway
      • Kent Smith
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Jacques Tourneur
    • Writer
      • DeWitt Bodeen
    • Stars
      • Simone Simon
      • Tom Conway
      • Kent Smith
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 191User reviews
    • 136Critic reviews
    • Awards
      • 1 win & 3 nominations

    Videos2

    Cat People
    Trailer 1:07
    Cat People
    Cowboys! Detectives! Giant Bugs! B-Movie History!
    Clip 5:23
    Cowboys! Detectives! Giant Bugs! B-Movie History!

    Photos105

    Simone Simon in Cat People (1942)
    Simone Simon in Cat People (1942)
    Simone Simon in Cat People (1942)
    Tom Conway, Jane Randolph, and Kent Smith in Cat People (1942)
    Simone Simon and Kent Smith in Cat People (1942)
    Simone Simon in Cat People (1942)
    Alan Napier, Jane Randolph, and Kent Smith in Cat People (1942)
    Simone Simon in Cat People (1942)
    Simone Simon and Kent Smith in Cat People (1942)
    Kent Smith in Cat People (1942)
    Kent Smith in Cat People (1942)
    Jane Randolph in Cat People (1942)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Simone Simon
    Simone Simon
    • Irena Dubrovna Reed
    Tom Conway
    Tom Conway
    • Dr. Louis Judd
    Kent Smith
    Kent Smith
    • Oliver Reed
    Jane Randolph
    Jane Randolph
    • Alice Moore
    Jack Holt
    Jack Holt
    • The Commodore
    Henrietta Burnside
    • Sue Ellen
    • (uncredited)
    Alec Craig
    Alec Craig
    • Zookeeper
    • (uncredited)
    Eddie Dew
    Eddie Dew
    • Street Policeman
    • (uncredited)
    Elizabeth Dunne
    • Mrs. Plunkett
    • (uncredited)
    Dynamite
    • The Panther
    • (uncredited)
    Dot Farley
    Dot Farley
    • Mrs. Agnew
    • (uncredited)
    Mary Halsey
    Mary Halsey
    • Blondie
    • (uncredited)
    Theresa Harris
    Theresa Harris
    • Minnie
    • (uncredited)
    Charles Jordan
    • Bus Driver
    • (uncredited)
    Donald Kerr
    • Taxi Driver
    • (uncredited)
    Connie Leon
    • Neighbor Who Called Police
    • (uncredited)
    Murdock MacQuarrie
    Murdock MacQuarrie
    • Sheep Caretaker
    • (uncredited)
    Alan Napier
    Alan Napier
    • Doc Carver
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Jacques Tourneur
    • Writer
      • DeWitt Bodeen
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The horror movie technique of slowly building tension to a jarring shock which turns out to be something completely harmless and benign became known as a "Lewton bus" after a famous scene in this movie created by producer Val Lewton. The technique is also referred to as a "cat scare," as off-screen noises are often revealed to be a startled harmless cat.
    • Goofs
      When Irena does not show up at her apartment when Dr. Judd, Oliver, and Alice are waiting for her, they leave. Dr. Judd hides his cane in the apartment to give him an excuse to borrow Oliver's key and go back in for it. Afterward, he leaves the door unlocked so that he can sneak back in, something that is hidden from Oliver and Alice. Yet, after Oliver and Alice are threatened in the office, they call the apartment to warn Dr. Judd that Irena is definitely dangerous and that he should leave.
    • Quotes

      Irena Dubrovna: I like the dark. It's friendly.

    • Crazy credits
      [From the opening credits] "Even as fog continues to lie in the valleys, so does ancient sin cling to the low places, the depression sin the world consciousness." - "The Anatomy of Atavism" - Dr. Louis Judd
    • Connections
      Featured in Draculeena Presents: Cat People (1960)
    • Soundtracks
      Dodo, L'Enfant Do
      (uncredited)

      Traditional French folk lullaby

      Arranged by Roy Webb

    User reviews191

    Review
    Top review
    10/10
    Horror As Art
    Not since the heyday of James Whale in the early and mid-thirties had there been anything like this one, a horror art movie. As persuasively acted by Kent Smith and Simon Simon, it concerns a young American architect, romantic if somewhat dry, and his Serbian-born wife, who has an irrational fear of turning into a cat. Since our introduction to her has her standing in front of the lion cage at the zoo, we are inclined to believe her.

    The couple's sexual difficulties (we see him sleeping on the sofa) lead the husband to suggest psychotherapy, which turns out to have tragic consequences, as it gets the poor woman too in touch with her feelings. Very little of the horror in this film is shown. Cat People was revolutionary in this respect, and had a huge impact on many films that followed, not just horrors. The picture also put its producer, Val Lewton, on the map, making him the first and last wunderkind of B movies, as he became somewhat of a celebrity from this point on, turning out high quality fright films for the next four years. Never before or since has a B level producer achieved such status.

    Director Jacques Tourneur deserves the lion's share of credit for this movie, bringing his light touch, in itself almost feline, to every scene; and in making the story seem far more intelligent than it is. Like Lewton, Tourneur was a gifted man whose natural refinement was both his making as well as his undoing, since a man of his taste and sensibility could never thrive in Hollywood, and could only expect success in fits and starts, as indeed would prove to be the case.
    helpful•32
    10
    • telegonus
    • Aug 9, 2002

    FAQ6

    • What is 'Cat People' about?
    • Is "Cat People" based on a book?
    • Did Irena really turn into a panther?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 25, 1942 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Languages
      • English
      • Czech
      • Serbian
    • Also known as
      • The Cat People
    • Filming locations
      • Stage 14, RKO Studios - 780 N. Gower Street, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA
    • Production company
      • RKO Radio Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $134,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 13 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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