
Cat People (1942)
Reference View | Change View
- Not Rated
- 1h 13min
- Fantasy, Horror
- 25 Dec 1942 (USA)
- Movie
- 2 wins & 3 nominations.
- See more »
Photos and Videos
Cast verified as complete
Simone Simon | ... |
Irena Dubrovna Reed
|
|
Kent Smith | ... |
Oliver Reed
|
|
Tom Conway | ... |
Dr. Louis Judd
|
|
Jane Randolph | ... |
Alice Moore
|
|
Jack Holt | ... |
The Commodore
|
|
Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
![]() |
Henrietta Burnside | ... |
Sue Ellen (uncredited)
|
Alec Craig | ... |
Zookeeper (uncredited)
|
|
Eddie Dew | ... |
Street Policeman (uncredited)
|
|
![]() |
Elizabeth Dunne | ... |
Mrs. Plunkett (uncredited)
|
![]() |
Dynamite | ... |
The Panther (uncredited)
|
Dot Farley | ... |
Mrs. Agnew (uncredited)
|
|
Mary Halsey | ... |
Blondie (uncredited)
|
|
Theresa Harris | ... |
Minnie (uncredited)
|
|
![]() |
Charles Jordan | ... |
Bus Driver (uncredited)
|
![]() |
Donald Kerr | ... |
Taxi Driver (uncredited)
|
![]() |
Connie Leon | ... |
Neighbor Who Called Police (uncredited)
|
Murdock MacQuarrie | ... |
Sheep Caretaker (uncredited)
|
|
Alan Napier | ... |
Doc Carver (uncredited)
|
|
![]() |
John Piffle | ... |
Café Proprietor (uncredited)
|
Betty Roadman | ... |
Mrs. Hansen (uncredited)
|
|
Elizabeth Russell | ... |
The Cat Woman (uncredited)
|
|
Stephen Soldi | ... |
Organ Grinder (uncredited)
|
Directed by
Jacques Tourneur |
Written by
DeWitt Bodeen | ... | (written by) |
Produced by
Val Lewton | ... | producer |
Music by
Roy Webb |
Cinematography by
Nicholas Musuraca | ... | director of photography |
Editing by
Mark Robson |
Art Direction by
Albert S. D'Agostino | ||
Walter E. Keller |
Set Decoration by
A. Roland Fields | ... | (set decorations) (as Al Fields) |
Darrell Silvera |
Costume Design by
Renié | ... | (gowns) |
Makeup Department
Mel Berns | ... | makeup artist (uncredited) |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Doran Cox | ... | assistant director |
Eddie Donahoe | ... | second unit director (uncredited) |
Sound Department
John L. Cass | ... | recordist |
Special Effects by
Vernon L. Walker | ... | special effects (uncredited) |
Visual Effects by
Linwood G. Dunn | ... | photographic effects (uncredited) |
Stunts
Lila Finn | ... | stunt double Simone Simon (uncredited) |
Linda Finn | ... | stunt double: Simone Simon (uncredited) |
Paul Stader | ... | Stunt double: Tom Conway (uncredited) |
Camera and Electrical Department
Frank Redman | ... | second unit: photography (uncredited) |
Costume and Wardrobe Department
Eugene Joseff | ... | costume jeweller (uncredited) |
Music Department
C. Bakaleinikoff | ... | musical director |
John Leipold | ... | orchestrator (uncredited) |
Leonid Raab | ... | orchestrator (uncredited) |
Additional Crew
Richard C. Craven | ... | humane representative (uncredited) |
Adolfo Geri | ... | italian voice dubbing: Tom Conway (uncredited) |
Mel Koontz | ... | animal trainer (uncredited) |
René Marc | ... | french voice dubbing: Ken Smith (uncredited) |
Augusto Marcacci | ... | italian voice dubbing: Kent Smith (uncredited) |
Lou L. Ostrow | ... | supervisor (uncredited) |
Simone Simon | ... | french voice dubbing: Herself (uncredited) |
Lydia Simoneschi | ... | italian voice dubbing: Simone Simon (uncredited) |
Production Companies
- RKO Radio Pictures (presents)
Distributors
- RKO Radio Pictures (1942) (United States) (theatrical) (as An R K O Radio Picture)
- RKO Distributing Corporation of Canada (1943) (Canada) (theatrical)
- RKO Radio Pictures (1943) (United Kingdom) (theatrical) (as RKO Radio Pictures, Ltd.)
- RKO Pictures (Australasia) (1943) (Australia) (theatrical)
- RKO Radio Films (1947) (Belgium) (theatrical)
- Filmófono (1947) (Spain) (theatrical)
- RKO Radio Films (1949) (Italy) (theatrical)
- RKO Radio Films (1952) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
- RKO Radio Pictures (1952) (United States) (theatrical) (re-release) (as An R K O Radio Picture)
- C&C Television Corporation (1955) (United States) (tv) (syndication)
- Ajay Film Company (1976) (United States) (theatrical) (re-release)
- Nord Video (1981) (Norway) (VHS) (Beta) (Video 2000)
- Koti-Kino (Finland) (VHS)
- Star Video (1983) (Finland) (VHS)
- TV3 (1987) (Finland) (tv)
- CEL Home Video (1989) (Australia) (video)
- The Criterion Collection (1994) (United States) (video) (laserdisc)
- Image Entertainment (1995) (United States) (video) (laserdisc)
- Yleisradio (YLE) (2002) (Finland) (tv)
- Warner Home Video (2005) (United States) (DVD) (Double-billed with "Curse of the Cat People")
- Warner Home Video (2006) (United States) (DVD) (included in "The Val Lewton Horror Collection")
- Odeon Entertainment (2014) (United Kingdom) (DVD)
- The Criterion Collection (2016) (United States) (Blu-ray)
- The Criterion Collection (2016) (United States) (DVD)
- Filmjuwelen (2022) (Germany) (Blu-ray)
- Filmjuwelen (2022) (Germany) (DVD)
- The Criterion Channel (2024) (United States) (tv) (streaming)
- Vídeo Mercury Films (1943) (Spain)
Special Effects
Other Companies
- RCA (sound system)
- Turner Entertainment (DVD package design)
- Warner Bros. Entertainment (DVD package design)
Storyline
Plot Summary |
Serbian national Irena Dubrovna, a fashion sketch artist, has recently arrived in New York for work. The first person who she makes a personal connection with there is marine engineer Oliver Reed. The two fall in love and get married despite Irena's reservations, not about Oliver but about herself. She has always felt different than other people, but has never been sure why. She lives close to the zoo, and unlike many of her neighbors is comforted by the sounds of the big cats emanating from the zoo. And although many see it purely as an old wives' tale, she believes the story from her village of ancient residents being driven into witchcraft and evil doing, those who managed to survive by escaping into the mountains. After seeing her emotional pain, Oliver arranges for her to see a psychiatrist to understand why she believes what she does. In therapy, Dr. Judd, the psychiatrist, learns that she also believes, out of that villagers' tale, that she has descended from this evil - women who change into great cats like panthers in passion, anger or jealousy - and that she will turn into a such a dangerous big cat upon being kissed in turn killing her lover and others who have betrayed her. This belief is why she has resisted falling in love before she met Oliver. Learning this information from Irena, Oliver wants to do whatever needed to help her as does Dr. Judd. But Irena's beliefs may be tested when Oliver's friendship with a co-worker named Alice Moore may become more than just friends... Written by Huggo |
Plot Keywords | |
Taglines | She knew strange, fierce pleasures that no other woman could ever feel! See more » |
Genres | |
Parents Guide | View content advisory » |
Certification |
|
Additional Details
Also Known As |
|
Runtime |
|
Official Sites | |
Country | |
Language | |
Color | |
Aspect Ratio |
|
Sound Mix | |
Filming Locations |
Box Office
Budget | $134,000 (estimated) |
Did You Know?
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. See more » |
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. See more » |
Movie Connections | Featured in Cat People (1960). See more » |
Soundtracks | Dodo, L'Enfant Do See more » |
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 See more » |
Quotes |
Irena Dubrovna:
I like the dark. It's friendly. See more » |