Search - Cat People on DVD

MPAA Rating: R Content Advisory: Nudity, Adult Situations, Strong Sexual Content, Not For Children, Adult Language Movie Release: 1982 DVD Release: 01/14/1998 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV Audio Tracks: English Subtitles: English SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 59 mins Studio: Image Entertainment Members Wishing: 5 Genres: Horror, Creature Film, Sex Horror See Also: Cat People, Cat People [HD DVD], Cat People [$5 Halloween Candy Cash Offer]

In this loose adaptation of the 1942 horror classic of the same name, a 2001-style opening montage establishes some sort of sacrificial, mystical union between panthers and an ancient tribe of humans. Flash forward to 1980's New Orleans, where waifish Irina (Natassja Kinski) meets her older brother, Paul (Malcolm McDowell), a minister, for the first time since their animal trainer parents died and she was sent to a series of foster homes. Paul's Creole housekeeper, Female (Ruby Dee), helps Irina settle into her brother's home, but Paul himself disappears. Cut to a fleabag motel where a blasé prostitute finds an angry panther instead of a client; after mauling her, the cat is captured by police and a team of zoologists: Oliver (John Heard), Alice (Annette O'Toole), and Joe (Ed Begley Jr.). The next day Irina finds herself in the zoo where these scientists work; drawn to the newly captured panther, she befriends Oliver and takes a job in the gift shop. Shortly after the panther's violence turns deadly, it escapes, and soon Paul turns up spouting an unbelievable story about his family's were-cat heritage and his inevitable sexual union with little Irina. On the run from her dangerous brother, Irina takes refuge in a sexually frustrated romance with Oliver, afraid of what might happen if she consummates their passion. Astute viewers will notice that the zoologist characters refer to the film's panthers as leopards; "panther" is actually a generic term for any large cat, especially a black one, but Cat People's panthers are in fact leopards whose black color comes from a recessive trait known as melanism. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide

Nastassja Kinski - Irena Gallier
Malcolm McDowell - Paul Gallier
John Heard - Oliver Yates
Annette O'Toole - Alice Perrin
Ruby Dee - Female

Cat People, the 1982 thriller starring Nastassja Kinski and Malcolm McDowell, is available on DVD in a bare-bones version fromUniversal. The film is presented in widescreen (1:85:1) and looks and sounds great. Unfortunately, save for English captions and standard scene-selection screens, there are no other supplemental features. At the very least, a film this unique and visually arresting deserves production notes, a trailer, and talent files. This is an unsatisfying package. ~ Jose Promis, All Movie Guide