Directed by Brian de Palma and screenplay by David Koepp from a story by de Palma and Koepp, Snake Eyes is the story of a police detective who attends a boxing match with a friend where an assassination takes place with everyone being a suspect. The film is a suspense-thriller that plays into a man dealing with his surroundings as well as wondering if what he claims to see really happened. Starring Nicolas Cage, Gary Sinise, Carla Gugino, John Heard, Stan Shaw, and Kevin Dunn. Snake Eyes is a complex and mesmerizing film from Brian de Palma.
Set in Atlantic City on a rainy night where a major boxing fight is to occur in a hotel/casino before it’s to be torn down, an assassination of a defense secretary happens where a corrupt police detective was sitting in front of the man as he notices something is off as he and a friend find out what’s going on. It’s a film that plays into conspiracy theories over this assassination and who is involved and why where this crooked detective in Rick Santoro (Nicolas Cage) is there just to see a fight only to suddenly having to work where he would realize that this wasn’t a typical assassination. David Koepp’s screenplay takes this simple premise of an investigation into this assassination where everyone is a suspect including this woman named Julia Costello (Carla Gugino) who was talking the defense secretary Charles Kirkland (Joel Fabiani) just as he was shot while she would also get a wound in her left arm.
With his friend Commander Kevin Dunne (Gary Sinise) also investigating as he was Kirkland’s bodyguard who had suspected a woman in red named Serena (Jayne Heitmeyer) for being there without a ticket to the fight. Santoro would notice little things that are suspicious such as the fight as well as some of the people watching it which play into his need to find truth. Though Santoro is a flawed individual as he admittedly takes bribes and always gamble as well as being despicable at times. Still, he is a man that is willing to do his job as he would later deal with the fact that something isn’t right as the script does reveal a key twist during its second act with everything coming ahead for its third as Koepp maintains a sense of intrigue but also motivations into why this defense secretary is killed.
Brian de Palma’s direction is definitely stylish with its intricate tracking shots, crane shots, and all sorts of things which is often expected from de Palma. Notably the way he opens the film with this 12-minute continuous tracking shot with some invisible cuts that play into Santoro and his wild persona as the first thing shown is a newscaster (Tamara Tunie) on TV reporting outside of the casino as a major storm is happening and it then the camera pans to another TV screen where another reporter in Lou Logan (Kevin Dunn) is covering the fight and then the camera pans to Logan being filmed with Santoro walking behind him. This intricate shot showcases so much in the wide and medium shots as well as de Palma establishing what is happening and where Santoro is going he is also talking on the phone to his wife and a mistress as well as other people before sitting with Commander Dunne who would leave to deal with the woman in red where Julia would take Dunne’s seat to talk to Kirkland with nothing on the fight shot during this 12-minute sequence. The film would then become this suspense-thriller that showcases the event of the assassination as well as what was happening in the fight as well what was Commander Dunne doing and what Julie was talking to Kirkland about before he died.
These different point-of-views happen early in the second act as well as the twist which definitely show that there is something going on as de Palma uses this reveal to show a much bigger picture. Even as Julia becomes a target as she knows who might’ve planned the assassination yet isn’t able to identify the person because she can’t really see anything without glasses. These little details that include this intricate crane-tracking shot of the hotel rooms from above is among some of de Palma’s finest moments in playing up the suspense. The film’s climax play into not just the reveal of who planned the assassination and why but also the fact that there’s many people involved that someone as corrupt and troubled as Santoro would be likely to take whatever money is offered to not get involved. Yet, de Palma knows that even those who aren’t perfect and corrupt couldn’t exactly walk away from doing the right thing no matter how bad things can be. Overall, de Palma creates a wild yet gripping film about a detective figuring out who killed a man at a boxing match.
Cinematographer Stephen H. Burum does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography in its usage of lights and soft focuses as well as create an atmosphere for many of the interiors including the hotel rooms, the casino, and the arena where the boxing match takes place. Editor Bill Pankow does excellent work with the editing with its usage of stylish invisible cuts, jump-cuts, split-screens, and fade-outs to play into the suspense that looms throughout the film. Production designer Anne Pritchard, with set decorator Daniel Carpentier plus art directors James Fox, Isabelle Guay, and Real Proulx, does amazing work with the look of the hotel rooms, the room of the boxer, and parts of the arena as well as some of the exteriors of the hotel/casino. Costume designer Odette Gadoury does terrific work with the costumes from the wild suit that Santoro wears for the fight to the stylish clothes some of the characters wear in the film.
Special effects supervisor Garry Elmendorf and visual effect supervisor Eric Brevig do fantastic work with some of the visual effects as it relates to the stormy weather for the film’s exterior including its climax. Sound editors Richard P. Cirincione and Maurice Schell do superb work with the sound in creating sound effects for the fight heard off screen as well as the chaos in the arena that relates to the crowd and gunfire. The film’s music by Ryuichi Sakamoto is wonderful for its orchestral score that play into the suspense with its string arrangements as well as bombastic pieces to play into the intensity of the reveals and other moments in the film.
The casting by Mary Colquhoun is marvelous as it feature some notable small roles from Adam C. Flores as the challenging boxer Jose Pacific Ruiz, Eric Hoziel as the shooter Tariq Rabat, James Whelan as the mayor of Atlantic City, Chip Chupika as the drunk in the audience, Jayne Heitmeyer as the woman in red named Serena, Chip Zien as Tyler’s manager, Michael Rispoli as Tyler’s agent, Tamara Tunie as the reporter Anthea, Peter McRobbie as a FBI official, Mike Starr as the casino security head Walt McGahn who helps Santoro, David Michael Higgins as a man Julia seduces into his hotel room so she can hide, and Luis Guzman as a friend of Tyler in Cyrus whom Santoro beats up over money which he uses to gamble.
Kevin Dunn is superb as the fight reporter Lou Logan as a friend of Santoro who is eager to get a break while would help Santoro reveal some things that Logan’s crew filmed. John Heard is fantastic as the hotel/casino owner Gilbert Powell who is believed to be part of the conspiracy as a way to get money for the new hotel he wants to create. Joel Fabiani is terrific as the defense secretary Charles Kirkland as the target of this assassination as a man who has the power to do something yet is unaware of what he will do as there are those that want him dead. Stan Shaw is excellent as the boxing champion Lincoln Tyler as a man who is believed to be part of the conspiracy as Santoro suspects his involvement where he is revealed to be a flawed man that is dealing with all sorts of problems.
Carla Gugino is brilliant as Julia Costello as a woman working in the defense department as she has uncovered some things that would harm a program as she also becomes a target forcing Santoro to protect her. Gary Sinise is amazing as Commander Kevin Dunne as Santoro’s best friend as a man that is assigned to protect Kirkland only to botch it as he copes with his shortcomings as well as become intent in uncovering the conspiracy. Finally, there’s Nicolas Cage in an incredible performance as Rick Santoro as a corrupt detective who attends the fight as a spectator only to see something is off as he does whatever he can to find out the truth only to cope with some major revelations as he becomes conflicted into doing what is right as well as loyalty.
Snake Eyes is a remarkable film from Brian de Palma that features a wild and fun performance from Nicolas Cage. Along with its supporting cast, complex twists and turns, dazzling visuals, and Ryuichi Sakamoto’s haunting score, it’s a film that bears a lot of the fun elements expected in a suspense thriller while also being this intriguing study of conspiracy and two men trying to uncover the truth with a woman being targeted for carrying the truth. In the end, Snake Eyes is a marvelous film from Brian de Palma.
Brian de Palma Films: (Murder a la Mod) – (Greetings) – (The Wedding Party) – (Dionysus in ’69) – (Hi, Mom!) – (Get to Know Your Rabbit) – Sisters - Phantom of the Paradise – Obsession – Carrie - The Fury - (Home Movies) – Dressed to Kill - Blow Out - Scarface (1983 film) - Body Double – (Wise Guys) – The Untouchables - Casualties of War - The Bonfire of the Vanities - Raising Cain - Carlito's Way - Mission: Impossible – Mission to Mars - Femme Fatale – The Black Dahlia - (Redacted) – Passion (2012 film) – (Domino (2018 film))
© thevoid99 2018
Directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Joseph Minion, After Hours is the story of a man who goes out in New York City where he would have a series of misadventures during the course of an entire night. The film is a look into a man trying to get back home when a planned date with another woman doesn’t go as he hoped it would be as he would meet various strangers during the course of this night. Starring Griffin Dunne, Rosanna Arquette, Linda Fiorentino, John Heard, Verna Bloom, Cheech Marin, Tommy Chong, Teri Garr, and Catherine O’Hara. After Hours is a wild and exhilarating film from Martin Scorsese.
Set in the span of 24 hours, the film follows a computer word processor who meets a woman at a diner and later asks her out late one night and then everything goes into complete chaos due to a series of misunderstandings, mistaken identity, loss of money, and all sorts of fucked-up shit. It’s a film that is a misadventure set in the Soho section of New York City where this man is in a world that is very spontaneous and unpredictable which is foreign to him as he spends much of time working. Upon meeting this woman on a night after work as she notices a book he’s reading, he thinks he gets a chance to break from his monotonous life. The film’s screenplay by Joseph Minion, with contributions by Martin Scorsese, plays into this 24-hour time span where it begins at an office where Paul Hackett (Griffin Dunne) is showing a new employee what to do as he copes with the outcome of how the rest of his life would be at work.
In meeting Marcy Franklin (Rosanna Arquette), he feels like this is someone who might want to go out with but things start to go wrong when he rides a cab and loses a $20 bill that he was supposed to be for the cab driver. During his date with Marcy, he learns about some things about her that disturbs him while he also meets Marcy’s sculptor roommate Kiki (Linda Fiorentino) whose paperweight sculptures is something that Paul wants. The night would only get worse when he meets a bartender (John Heard), an oddball waitress (Teri Garr), a woman that is part of a vigilante group, and other assortment of characters where Paul is later accused of burglary and gets himself into these horrible situations.
Martin Scorsese’s direction is definitely stylish in the way he would present the film as it is shot on location in New York City with much of it shot in the Soho section of the city. While there are some wide shots of the locations as well as scenes that play into the suspense and paranoia that Paul would go through for much of the film. Scorsese would utilize some close-ups and medium shots to play into Paul’s interaction with the people he would meet during the course of the film as it is shot on some actual locations as well as a few sets that are created. Scorsese wouldn’t just create this world that is unpredictable which is far removed from the world of clean and spacious apartments and work places that Paul is known as it’s not just the diners and bars he would go to but also a club that is quite arty and chaotic.
Notably for the fact that some of the characters he meet are either from the world of art or are part of this sub-culture that is Soho. The direction is also stylized for some crazy scenes such as scene in the cab where it’s sped-up to play into the maniacal world that Paul is about to embark. Even as there are elements of repetition that play into the suspense and paranoia that include encounters with a couple of burglars as well as local vigilante group who believe he is a burglar. The element of humor is key to the film as it add to the craziness that Paul endured all because he wanted to go on a date with a person he doesn’t know. Overall, Scorsese creates a thrilling and exciting film about a man’s bad night in Soho.
Cinematographer Michael Ballhaus does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography for the way many of the exteriors at night look and in how some of the interiors are lit while the few daytime shots outside of Soho are presented in a more naturalistic look. Editor Thelma Schoonmaker does amazing work with the editing as it has a lot of style in the usage of dissolves, different frame speeds, jump-cuts, and other stylized moments to play into the humor and manic suspense. Production designer Jeffrey Townsend, with set decorator Leslie Pope and art director Stephen J. Lineweaver, does fantastic work with the look of the art-punk club known as Berlin as well as the loft apartment Kiki and Marcy live as well a diner and a bar that Paul would go into.
Costume designer Rita Ryack does nice work with the costumes as it is mainly straightforward to play into the different sub-cultures of Soho from the art-punk look of Kiki to the more 60s-inspired look of the waitress Julie. Sound editor Skip Lievsay does superb work with the sound in maintaining a lively atmosphere to some of the locations as well as how music sounds in a location. The film’s music by Howard Shore is excellent for its eerie electronic score that play into the suspense and drama while the film’s soundtrack would feature an array of different musical styles at it include some classical pieces from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Johann Sebastian Bach as well as jazz pieces from Cole Porter and the Gershwin brothers plus contemporary music from Joni Mitchell, the Monkees, Peggy Lee, and Bad Brains as well as some classic blues and rock music.
The casting by Mary Colquhoun is wonderful as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from Bronson Pinchot as an employee Paul is trying to teach, Larry Block as the cab driver, Dick Miller as a diner waiter, Rocco Sisto as an odd coffee shop cashier, Clarence Felder as a punk club bouncer, Will Patton as Kiki’s boyfriend Horst, Tommy Chong and Cheech Marin as the two burglars who constantly steal things, and Verna Bloom in a terrific role as a woman at a club named June that Paul meets very late in the film. Catherine O’Hara is superb as a woman named Gail who helps Paul at first until she suspects him as a burglar while Teri Garr is fantastic as Julie as a bar waitress who hates her job while wanting to be an artist due to the drawings she makes. John Heard is excellent as Tom Schorr as a bartender who offers to help Paul out in getting a subway token as he would cope with sudden news that would shape his life.
Linda Fiorentino is brilliant as the oddball sculptor Kiki who dresses in punk clothes as she is also someone who has an abstract view on art. Rosanna Arquette is amazing as Marcy as a woman that Paul meets and goes on a date with as she is someone with some secrets as it relates to her past which disturbs Paul. Finally, there’s Griffin Dunne in an incredible performance as Paul Hackett as a man who works at an office who goes on a date only to endure the craziest night of his life as he deals with all sorts of shit as it’s a very manic and energetic performance from Dunne.
After Hours is a sensational film from Martin Scorsese. Featuring a great cast, a thrilling and offbeat premise, a killer music soundtrack, and stylish visuals, the film is definitely a wild yet fun film that explore what happens when a date night goes horribly wrong. In the end, After Hours is a phenomenal film from Martin Scorsese.
Martin Scorsese Films: (Who’s That Knocking on My Door?) – (Street Scenes) – Boxcar Bertha – (Mean Streets) – Italianamerican – Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore - Taxi Driver - New York, New York – American Boy: A Profile of Steven Prince - (The Last Waltz) – Raging Bull - The King of Comedy - The Color of Money - The Last Temptation of Christ - New York Stories-Life Lessons - Goodfellas – Cape Fear - The Age of Innocence (1993 film) - (A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies) – (Casino) – (Kundun) – (My Voyage to Italy) – Bringing Out the Dead - (The Blues-Feel Like Going Home) – Gangs of New York - (The Aviator) – No Direction Home – The Departed - Shine a Light - Shutter Island - (A Letter to Elia) – (Public Speaking) - George Harrison: Living in the Material World - Hugo - The Wolf of Wall Street - (The Fifty Year Argument) – Silence (2016 film) – (The Irishman (2018 film)) - Killers of the Flower Moon - (An Afternoon with SCTV)
© thevoid99 2017
Directed by Penny Marshall and written by Gary Ross and Anne Spielberg, Big is the story of a 12-year old boy who wishes he would be big only to grow up into a 30-year old man as he copes with being an adult working for a toy company as well as having a girlfriend. The film is a magical tale where a boy grows up to be a man through a wish from a fortune teller machine as he would endure the idea of growing up too fast. Starring Tom Hanks, Elizabeth Perkins, John Heard, Jared Rushton, Mercedes Ruehl, David Moscow, Jon Lovitz, and Robert Loggia. Big is a charming and sensational film from Penny Marshall.
What happens when a young boy asks a fortune teller machine to be big where it comes true as he ends up being a 30-year old man? That is pretty much the premise of the film as it explores a boy coping with the idea of growing up and having to do things that adults are supposed to do. For Josh Baskin (Tom Hanks), he would get a job working for a toy company where his love for toys would have him rise up the corporate ladder and gain a girlfriend where he would eventually lose sight of who he really is. While it is a coming-of-age film of sorts, the screenplay by Gary Ross and Anne Spielberg mixes it up with elements of humor into how someone like Josh who may have the body of a 30-year old man but the spirit and mind of a 12-year old would interact with the adult world.
The screenplay showcases a young Josh (David Moscow) asking this fortune teller machine his wish to be big all because he wants to ride a roller coaster with a school crush. Though it does have this idea of be careful what you wish for, Josh would learn that the hard way as he realizes that his wish did come true as the only person he can turn to for help is his best friend Billy (Jared Rushton) who knows a bit more on Josh about the realities of the world. Due to his knowledge in computers, Josh would get a job working for this toy company as he catches the eye of its boss MacMillan (Robert Loggia) who realizes that Josh knows a lot about toys can sell and what toys don’t work in which he would promote Josh much to the ire of executive Paul Davenport (John Heard). Yet, Josh’s ideas and enthusiasm would impress another executive in Susan Lawrence (Elizabeth Perkins) who thinks Josh is a really nice guy and far more mature than the men she had been with.
Penny Marshall’s direction is definitely wondrous in the way she is able to tell a story of a kid who grows up to be an adult. Instead of relying on certain gimmicks and gags about how a kid would act as an adult, Marshall keep things more naturalistic where it’s more about the sense of fear and anxiety that children might face if they do grow up all of a sudden as adults. While many of the compositions are simple, Marshall does manage to keep things engaging in the way she would shoot scenes set in New Jersey and in New York City where the latter is this world that is quite crazy but also very exciting. While there are elements of drama as well as moments that play into Josh’s fear of being by himself and deal with the trappings of adult. There are these moments of humor that are very funny as well as lively scenes that include a very memorable scene of Josh and MacMillan playing a large, foot-operated piano.
The direction also has these moments that are quite intimate in the way Josh and Susan’s relationship develops where it does toe the line between something tender but also creepy considering that Josh is really a kid. Yet, there’s aspects in the direction where Josh presents himself very maturely as its third act play into his desire to return to childhood. Still, there are elements that play into elements of fantasy as it relates to the fortune telling machine that Josh had discovered early in the film as it has this air of mysticism. Even as it reinforces the theme of the idea of wishes as well as what kids want where they would get a glimpse of the idea of adulthood. Overall, Marshall creates a very sensational and heartwarming film about a boy who wishes to be big as he mysteriously grows up to be a man.
Cinematographer Barry Sonnenfeld does excellent work with the cinematography from the usage of lights for some of the nighttime interior/exterior scenes including the company party scene as well as some low-key lights for the daytime scenes. Editor Barry Malkin does superb work with the editing as it‘s very straightforward with an inspiring montage scene where Josh moves into an apartment and gets all sorts of stuff. Production designer Santo Loquasto, with set decorators Susan Bode and George DeTitta Jr. and art directors Speed Hopkins and Tom Warren, does fantastic work with the set pieces from the apartment loft that Josh would live in as well as some of the sets created at the FAO Schwartz toy store.
Costume designer Judianna Makovsky does terrific work with the costumes as it‘s mostly casual with the exception of the white tuxedo Josh would wear at the company party. Sound editor Jerry Ross and sound designer Brian Eddolls do nice work with the sound from some of the things Josh hears in his hotel room when he first arrives to New York City as well as some of the sound effects of the toys he would play. The film’s music by Howard Shore is wonderful for its playful piano-based score along with some somber orchestral pieces to play into the drama while the soundtrack features an array of music from classical, standards, and contemporary music from Billy Idol and Huey Lewis & the News.
The casting by Paula Herold and Juliet Taylor is phenomenal as it features some notable small roles from Debra Jo Rupp as Josh’s secretary Miss Patterson, Kimberlee M. Davis as a school crush of Josh early in the film, Josh Clark as Josh’s dad, and Jon Lovitz in a very funny performance as an early co-worker of Josh who says some of the funniest things in the film. David Moscow is excellent as the young Josh who copes with being a kid as well as some of the things he wants to do if he was taller. Mercedes Ruehl is wonderful as Josh’s mother who thinks the adult Josh is her son’s kidnapper as she copes with not having Josh in her home. Jared Rushton is fantastic as Josh’s best friend Billy who helps him deal with being an adult as well as reminding him that he’s really just a kid.
John Heard is brilliant as Paul Davenport as an executive who is not happy with Josh’s rise up the corporate ladder as he is also annoyed by a presentation where Josh says “I don’t get it”. Robert Loggia is great as MacMillan as a toy company boss who tries to figure out how to save his business as he sees Josh as someone that he needs and likes for bringing the kid in him. Elizabeth Perkins is amazing as Susan as this executive who takes a liking to Josh as she would fall for him while seeing that he is very mature as well as quite jovial as he brings the kid in her. Finally, there’s Tom Hanks in one of his most iconic performances as Josh Baskin as this boy who is trapped in a man’s body as he copes with the wish he creates as well as being an adult as Hanks has a lot of energy, charm, and tenderness to his role as it’s so fun to watch.
Big is an absolutely incredible film from Penny Marshall that features an exhilarating and joyful performance from Tom Hanks. Along with a great supporting cast, a fantastic score, and a witty screenplay, it’s a film that manages to capture the heart of a child as well as showing the fears of growing up. It’s also a film that is very accessible for all ages as it is very funny as well as heartwarming. In the end, Big is an outstanding film from Penny Marshall.
Penny Marshall Films: (Jumpin’ Jack Flash) - (Awakenings) - (A League of Their Own) - (Renaissance Man) - (The Preacher’s Wife) - (Riding in Cars with Boys)
© thevoid99 2014
Based on the original story by DeWitt Bodeen, Cat People is the story of a woman who travels to New Orleans to meet her long-lost brother as she discovers an ancient secret about her family that would threaten the new life she’s craving for. Directed by Paul Schraeder and screenplay by Alan Ormsby with additional work by Schrader, the film is an updated remake of the legendary 1942 film by Jacques Tourneur as it explores the world of eroticism and identity. Starring Nastassja Kinski, Malcolm McDowell, John Heard, Annette O’Toole, Ruby Dee, Ed Begley Jr., and John Larroquette. Cat People is an eerie yet hypnotic film from Paul Schraeder.
Irena Gallier (Nastassja Kinski) arrives to New Orleans to meet her older brother Paul (Malcolm McDowell) whom she hadn’t seen since they were children as he takes her to his home that includes the maid Female (Ruby Dee). Paul goes away for a few days claiming he has work to do as a minister as Irena looks around the sites of the city as she comes across a zoo. Irena is entranced by a black leopard that had just been taken after an incident that nearly left a prostitute killed as she spends her day sketching the leopard only to lose track of time as she meets the zoo’s curator Oliver (John Heard). The two become friends as Oliver gives her a job working at the zoo’s gift shop as she remains entranced by the leopard where it attacks one of the zoologists in Joe (Ed Begley Jr.). Later that night, the leopard escapes as Oliver and fellow zoologist Alice (Annette O’Toole) wonder what is going on.
Paul reappears to Irena revealing what he’s done as well as a dark family secret about who their parents really are as Irena refuses to believe him as she lives with Oliver who takes her to a remote place that he likes to be at. Upon her return home following another involving the black leopard, Paul reappears to Irena about what she should do to save them both as she refuses leading to Paul to try and attack Oliver. The attack falters where Oliver makes a discovery as Irena decides to leave New Orleans where she has a strange vision about her heritage prompting her to return. Through this new revelation, Irena would do something that would save herself and Oliver.
The film is a loose take on the original 1942 film by incorporating more themes about sexual repression and identity as it revolves around a young woman and her troubled life as she falls for a zoo curator while being pulled another way by her long-lost brother. Throughout the course of the film, she would have this strange connection to her brother as she would start to see things and behave erratically until she learns about what she really is as it would eventually complicate matters. Notably as her discovery about her heritage and who her parents really are would eventually change her point of view on the world and everything else around her.
Alan Ormsby’s screenplay explores this unique dynamic between man and creature where there’s this rare group of people who are one and the same as story begins with this prologue about the cat people who were these ancient creatures that were once considered gods. For Irena, she knows nothing about this world until she meets Paul as she begins to deal with these transformations in not just a physical sense but also an emotional one. She falls for this zoo curator who loves animals but becomes more confused as the story progresses leading to her wondering more about herself and who she really is. It’s a very captivating script that explores the world of a woman who is seemingly repressed sexually yet would eventually embrace this new revelation but with a heavy price.
Paul Schraeder’s direction is very stylish in its presentation as it starts off with this very sepia-drenched look of an old world where these black leopards are considered gods. The film then cuts to a present world set in New Orleans where it’s definitely exotic with its religious imagery and all sorts of places as it is a major character in the film. Still, Schraeder is interested in the characters and the world they live in as the house that Paul lives in is a place that features all sorts of relics from an old world while his maid seems to know a lot more than both of them realize as she would provide some important ideas in the third act that is crucial to Irena’s view of things.
While some of the compositions are straightforward, Schraeder dues infuse a lot of details into his framing from the way Oliver first sees Irena at night below his office to the chilling moment of Irena’s first idea where she’s not human. It’s part of Schraeder’s approach to suspense where he knows when to go for the kill as it includes some very chilling scenes with the black leopard such as a hooker’s encounter where she could be killed or not. Things definitely become more entrancing in the third act that includes a wonderful homage to the original 1942 by Jacques Tourneur when Alice dives into a pool and thinks that a leopard is looking for her. It plays to Irena’s own transformation and acceptance yet it would also have her do something that would be crucial to her own being. Overall, Schraeder creates a very fascinating yet provocative film about identity and sexuality.
Cinematographer John Bailey does incredible work with the film‘s photography from the hypnotic sepia-washes in the prologue scenes to the gorgeous colors of New Orleans locations along with some amazing nighttime scenes that are exquisite in its lighting schemes and set-ups to convey a mood. Editors Jacqueline Cambas, Jere Huggins, and Ned Humphreys do superb work in creating an element of suspense through the cutting while utilizing stylish cuts for some of the film‘s intense moments like the human to leopard transformation. Art director Edward Richardson and Bruce Weintraub do terrific work with the set pieces such as Paul‘s exotic home to the look of the old world with its caves and trees. Costume designer Daniel Parades does a wonderful job with the costumes as a lot of it is casual with the exception of Paul who often wears black while Irena wears more exotic white to convey her persona.
Special effects makeup by Thomas R. Burman does some amazing work with the makeup effects in the film‘s transformation scenes that really brings a sense of terror to the film. Sound editor Charles L. Campbell does an excellent job with the sound to create a mood in some scenes such as a moment where Irena hears a lot of things that plays out to her transformation. The film’s music by Giorgio Moroder is brilliant for its haunting and evocative electronic score as it plays up the suspense and its brooding tone as it‘s truly one of Moroder‘s best scores. The title theme song performed by Moroder and David Bowie is among one of Bowie’s best songs for the dark mood it conveys through Moroder’s synth-drenched presentation and Bowie’s haunting vocals.
The casting by Mary Goldberg is wonderful for the ensemble that is created as it features some notable small roles from Frankie Faison as a detective leading the investigation, John Larroquette as a financial man for the zoo, Scott Paulin as a zoo supervisor, and Ed Begley, Jr. as Oliver’s zoologist friend Joe. Ruby Dee is terrific as the strange Female where Dee maintains a very low-key approach to her role as she only returns briefly in the third act with some very crucial information. Annette O’Toole is excellent as Alice who is intrigued by Irena while becoming concerned for Oliver’s obsession towards Irena.
John Heard is superb as Oliver as he is intrigued by Irena’s beauty and shy personality as he starts to wonder what is going on with her along with the mysteries of the leopard. Malcolm McDowell is brilliant as the very mysterious Paul as he displays a bit of charm to his role but also a chilling intensity to a man who carries a very dark secret. Finally, there’s Nastassja Kinski in a mesmerizing performance as Irena as she displays a very quiet and restrained performance early on as it progresses into a woman filled with fear and uncertainty where she delves into dark territory as it is really one of Kinski’s best performances.
Paul Schraeder’s version of Cat People is a remarkable yet brooding film that features a radiant yet harrowing performance from Nastassja Kinski. While it’s a very different film from the original 1942 film by Jacques Tourneur, it is still a very interesting one for its interpretation in the way it explores a woman’s identity. In the end, Cat People is an exotic yet captivating film from Paul Schraeder.
Paul Schraeder Films: Blue Collar - Hardcore - American Gigolo - Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters - (Light of Day) - (Patty Hearst) - (The Comfort of Strangers) - (Light Sleeper) - (Witch Hunt) - (Touch) - Affliction - (Forever Mine) - (Auto Focus) - (Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist) - (The Walker) - (Adam Resurrected) - (The Canyons) - Dying of the Light - (Dog Eat Dog) - First Reformed - (The Card Counter)
Related: Cat People (1942 film)
© thevoid99 2012
