(Winner of the Palme d’Or at the 1969 Cannes Film Festival)
Directed by Lindsay Anderson and screenplay by David Sherwin from a story by Sherwin and John Howlett, if… is the story of a boarding school student and his friends who rebel against the authority after enduring a series of abuse and humiliating moments from the authority. The film is the first of a trilogy of films all revolving around a young man named Mick Travis who is played by Malcolm McDowell. Also starring Richard Warwick, Christine Noonan, David Wood, and Robert Swann. if… is a chilling yet enthralling film from Lindsay Anderson.
Set in a boarding school in Britain, the film is about a student and his two friends who attend the College boarding school in their penultimate year as they become tired of the same old rhetoric they’ve been hammered down at the school as well as their upperclassmen who continuously abuse them. Leading the pack is Mick Travis as he arrives at the school sporting a mustache as he would shave it off as he refuses to take part in any school activities while scoffing off against his upperclassmen. Especially as the staff and the upperclassmen at the school seem to be out of touch with the world outside of them as Mick and his friends Johnny (David Wood) and Wallace (Richard Warwick) know what is going on as they don’t want to play fake wars, play rugby, or do anything. They just wanted to have fun and cause mayhem as if there are no rules as they’ve been dealing with the same stupid rules for much of their young lives.
The film’s screenplay is told in eight chapters in the span of an entire school term where young boys come in as they have to learn the way things are as well as say things in a certain way. A lot of which plays into this idea of conformity and do what is needed to advance into life. It’s something that the upperclassmen in Rowntree (Robert Swann) and Denson (Hugh Thomas) have managed to do as they would abuse their lower classmen with such bizarre demands and such while punishing those with such brutality. The script has a subplot involving a new student in Jute (Sean Bury) who has a hard time dealing with his new environment as his classmate Bobby Philips (Rupert Webster) has homosexual feelings for Wallace. Still, the film plays into Mick’s thirst for rebellion as he would also have some surrealistic fantasies involving a girl (Christine Noonan) as the third act would have him planning his own rebellion against the school.
Lindsay Anderson’s direction is quite stylish in some aspects of the film as he shoots the film both in color and in black-and-white. Much of it play the sense of fantasy but also the oppression that takes place in the College school. While the authority figures led by its headmaster (Peter Jeffrey) isn’t a totally oppressive figure as he does try to understand the boys. The way he is presented through Anderson’s camera is a man who clearly doesn’t understand what is going on as it shows him trying to please those who want to ensure that the school is a vital place of education. Unfortunately, it’s become a place where, despite its prestigious look, it feels old and it looks old as it feels removed from what is going on in Britain.
There are scenes set outside of the school where Mick and Johnny play hooky as they would meet the young girl who was part of Mick’s fantasy as well as showcase the antics they do with Wallace. One of the most intense moments of the film is the beating the three take where Anderson creates a very unique approach to the way he presents the beating. In one entire take, he would have Mick wait outside of the gym where Johnny and Wallace would each take their respective lashing. Then it would cut into the gym once it’s Mick’s turn as the sound of the lashing is heard outside from the perspective of the other students where one of them in Stephans (Guy Ross) is smiling over Mick’s punishment. It would then lead into this chilling climax where Mick and his friends would get their revenge in an act of defiance. Yet, it’s a climax that really has a lot of things to say as well as being a major “fuck you” to the establishment. Overall, Anderson creates a truly visceral and uncompromising film about rebellion in a British boarding school.
Cinematographer Miroslav Ondricek does amazing work with the film‘s cinematography from the gorgeous look of the film‘s interior and exterior scenes in color as well as the look of the black-and-white is just as entrancing as it plays to the surreal moments of the film. Editor David Gladwell does excellent work with the editing as it‘s straightforward in some parts while being very stylish with its jump-cuts to play into some of the livelier moments. Production designer Jocelyn Herbert and art director Brian Eatwell do fantastic work with the look of the school and how oppressive it feels while the private room Mick and his friends go showcases their thirst for rebellion.
Sound recorder Christian Wangler does superb work with the sound from the way the choir sounds at the church to the atmosphere that goes on in the school. The film’s music by Marc Wilkinson is brilliant for its mixture of choral music with some orchestral flourishes along with some percussive-based pieces to play into this sense of conformity that the protagonists are rebelling against.
The casting by Miriam Brickman is great as it features some notable small performances from Mona Washbourne as the school matron, Arthur Lowe as the school’s housemaster, Mary MacLeod as the housemaster’s wife, Geoffrey Chater as the school chaplain, Anthony Nicholls as Denson’s general father, and Ben Aris as the under master who had just joined the school. Guy Ross is terrific as the brown-nosing Stephans who wants the respect of his upperclassmen yet is treated with disdain by his classmates. Hugh Thomas and Robert Swann are superb in their respective roles as the upperclassmen Denson and Rowntree as two pricks who think they’re better than everyone while feeling disrespected by Mick’s attitude. Sean Bury is amazing as the very shy new boy Jutes while Rupert Webster is fantastic as the more confident and gay Bobby Philips.
Peter Jeffrey is excellent as the school headmaster who understands the boys’ need for rebellion as well as being an individual but has become so detached from what is going on outside of the school. Christine Noonan is wonderful as the girl that Mick and Johnny meet as she becomes an object of desire for Mick as well as the extra edge he needed to rebel. David Wood is fantastic as the very smarmy yet rambunctious Johnny who is sort of Mick’s right-hand man while Richard Warwick is brilliant as the more reserved yet determined Wallace as the two prove to be good teammates for Mick. Finally, there’s Malcolm McDowell in a magnificent performance as Mick Travis as McDowell displays a lot of wit and charisma to his performance as well as bring in some fiery attitude that allows him to be a top rebellious character that audiences can root for.
if… is an outstanding film from Lindsay Anderson that features a true breakthrough performance from Malcolm McDowell in his film debut. It’s a film that isn’t afraid to provoke as well as be very controversial in the way it explores rebellion against the school system. Notably as it serves as an allegory about the idea of an old world order being taken over by the new world order that wanted change. In the end, if… is an absolutely ass-kicking, fuck-you-I-won’t-do-what-you-tell me film from Lindsay Anderson.
Lindsay Anderson Films: (This Sporting Life) - (The White Bus) - (O Lucky Man!) - (In Celebration) - (Look Back in Anger) - (Britannia Hospital) - (The Whales of August) - (Glory! Glory!)
© thevoid99 2014
Directed by Robert Altman and screenplay by Barbara Turner from a story by Turner and Neve Campbell, The Company is the story about the Joffrey Ballet company as they prepare and perform for various projects. The film is based on Campbell’s own experience as a ballerina as she stars in the film along with James Franco and Malcolm McDowell along with real-life people from the actual Joffrey Ballet company based in Chicago. The result is a fascinating yet wonderfully exquisite film from Robert Altman.
The film is about the year of the Joffrey Ballet Company of Chicago as they’re setting up for many shows of the year led by its artistic director Alberto Antonelli (Malcolm McDowell) that will include an elaborate show to start at the beginning of the new year. Throughout the entirety of the film, the story is about an entire company as they all deal with the expectations of their performances as well as other things while one of the dancers in Ry (Neve Campbell) is becoming a lead dancer just as she’s starting a relationship with a sous chef in Josh (James Franco). While there’s artistic disputes and other issues that occur in the company, it all comes down to the shows that is in display that leads to the climatic show for the start of the new year.
Barbara Turner’s screenplay doesn’t carry any kind of traditional plot as it explores what goes on behind the scenes where ballets, production designers, choreographers, and many other people do their hardest to put on a good show. Yet, there will be moments when something goes wrong as some feel that Antonelli is a bit of taskmaster while other dancers get injured in the process forcing their understudies to step in as they have to prepared for something like this to happen. For Ry, she goes from understudy to lead dancer by chance where she knows she has to prove herself to Antonelli and her peers. Yet, she succeeds while taking the time to be a waitress at a nightclub and have this relationship with a chef who is fascinated by her world.
The direction of Robert Altman is very engaging for the way he doesn’t just present the scenes in the rehearsal rooms, the studios, and other places but also what goes on when the performance is happening onstage. While Altman uses a lot of elaborate shooting styles in steadicam tracking shots, dollies, and crane shots to help display what goes on and off the stage. Altman is also fascinated by the dancing where he knows where to put the camera so it wouldn’t intrude into the dancing while using wide shots to help capture the presentation of the dance and the stage setting in those shows. The camera is always focused on the dancer and the movements to play out the sense of rhythm and beauty that occurs in the film. With the help of many choreographers, the dances are truly intricate in its sense of rhythm as well as the emotions that are displayed as Altman always has the camera showing what is on display in the dance. While there’s a few moments in the film where it lags a bit, Altman does create a truly mesmerizing film about the world of ballet.
Cinematographer Andrew Dunn does excellent work with the film‘s photography from the lovely exterior looks of the locations in Chicago as well as the lighting for the scenes in the studio as well as the beautiful scenery in the stage with help from lighting designer Kevin Dreyer. Editor Geraldine Peroni does brilliant work with the editing to capture the rhythm of the dancing with methodical cuts along with some stylistic ones for the rehearsals and dramatic scenes. Production designer Gary Baugh, with set decorator Karen Bruck and art director Craig Jackson, does amazing work with some of the set pieces inside the studio as well as the more elaborate staging for some of the shows that are on display including the film’s climatic show.
Costume designer Susan Kaufmann does terrific work with the costumes as a lot of it is casual for the most part while they are much more lavish and stylish in the ballet performances. Sound editor Eliza Paley does nice work with the sound to capture the intimacy of the dancing as well as some of the raucous moments in the parties and other location-based scenes. The film’s music by Van Dyke Parks is wonderful for its mixture of electronic-based music for some of the ballet music background while a lot of the film’s soundtrack consists of classical music for most of the ballet scenes as well as some other types of music outside of ballet like industrial at the club Ry works as well as many renditions of the song My Funny Valentine including a rendition by Elvis Costello.
The casting by Pam Dixon is superb for the ensemble that is created as it mostly features real dancers and people from the Joffrey Ballet Company of Chicago as it adds to the realism that is in display in the film. James Franco is terrific as the sous chef Josh that Ry starts a relationship with as he is intrigued by the world ballet. Malcolm McDowell is marvelous as the company’s artistic director Angelo Antonelli who is making sure things go right while being bit of a taskmaster as he also wants the dancers to be more enthralling and less pretty. Finally, there’s Neve Campbell in a remarkable performance as Ry as this young woman who gets a chance to be a top dancer for the company as she also finds something good in personal life as Campbell also reveals to be a very accomplished dancer as it’s definitely one of her finest performances of her career.
The Company is an incredibly rich film from Robert Altman about the world of ballet. Featuring splendid performances from Neve Campbell and Malcolm McDowell, it’s a film that showcases a lot of what goes on in the world of ballet without using any dramatic tropes or focusing on one character but rather the company as a whole. In the end, The Company is a superb film from Robert Altman.
Robert Altman Films: (The Delinquents) - (The James Dean Story) - Countdown (1968 film) - (That Cold Day in the Park) - M.A.S.H. - Brewster McCloud - McCabe & Mrs. Miller - (Images) - The Long Goodbye - Thieves Like Us - California Split - Nashville - Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull’s History Lesson - 3 Women - (A Wedding) - (Quintet) - (A Perfect Couple (HealtH) - Popeye - (Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean) - (Streamers) - (Secret Honor) - (O.C. and Stiggs) - Fool for Love - (Beyond Therapy) - (Aria-Les Boreades) - (Tanner ‘88) - (Vincent & Theo) - The Player - Short Cuts - Pret-a-Porter - (Kansas City) - (The Gingerbread Man) - Cookie's Fortune - Dr. T and the Women - Gosford Park - (Tanner on Tanner) - A Prairie Home Companion
© thevoid99 2013
Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 5/9/05 w/ Additional Edits & Revisions.
Based on the novel by Anthony Burgess, A Clockwork Orange is the story of young man whose love of ultra-violence, sex, and Beethoven leads to a dangerous lifestyle where he is suddenly caught by authorities who put him into an experiment that has everything he loves turned against him. Written for the screen and directed by Stanley Kubrick, the film is a part-satire that fuses dark comedy with brazen sexual and violent content that reveals a young man becoming a victim of his own crimes. Starring Malcolm McDowell, Patrick Magee, Adrienne Corri, Anthony Sharp, and Michael Bates.
On a typical night of decadence at the Korova Milkbar, Alex (Malcolm McDowell) leads his gang of Droogs that consists of Pete (Michael Tarn), Georgie (James Marcus), and Dim (Warren Clarke) to a night where they beat a homeless man (Paul Farrell), fight a gang, and break-in to a house owned by Frank Alexander (Patrick Magee) and his wife (Adrienne Corri) where Alex rapes her while wearing a mask and singing Singing in the Rain. The night ends at the Milkbar where Alex hears a woman sing Beethoven as he later plays Beethoven's Ninth Symphony at his home. At home where he lives with his parents (Philip Stone and Sheila Raynor), Alex gets a visit from his headmaster Mr. P.R. Deltoid (Aubrey Morris) who is aware of Alex's misadventures and wants him to stay away from trouble. After a visit to the record store where he flirts with a couple of women and has sex with them, he meets up with his Droogs about what to do for tonight. Georgie and Dim had an idea as Alex takes their suggestion to break into the home of a caretaker (Miriam Karlin) after assaulting the two.
At the house of the caretaker, Alex gets in as he tries to charm his way only for something to go wrong as he leaves the house assaulted by Dim and Georgie. Caught by the police, Deltoid tells Alex that he's being sent to prison for the next 14 years for his actions. Two years into his sentenace as he's looked on by a guard (Michael Bates), Alex decides to volunteer in an experimental treatment as a way to get out of prison as he turns to the prison chaplain (Godfrey Quigley) and its minister (Anthony Sharp) to have him take part. Alex is transferred to a facility where he meets its head Dr Brodsky (Carl Duering) and his assistant Dr. Branom (Madge Ryan) where he's given various experimental sessions to forcefully watch images of sex and violence for several hours. The experiment has made him ill as it reaches its breaking point where he hears Beethoven's Ninth Symphony in one of those films as the experiment proves to be successful as Alex is sent back home. Realizing that he's forced out of his home and a lodger (Clive Francis) lives in his room, Alex is despondent over these changes as he couldn't assault anyone or do anything.
Lost in a world where he becomes a victim, Alex is later assaulted by the homeless tramp he beat up a few years ago and later assaulted by Georgie and Dim who had become police officers. Seeking shelter, Alex walks to the home of Mr. Alexander as Alex is unaware of the house he had entered. Mr. Alexander realizes who Alex is as he decides to do something that will ensue into near-tragedy and political scandal.
While the film is mainly a satire, it's also a study on morality, violence, and human nature. While the protagonist of Alex maybe a sadistic, violent, anti-authority, rebellious anti-hero, he is a very complex character that isn't stupid but one who knows his limits. While many won't agree with his unique views on sex and violence, his ideas seems to be more cartoonish since he enjoys fighting gangs and rebel against the ills of society. He loves sex and everything about it, even if it meant raping a woman despite his cruel intentions. Plus, his love for Beethoven's Ninth Symphony seems to calm him down as he tries to escape from the real world that he lives in. Then when he becomes part of the Ludovico treatment, the intention of sex, violence, and Beethoven is taken to new extremes. In fact, their treatment is far more violent than what Alex does since its done for political means and science.
Part of the genius goes to Stanley Kubrick for taking Burgess' bleak view of the future to new extremes, as he tests the boundaries of what is obscene. In his writing, Kubrick goes for playfulness and humor while most of it is a study of a young man's love for life as it turns against him to the point that he's powerless. He knows that Alex never wanted to kill anyone but as the film progress, there is sympathy since he is being used against his will for all means. It's a very powerful statement of how government works to try to clean up morality and it is pretty relevant since America is in a state of paranoia and we might end up turning on ourselves. It also shows how violence has worsened since it's now more politically-motivated and is all done for all the wrong reasons.
If Kubrick's ability as storyteller is more provocative, his directing is more entrancing in the way he presents the life of this young man. He brings not just an eerie tone to the film but also brings humor in a few sequences, notably a fast sex scene that is shot on speed with the William Tell Overture played in fast time. Kubrick's uses of steady camera pans, zoom lenses, and slow-motion show his ability to shoot scenes that are given real power in its frame and intention, even in scenes where he uses hand-held cameras to give the first-point view of our protagonist. His take on violence isn't that extreme compared to today's cinema since he takes one part of it in a comical sense and another in a cruel approach. This along with Kubrick's approach to light with cinematographer John Alcott shows his brilliance in terms of lighting where he gives the film a unique look and movement along with a tone that is very futuristic.
If Kubrick and Alcott's cinematography is brilliant in its tone, so does the production design of John Barry along with art directors Russell Hagg and Peter Shields. The film&'s look is very futuristic with model-like statues, futuristic cars, and appliances that are all filled with strange designs and colors. The film's design is very distinct and memorable along with Milena Canonero's amazing costume design from the bowler-hat and white clothing the Droogs wear to the strange, colored clothing that Alex wears outside of his Droog world and the clothing of his parents that is very whimsical from the hair-coloring of Alex's mother and the makeup that people wear. Kubrick's genius in terms of look is also done in presentation thanks to editor Bill Butler for his nicely-paced feel of the film along with that infamous, fast-edited sequence of Alex having sex with two women with John Jordan doing great sound manipulation in the sound design.
With many of Kubrick's film, the music is very important as the film features many great musical elements of work ranging from classical composers like Beethoven, Henry Purcell, and Gioachino Antonio Rossi that gives the film a feeling of idiosyncratic tones. Beethoven's Ninth Symphony is played dominantly whether in its original orchestral composition to the eerie electronic score of Wendy Carlos who gives some wonderful original music that plays to the film's dark, sci-fi feel as her synthesizers sucks in the audience with each, eerie melody.
While the film has a large cast of small characters, many of them standout including Adrienne Corri, Miriam Karlin, Clive Francis, Godfrey Quigley, Sheila Raynor, Phillip Stone, and Madge Ryan along with Steven Berkoff as an investigator and the future Darth Vader, David Prowse as Mr. Alexander's bodyguard. Of the Droogs with the exception of Michael Tarn as the quiet Pete, James Marcus and Warren Clarke stand out the most with Clarke's comical, brash performance and Marcus as the serious of the Droogs. Aubrey Morris is excellent in his role as Alex's school superior along with Michael Bates as the prison guard and Carl Duering as the torturous Dr. Brodsky. Of the supporting cast, Anthony Sharp and Kubrick regular Patrick Magee stand out the most in their respective roles as the minister and the revenge-crazed Mr. Alexander.
While the film has a great cast, the film really belongs to Malcolm McDowell in the most memorable role of his career as Alex. McDowell brings a charming yet sadistic performance as a young man who loves sex, violence, and Beethoven but seems to try and test his limits. With McDowell serving as a narrator, he is the heart of the movie as he tries to understand the world only to see that if he did take his love of sex and violence to extremes, it would make him sick. McDowell brought an innocence as his character develops from a funny little devil to a helpless youth alienated by the world as everything he loved turns against him.
A Clockwork Orange is a magnificent film from Stanley Kubrick that features an outstanding performance from Malcolm McDowell. The film is truly a stylish yet entrancing film into the world of dark fantasy and reality with a mix of satire and humor. It's also a film that is very uncompromising as well as confrontational in the way it explores violence at its most visceral. In the end, A Clockwork Orange is a triumphant film from Stanley Kubrick.
Stanley Kubrick Films: Fear and Desire - Killer's Kiss - The Killing - Paths of Glory - Spartacus - Lolita - Dr Strangelove, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb - 2001: A Space Odyssey - Barry Lyndon - The Shining - Full Metal Jacket - Eyes Wide Shut
Related: Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures - The Auteurs #18: Stanley Kubrick
© thevoid99 2012
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
