Read Roger Ebert's Great Movies essay on Cat People, answer his question: Does this movie still work today? Explain your answer with details from the film.
In a second paragraph, what are some techniques Jacques Tourneur uses to develop suspense? Describe with evidence from the film.
Link to the movie (best I could find for free):
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7EmOjAI5Gs
Here's another link to the movie: Cat People (1942)
DeleteJacques Tourneur’s 1942 horror film “Cat People” differs from the modern horror film in numerous ways. In a 2006 article, Roger Ebert cites the appeal of “Cat People” as using the element of suspense to its advantage, rather than relying on graphic violence: “‘Cat People’ is constructed almost entirely out of fear. There wasn't a budget for much of anything else… [it was] frightening in an eerie, mysterious way that was hard to define” (Ebert). In 1942, this style of horror was quite effective, as audiences were not accustom to extreme and graphic violence. However, the scope of the horror genre has shifted significantly: suspense can still be an important aspect of horror films, but directors tend to rely upon shock, violence, and gore to create a frightening atmosphere. Despite the lack of violence and gore, “Cat People” still has the potential to scare people. The mise-en-scene of the film is extremely conducive to horror. Tourneur’s extreme use of shadows creates an environment of mystery and suspense.
ReplyDeleteTourneur masterfully harnesses the element of suspense in “Cat People”. There is no explicit violence in the film, nor is there even an onscreen appearance of the looming and feared cat people. However, Tourneur utilizes cinematic elements such as mise-en-scene and creative sound design to create suspense where there otherwise might not be any. For instance, when Oliver and Alice return to Oliver’s apartment, they find what the audience can only assume is Irene in cat form, and they narrowly avoid an attack by her. Throughout the entirety of this scene, Tourneur relies solely on shadows and vaguely cat-sounding growls as a means of frightening the audience. In another scene, Alice, walking alone, has the suspicion that she is being followed. This uncertainty builds suspense to the ultimate climax when Alice is startled by a bus that has stopped right in front of her. Here, Tourneur combines the sound of a cat growling and a busses door opening to create a sound that frightens both Alice and the audience.
In today’s world, movies are often jam-packed with as much action as their budget allows, full of quippy dialogue and the latest special effects. Among all the commotion, it’s all too easy to let the subtler voice of Cat People (1942, produced by Val Lewton, pass us by without much notice. For the average movie-goer who wants that immediate satisfaction, this version of Cat People would not be able to meet this desire, and thus its subtle nuances could be lost on them. For example, a person who loves horror movies and jump scares might get disappointed when the only thing that really jump scares Alice in the alley is a bus. A fantasy-lover might feel discouraged when we don’t actually get to see Irena turn into a panther at the pool or when she kills Dr. Judd.
ReplyDeleteHowever, this movie is still very relevant to today and anyone with an open mind will be able to see how it works. Irena’s internal struggle is one many of us face, addressing the idea of whether people are inherently good or evil. This struggle is played out through the use of light and shadow, of Irena’s love for the dark, as when she invites Oliver into her home, but also her desire to stay in the light. The circle of light on her face when she meets with Dr. Judd could be one way of indicating that Irena at her core is a good person who happens to be surrounded by impeding darkness and evil. This struggle between the forces of nature is what makes this movie still work today, if you’re willing to look for it.
Many of these subtle qualities come from the way Jacques Tourneur uses sound and lighting to develop suspense, often in conjunction with one another. In the scene where Alice is being followed by Irena, Alice’s “night walk seems to pass the same short span of stone wall again and again; Tourneur edits to make it seem longer.” (Ebert) There are three different shots of the women walking past the first streetlight, and each shot is filled with clicking heels that seem too loud and silence filling in the background. This draws out the moment and builds our apprehension of Irena attacking Alice with each passing shot, and is concluded by a bit of a jump scare that combines a panther’s roar with the squealing of the bus. We, as is Alice, are shaking a bit, left thinking that she just came very close to being murdered in the street.
The second time around is during the pool sequence. The scene begins with a shot of a small black cat darting across Alice’s path, a classic superstition foreshadowing the larger cat to come. Tourneur then utilizes the echoing walls of the natatorium to his advantage, letting the growls bounce around and become prolonged. The light bouncing off the swimming pool casts shimmery and undulating shadows on the wall, any of which Irena could be hiding in. Combined with the image of Alice, floating vulnerably in the middle of the pool, Tourneur builds suspense because “the screen harbored unseen threats” that were “never acted upon.” (Ebert)
Correction:
Delete"...the subtler voice of Cat People (1942), produced by Val Lewton..."
Cat People, directed by Jacques Tourneur in 1942, may feel outdated to some. It no longer gives off the haunting aura it once did when it was first released. Presently, it should be categorized as film noir instead of horror. The movie, such as many noir films, has sensual undertones; cats often represent females who are sexual and dangerous in nature. They can be reminiscent of the character type known by the phrase “femme fatale.” Irena, Oliver’s wife, can fit into this category mainly due to her lethal kiss, but also because of her mysterious and charming personality. The film implements dark lighting and shadows throughout. Low-key lighting is very characteristic of the film noir genre because crisp shadows and black tones are able to suggest a sense of drama and mystery. It increases the depth of any shot; it allows darkness to stretch along any frame. Because of this, it is the perfect style of lighting to use in a film meant to create feelings of terror and tension. The horror genre has greatly evolved since the release of Tourneur’s film. Its focus has shifted from suspense and spine-chilling storylines to the shock-value that blood and gore provides. Films from both branches of the genre can be cinematically well-done, of course, but the classics, such as Cat People, are almost incomparable to the modern horror film.
ReplyDeleteAs mentioned, the element of suspense is critical to the classic horror film. One of the most tense scenes in Cat People follows Alice, who has well-established romantic feelings for Oliver, as she makes a nerving walk to her home. The sequence begins with the viewer being aware that Irena’s emotions are heightened because she has witnessed her husband and Alice out together for coffee. After Oliver and Alice exit the restaurant and part ways, Irena begins to stalk Alice amongst the shadows and streetlights. The footsteps of Irena echo the ones of Alice. The sound derived from the steps forms a bond between the characters and the viewer. The audience is aware that Irena is following Alice through the dimly-lit streets, but the noise created by the footsteps is what originally alerts Alice that she may possibly be in danger. Suddenly, the footsteps stop. Now, both the viewer and Alice don't know what to expect. Apart from the sound design, the lighting also adds to the element of suspense. Lamp posts are lined evenly along the street Alice is walking down. As she passes each light, her face is illuminated for a brief moment. When she begins to fear what is lurking in the dark, she runs through the shadows between the lamps. As she gets to each streetlight, she clings to it and basks in its beams. The light provides safety for everything in its vicinity should be visible, but anything could be lying in the darkness. Tourner does an outstanding job in utilizing the element of suspense. Without his understanding of one of the most essential features of horror, Cat People would be a spiritless film.
In contrast to the modern horror films today, Jacques Tourneur's 1942 film, "Cat People", depicts a different type of horror. Whereas many of the modern horror films today are filled with graphic, gory content, jump scares, and special effects, Tourneur utilizes a different method of portraying horror in less "obvious" or "direct" ways. Because of his use of more subtle tactics, this movie might not work to this common day for most audiences. Since most viewers of the modern age are used to more extreme techniques such as jump scares, special effects, and graphic content on screen, the more "indirect" methods of portraying horror can go unnoticed. "Cat People" hardly had any "special effects" and the "violence was implied or dreaded but not much seen" (Ebert). This illustrates how Tourneur's film took a much different approach than the horror films today. However, for those viewers who are more cinematically inclined and can pick up on the subtleties, this horror film could still work for them as they will appreciate the methods utilized by Tourneur.
ReplyDeleteTourneur utilized the element of suspense quite frequently to build up the audience's fear in regards to the action on screen. The viewer is drawn to the action occurring such as when Alice begins the journey to her home herself after declining Oliver's offer to walk her. Tourneur uses sound and light to build up suspense for the viewer. There is mostly silence in the diegetic sounds except for the clicking of Alice's heels as she walks. The contrast between the silence around her and the loud clicking of her heels only emphasizes Alice's presence ever more. It builds suspense for the viewer by creating a tempo in which the viewer is waiting to see what happens next with their main focus and attention on Alice. Tourneur also uses light to depict the horror in this scene. Most of the time, Alice is covered in darkness whether it be through the dark night or especially with the black shadows casting over her. The contrast between the city lights and the darkness crowding Alice creates a sense of mysteriousness which only builds up the anxiety of the viewer. They yearn to figure out what is going to happen to Alice as she walks home alone in the dark. As the light and sound build up this anxiety, the final piece occurs with the loud sound of the bus which startles and distorts the viewer. Through these means, Tourneur is able to successfully create fear and anxiety in the audience.
Although Jacques Tourner’s 1942 film Cat People is an early horror masterpiece, it would likely not be successful today due to the current dominance of the horror genre by big budget action packed horror films. Cat People is a low budget horror film with a general reliance on mystery and eeriness. These characteristics would likely cause people to consider it outdated, as the majority of popular horror films today are big budget films with a heavy focus on jump scares and gore. Although Cat People would likely be considered outdated by most, its artistry competes with many modern horror masterpieces. Tourner’s simple yet effective creation of suspense is possibly one of the most amazing things about the film.
ReplyDeleteA great example of this simple yet effective creation of suspense is the pool scene. Tourner uses three simple properties, lighting, framing, and sound, to create suspense in the scene. The sound in the scene creates mystery and uncertainty as the growls of the cat bounce off the walls and echo throughout the room. Lighting is used to blanket the cat as it circles Alice, as the walls are not lit at all in extreme contrast to the generally well-lit pool. Framing is possibly the most effective technique used, as close ups of Alice treading helplessly in the pool reveal her true vulnerability and show that the cat can strike effortlessly whenever and from wherever it wants.
In his essay on Jacques Tourneur's "Cat People", Roger Ebert posits the question: Does the film still work today, or is it too quiet? He's evidently comparing the film's atmosphere to the contemporary horror films of vapid gore and violence, asking if the subtle creeping terror of the film would resonate to today's audience. It's my opinion that those are the only parts of the film that does still work. Several aspects of the original film are, in my opinion watching the film, actually marred from its original intent by the sheer hamminess and dissonance in several moments of the film. In one scene, as Irena woes the frayed state of her mind to Oliver, she very suddenly does a dramatic turn and hides behind the couch, instantly pulling me away from the otherwise stirring and sympathetic moment. In another, when Dr. Judd confronts Irena at her apartment, he very slowly and without consent or much buildup kisses her on the mouth, an act which instantly made me root for Irena instead of him. The context of film and societal standards are frequent throughout the film in how they treat mental illness, women and immigrants, and though they aren’t bad they haven’t aged entirely gracefully. But the actual silent moments in the film, the dark and suspenseful moments are where it truly shines and sends shivers down its audience of any generation.
ReplyDeleteWith a minimal budget, Tourneur masterfully found ways to build suspense not by showing what is there, but by implying what isn’t. There’s nary any actual graphic violence or blood shown in the film, nor is the actual beast form of Irena every actually given much reveal, yet the film revels in provoking terror in the audience through tension and suspense. The most memorable scene in the film is when Alice is walking home alone as, unbeknownst to her, Irena trails her in the dark street. Most of the shots in the scene are medium or closeup, establishing the intent of both women as Irena’s movement imitates Alice’s. The streets themselves are lit only by the streetlights, with long stretches of darkness between them. The scene is devoid of nondiegetic sound, focusing on the footsteps of both women on the stone sidewalk. Then, as one set of footsteps stops and Irena is no longer in sight, both Alice and the audience begin to realize the potential and very imminent danger lurking deep in the shadows. With only the sounds of her footsteps and the darkness watching her, Alice begins to move quicker, more concerned and sticking to the light for fear of what might be hiding in the darkness. The scene continues this way for some time, Alice clutching the light and the darkness lurking all around her, when suddenly the arrival of a bus jarrs Alice and the viewer, breaking the suspense with a fright. There is catharsis, seeing Alice enter the bus and knowing she’s survived so far-but as we see movement slinking away in the darkness, we are reminding that Irena is still here and the danger is very much still in play.
Jacques Tourneur’s 1942 film Cat People does not follow many conventions of modern horror movies. When we think of horror, we often associate it with images of blood and gore, but in Cat People, much of the violence is implied through lighting and sound design. However, the true “horror” of Cat People is in the implications of the scenes where Irena struggles with her identity. From the very first scene, Irena’s eerie connection to cats is evident. When she first meets Oliver, she tells him that she finds the sounds of cats roaring very soothing, and she is drawn to a panther in the zoo. She constantly visits it and wrestles with an overpowering urge to free the dangerous animal from its cage. Later on, Oliver gives Irena a kitten as a gift, but it is terrified and will not go near her. When they visit a pet store, it is clear that all of the cats are scared of her, as if they know the truth about her character. None of these scenes feature violence, but they hint at the underlying danger of Irena as she is pushed over the edge by her own fears and jealousy.
ReplyDeleteThe pool scene is a good example of Tourneur’s use of lighting and sound design to build up suspense. In this scene, Irena follows Alice to an indoor swimming pool at night after witnessing her bonding with Oliver. The lights are all out and the pool is empty except for Alice when she hears growling and jumps in out of fear. The scene cut from shots of Alice in the water, frantically looking around for the source of the growling, and shots of the walls. The water creates strange shadows on the walls that obscure the cat form of Irena. This way, we can sense the danger but it remains uncertain and we can not pinpoint where it comes from. The scene is very quiet, using only diegetic sounds. Between the growling, we only hear the sounds of water sloshing around. This sound is almost calming in comparison to the growling, which adds to the eerie tone of the scene. The pattern is eventually broken by Alice screaming for help, at which point Irena, in her human form, turns the lights on, signaling that the danger has passed for the moment.
Jacques Tourneur's film Cat People displays a mastery of absence . It uses that innate fear humans have of the unknown, and even moreso our fear of what we don't understand. These are very universal fears amongst humans which is why this film very easily stands up to snuff a modern audience.
ReplyDeleteThe beast that the audience is led to fear is expressed through shadows, doubts, and suspicion. When we are first introduced to Irene’s cat form, not even Alice, the one being antagonized sees Irene for sure. Rather, she hears some leaves crunching, barely catches some shadows, and is really more perturbed by the mere perceived presence than anything else. This leads to an even more relatable situation for the viewer to sympathize with and thus retain fear from. Because not many people can relate to being chased by a jealous cat woman. But many if not most can relate to those eerie sounds such as leaf crunching psyching you out late at night, making your walk home feel ever-so longer. Even when we escalate to the point of Irene attacking Alice and Oliver, we still don’t get the full picture. We instead get the terrified reactions of the couple, the fear in Oliver’s voice as he pleas with the presumed monster, and the damage she causes as she crosses the room. This is terrifying because it robs viewers of the core reaction they naturally have, fight, flight or freeze. By only being able to view the reactions of others viewers build a psychological fear of the beast through their sympathy with the characters, but without being able to view the beast,( and thus be able to feel as if they are being attacked along with the protagonists,) viewers have nothing to even conceive flight, fright, or freezing against, leaving them with no options but to continue stacking the perpetual feeling of dread the movie gives them. This is a very potentially potent effect to this day, as can be seen with the popularity of indie sensation Five Nights at Freddy’s, a series acclaimed for similarly robbing the player of the ability to fight or fly, intensifying the fear the experience inspires within the viewer.
Personally, I don’t believe that this movie would still work today simply because of the expectation and appeal towards modern horror films today with really expensive budgets. In regards to Jacques Tourneur’s film, “Cat People” (1942), Roger Ebert states, “There wasn't a budget for much of anything else [but fear]” and that “‘Cat People’ wasn't frightening like a slasher movie, using shocks and gore, but frightening in an eerie, mysterious way”. Most horror films nowadays almost completely rely on those jump scares and gory scenes to help sell it to the public.
ReplyDeleteTourneur’s techniques for developing suspense in the film involves focusing mainly on the lighting and the sound. Especially in the pool scene, the lighting is used in a very interesting way. The shadows are exaggerated and the reflection of the water onto the wall adds an eerie feel to the scene. Also with the film having such a low budget, they had to rely more on manipulating the lighting to imply that Irena’s panther self was in fact in the room with Alice. Specifically in this scene, the sound developed suspense because when Alice is in the pool, it’s dead silent until she begins hearing the sound of dripping water echoing in the room and faint growls becoming louder.
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ReplyDeleteThe film Cat People is a highly memorable movie. Surprisingly it is not so for the murderous cats wandering around an early twentieth century city. No, Cat People is a fantastic film for it’s verisimilitude. In answer to Roger Ebert’s question I would say yes, the film absolutely works today. The film masterfully implies the cat without ever truly showing the panther committing the threatening acts.
ReplyDeleteSeemingly Tourneur had longevity and realisticness in mind as he created the movie. One technique Tourneur utilized to create this timeless effect was lighting. Specifically in what is known as the stalk scene. Alice is walking down an alley. There are establishing shots that quickly switch to a close up of her heels and the shadow from her body as she walks and the same shots of her pursuer. The two shots are then interrupted by other establishing shots full of shadow. The darkness of the shot mixed with sudden outbursts of light creates a very tense, ominous feeling. Which is crucial as the cat shows up in the scene. The cat is never actually shown but it is implied by the ominous lighting and the addition of the sound of the bus screeching. Similarly lighting is used in one of the last scenes where Irena attacks the group. The cat is never shown but the shadow of it attacking the man is seen against a portrait of a panther. In order to instill verisimilitude Tourneur relied heavily on sound and lighting to set the tone of the scene and imply the threat in a way that definitely still works today.
Jacques Tourneur “Cat People” is a very creepy, and gut wrenching horror film. It contains cultural connected fears of evil “cat people” and social fears of cats/panthers. This movie evokes fear out of audiences without actually showing any gore. Although this movie brilliantly uses these tactics to exploit what people fear most, I don’t think that it would do well today. The modern horror film industry thrives on showing blood and jump scares. Everything in this film is smooth and implied. Now and days people would feel bored, or the implications may be overlooked.
ReplyDeleteTourneur uses lighting and shot length to build up suspense in “Cat People”. He uses a lot of high key lighting to create shadows that hover over faces, or create a cat shadow shown on the wall behind. In the scene where Dr. Judd and Irena are alone at Irena’s house the shots are long during their conversation. The length of these shots build up sexual tension as well as suspense to what Irena is going to do about Dr. Judd’s advances. When he kisses her we are now reeled in to what will happen. She has been avoiding this moment with her new Husband for fear of turning into the cat person. The shot lengths become quicker and we see a dark shadow cover Irena’s entire face as she slowly steps out of frame, closer to Dr. Judd. We start to become anxious as she approaches him. A little later Dr. Judd knocks down a lamp which casts a shadow on the wall of Irena’s cat form killing him. This effectively builds our suspense in for the kill and as Irena transforms from human to cat, we change from sensual and slow to fast and anxious.
Link to the movie (best I could find for free):
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has new site for free : fmovies.yt
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