The Curse of the Cat People Movie Download

8 / 10

“Amy is a nice girl, only a little different”.
Well I’ve gotten beyond trying to figure out why this was called “The Curse of the Cat People”. It was obviously hitching itself to the star of the original film, with all the principal players back for a second go round. They all retain their original characters, so the continuity of their relationships are maintained and expanded upon, but the picture never goes in the direction of the nuanced horror found in “Cat People”. Which is all quite OK, because the picture does a fine job with it’s subject. If anything, this movie might be considered more in the realm of fantasy as it explores a young girl’s relationship with her distant father, who feels so lost and alone that she must resort to wishing for a friend.

What seems a little disjointed in the story is the character of Barbara Farren (Elizabeth Russell), who in “Cat People” seemed to carry some dreaded curse inside her. Instead of expanding on that mysterious unknown, the story instead takes her in the direction of feeling sorry for herself because of her mother’s (Julia Dean) uncaring attitude toward her. Even that plot element is left largely unexplored with the circle never being fully closed by the time the film is over.

Interestingly, the show stealer here is the young actress Ann Carter exhibiting a quiet wisdom beyond her years. Just a few years later, she turned in another stellar performance as the daughter of Humphrey Bogart in “The Two Mrs. Carrolls”, with a deft use of language that belied her youth. Both pictures are well recommended for her performance alone.

And then there’s Simone Simon. It appears that her life beyond the grave was meant as a redemption of sorts, appearing to Miss Amy in the guise of a guardian angel as well as a friend. I’ve seen her in only three films (the other was “The Devil and Daniel Webster”), but she seemed to have the same mysterious and luminous quality in each of her performances. I will certainly have to seek out more of her films.

One final observation indicating how much times have changed over the years. With the setting of this story taking place in Sleepy Hollow/Tarrytown, New York. I was reminded of the town’s description some ten years later in the classic “On The Waterfront”. Today the area is a bustling city, part of the urban sprawl that expanded from the environs of New York City. But a little over a half century ago, it was still a place where the crickets could make Marlon Brando nervous.Read More