Okay, it was late last night, and my wife had fallen asleep.
I was channel-flipping, and I saw this movie called Cat People on RetroHD from 1982, I flipped to it and saw a street scene from New Orleans, where I grew up. So, I decided to watch it, and ended up watching most of it.
This movie must be one of the strangest movies I've seen. It's got a wacky plot. I understand it was based on a movie from the 1940s. Has anyone ever seen the older version, and is it worth hunting down to see.
It was cool to see the shots from Audobon Zoo in the early 80s, but I don't think all the shots were done at the zoo. I don't remember there ever being animal cages like the ones they had in the movie, and that's about the time I would've gone to the zoo my first times. They always had more natural enclosures for the animals than what was represented in the movie.
I have seen both of the original movies: The Cat People and Curse of the Cat People. Both are more atmospheric and film noir then 80's one. Don't get me wrong, I thought that Nastasia Kinski (I hope I am spelling her name right) was perfect as the innocent seductress. As usual, it is a matter of taste. The older movies are more implied horror than graphic as the newer one is.
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It was cool to see the shots from Audobon Zoo in the early 80s, but I don't think all the shots were done at the zoo. I don't remember there ever being animal cages like the ones they had in the movie, and that's about the time I would've gone to the zoo my first times. They always had more natural enclosures for the animals than what was represented in the movie.
I haven't seen the 80s version of Cat People since, most likely, the 80s, but I can tell you a bit about Audubon Zoo to help clear up the confusion. The Zoo didn't always have the enclosures it has today. If I remember correctly, the Zoo was established in 1914 with an aviary. The site had formerly been the location of the 1884 World's Fair (that's why it was so exciting that we got the Fair back in 1984). Some additions to the park were added in the 20s, like the sea lion tank and the reptile house (check out how awesomely Art Nouveau it is the next time you're there). In the 30s the WPA paid to expand the Zoo considerably, and most of the cages built then would exist until the 70s. All of those pens until then were the concrete and steel that you see in Cat People, although not having seen it in so long I'm not sure if the shots of the animal enclosures were actually done there.
I found one site with pics of the old zoo here.
It was cool to see the shots from Audobon Zoo in the early 80s, but I don't think all the shots were done at the zoo. I don't remember there ever being animal cages like the ones they had in the movie, and that's about the time I would've gone to the zoo my first times. They always had more natural enclosures for the animals than what was represented in the movie.I haven't seen the 80s version of Cat People since, most likely, the 80s, but I can tell you a bit about Audubon Zoo to help clear up the confusion. The Zoo didn't always have the enclosures it has today. If I remember correctly, the Zoo was established in 1914 with an aviary. The site had formerly been the location of the 1884 World's Fair (that's why it was so exciting that we got the Fair back in 1984). Some additions to the park were added in the 20s, like the sea lion tank and the reptile house (check out how awesomely Art Nouveau it is the next time you're there). In the 30s the WPA paid to expand the Zoo considerably, and most of the cages built then would exist until the 70s. All of those pens until then were the concrete and steel that you see in Cat People, although not having seen it in so long I'm not sure if the shots of the animal enclosures were actually done there.
I found one site with pics of the old zoo here.
Thanks for the link. I didn't see anything in the pictures there that looked remotely like the shot they used in the movie. And with some further investigating, they did use the Audobon Zoo in some shots, but the caged animal shots were done on a Universal Studios sound stage.
I do agree that the Audobon is probably one of the most interesting and beautiful zoos to visit, just for the architecture alone. They've kept a lot of their older builidings and have maintained them. That giant aviary has been torn down, though. I do remember it from when I was younger.
Naked Natasha Kinski was worth it.
Amen (Warning: The preceding link has been rated PG-13 by the Shadowborn Post Monitoring Association of Paizo, for containing tasteful nudity covered by a snake.)
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I myself preferred Annette O'Toole. Made you wonder what the hell Superman was doing with that Lois chick when he had Lana Lang waiting for him back in Smallville.
On a semi-related note, casting Annette O'Toole as Martha Kent in the Smallville TV show must have been somebody's idea of a Oedipal joke.
I myself preferred Annette O'Toole. Made you wonder what the hell Superman was doing with that Lois chick when he had Lana Lang waiting for him back in Smallville.
On a semi-related note, casting Annette O'Toole as Martha Kent in the Smallville TV show must have been somebody's idea of a Oedipal joke.
In an interview Anette O'Tool said the producers of Smallville had no idea that she played Lana Lang in superman 3 until after her audition and they took a closer look at her bio.
S4 was worse.
S4 was worse.
After S2, just stop watching them. Smallville all the way.
The 1982 Cat People is an excuse to oggle Natasha Kinski naked while listening to a cool David Bowie soundtrack. And while those are both wonderful pleasures, there's not much beyond that to recommend it, and there's also some supremely lame special effects involving the sort of toy slime kids can buy at the dimestore.
The 1940s one with Simone Simone is wonderful, better acted, and with better suspense. The sequel is...well, kind of a fun movie, but almost completely unrelated, and is an excuse to watch a film with a cute young girl and a crazy old lady in this Victorian house with to-die-for old cool stuff.