Cat People (1942)

This is the first film review I've made on this blog She Wolf Night. I haven't done any movie/TV reviews before anywhere either and it's to be my first published one.

"Cat People" made in 1942 is the subject of this day. Starring Simone Simon who plays the lead character, Irena Dubrovna, who is a fashion designer and a shapeshifter. She encounters a charming gentleman Oliver (played by Kent Smith) at the zoo and they hit it off really well. So far the introduction features images of cats or mainly panthers. Irena is at the zoo, drawing a still life panther. They become very close and Oliver is drawn to Irena and she is nocturnal in nature. She enjoys the dark. In her apartment is a statuette of a Medieval king with an impaled cat on his sword. Later Irena witnesses the king appearing to her in a dream about cats. The symbol of impaled cats throughout the film, and linking swords with keys (there is a significant key to the panther's cage at the zoo). Irena tells Oliver about the story of the king and much of this relates to witchcraft. They eventually marry and Irena meets Oliver's best friend and colleague Alice (Jane Randolph) during their wedding. At the wedding dinner reception, a mysterious woman with catlike features approaches Irena and tells her that she is one of them.  

Irena is unable to show affection towards her husband, especially someone she loves, in fear that it may have terrible consequences. For that she denies intimacy and warmth. Oliver seeks a psychiatrist to help Irena and then he spends more time with his friend Alice. The plot begins like a romance story with a tension but soon it becomes clear that something else is going on, and Irena is behaving strange and the viewer cannot identify with her anylonger. She makes nuisance calls to Alice and then begins stalking her husband's friend. One of the most frightening scenes of the film, which I found chilling, was at the swimming pool where Alice is frightened by an unseen creature.

The psychiatrist Dr. Judd (played by Tom Conway) becomes almost a similar figure to Van Helsing. He talks of believing there is more to Irena than just a mere illness. Once things unfold and everyone is aware of the supernatural dangers about a large cat, Dr Judd mentions using "silver" against any attack.

This is one of the best horror films in my list and it's probably one of the classy shapeshifter movies that has been made so far.

More about "Cat People" the original...

Cat People at Filmsite
Film "Cat People" (1942) at Rotten Tomatoes
Classic Horror on "Cat People"

Oh and the name Irena Dubovna was used by Cat Woman character of the comic books.
There is a sequal "Curse of the Cat People" (1944).

Adorned in Blood

The concept of a bride wearing red is unthinkable, horrific and almost kinky. Why would a bride wear such a colour on her wedding day? What kind of a bride would she be? 

Certainly this is the kind of shock reaction most people would think of. I find RED is the most beautiful colour that a bride can wear on her wedding. In fact I love colourful wedding outfits, even black wedding dresses (but for the occasion too funereal). A red coloured gown looks more striking and enhances the woman's beauty both inside and outside. White wedding gowns, traditional in the West, dulls the bride, which is why I found that her bridemaids always looked prettier than her. So when a bride wears red, crimson, blush, mahogany, scarlet, rose, ect. she stands out like the sun and her starlight bridesmaids become faint in the background. The following website shows exactly what I mean:

Red Hot Brides

Why do women still choose to wear white wedding gowns? First of all this tradition goes back as far as Victorian England. Before then, women wore a variety of coloured dresses, some reserved their favourite dresses for their big day. In Scandinavia though, black wedding gowns are the norm.

Red jewellery, especially red gems worn over the skin is another thing that is associated with blood. However, what about the interesting Blood Vial jewels? Most of it contains "fake blood", made of a certain red bloodlike luid, or it's made up of certain red chemicals, or perhaps even a red dye. Some might even be red crushed leaves or even a red rock such as a a garnet. Real blood will not really last long inside a glass or metal without turning into black dust. The the sorceress - queen asking for Snow-White's heart to be placed inside a trinket box is a similar notion of keeping someone else's blood. Retaining or entrapping blood is the symbol of a fiery life force that is kept, or displayed and it also looks somewhat macabre. Blood rituals may occur in the black arts.

Cosmetically, women love wearing red lips. They look enhanced with that, or they feel enhanced as the redder the lips, the healthier they seem. Blood is darker and doesn't glow. Red cheeks are a sign of health, and women brush red rouge or mixed reddish colours on their faces to look shinier and livelier. Red painted nails is a favourite for some women, and it's considered "sexier" than wearing varnish of different colours. When a woman wears entirely red, most people will look at her because she's in a colour that is the loudest and most magnetic. Animals such as the wild bull are attracted to the colour red and it makes them aggressive, apparantly. My grandmother once told me to remove my red coat as we entered a field because it had bulls grazing there and she said I would be attacked by them if they saw my coat. We've heard these stories. It's a myth. The fact is that bulls can't distinguish the colour red.

In most fairy tales, red is a magical colour.It's the colour of life.

Crystal Links "Red"

Red brides would symbolise womanhood, sensuality, love, fertility, strength (of health and mind), good luck, power of fire, the sun, the Sun Goddess, solar magic, sun maidens, intellect, life giving and nurturing.

Unable to find the words...

Empathy is a very interesting subject. I shall explore this in depth another time, but I think some people don't have it. Either they have it and don't understand it or they do have it and recognise it. Or even some recognise it's there but cannot think of it. I guess that sometimes happens. We don't always know how someone else is feeling or we'll be very clever at solving life's mysteries about why someone did this. Also I believe that empathy has been confused with sympathy and also with telepathy. It doesn't mean that those things are the same because they're not. At times people can't find the right words to describe something as intricate as emotions so they end up saying the wrong words. Is it out of pressure to say something? That's when it becomes misleading and this is when people fall out and argue. Always hear anyone complain "That isn't what I meant!" or others being defensive? It's not always (but in some cases it is) about them avoiding the issue. It could be because they didn't explain it very well as they couldn't find the appropriate words. Using words inicates that people are not able to combine their instincts and feelings well enough with complex language. For instance, people say "I love you" when they mean it or they do not. The human brain calculates and deducts the words to use. Some people have a talent.

People don't say what they mean. They act on it and they can't distinguish words and phrases. I've noticed that language is a tool and not an instinct otherwise there wouldn't be defined languages. We learn that as we grow up. Also languages change over lands and time. New words appear. New meanings to words disappear and alter. Certain swear words in the modern English language were once normal words but became twisted and fouled upon over the centuries. Things like that occur mainly because of disputes and warfare. A lot of well known profanities of the English language were, once upon a time, regular Anglo-Saxon words that became swear words since the Norman conquest.

In that sense, people will have a difficult time finding the words. They can't express verbally how they feel. People often go blank in situations. No one knows what to say to someone they don't know how to communicate with. This is a definate sign that either people haven't the ability to combine language and feeling or there are not enough words in the dictionary.

This is why we have problems knowing how the other half is thinking. Or why we feel upset when they don't talk. Some people may not want to because they cannot. It should be considered natural for this to happen instead of a negative moment.

Just quickly, I want to say a special goodbye to someone.

It came as a shock to me when I heard that you were sick. I didn't know. This made me feel quite sad but I assumed that you'll get better as I only hear stories of survivors. So far the only people I knew personally who has had this terminal illness, cancer, all died. Yet, others manage to pull through. I was very upset when my dad passed away many years ago, as he was unable to fight this illness anylonger. You attended the funeral and was good to me. You got on well with my partner. You're a family friend and I've known you since I was about seven years old. You used to be really nice to me when I was a child. Since leaving home I grew distant from relatives, and I suppose from my old friends including friends of the family, for reasons I won't go into. I recently discovered you passed away several weeks ago. Nobody ever told me that until the other day and it shocked me. I have been grieving. I sent your daughters "Sympathy" cards but they must be wondering why on earth I never contacted them before about this. That's because no one said anything to me about it. I live so far away from you all and I haven't seen them for years. I didn't know about it. So sorry I didn't make it to your funeral and I'm finding it impossible to describe how I feel. I'll remember you well, and I miss you.

For Steve, who was an old friend, passed away in August 2010.