Cat People (1982) - New SE on the Way! (1 Viewer)

[JulianK]

DVD File are reporting that the 1982 Paul Schrader remake of Cat People is being re-released on August 27th.
The film has been available before, as one of the batch of titles Image licensed from Universal, but that release was non-anamorphic. The new disc will be anamorphic, and will also have a 5.1 remix, and several other bonus features!
Kinski fans rejoice!!

 

[Steve_Ch]

Interesting, I saw one of the current version DVDs on sale at Borders for under $10 a month or two ago and passed on it. Pretty good flick with a nice Bowie track, and of course, the draw is Kinski and O'toole (Annette).

 

[Mark-W]

I love this Shrader film. It has its flaws, but it also
has its claws...and at the time I first saw it, I was
obsessed with Kinski.

I have seen it on television before, and having watched it
many many times, both on VHS, and now the OOP DVD, I can
tell you there were scenes not in the film reincorporated
into the "television cut" to pad it, since cutting out
all the gore and nudity left them a pretty short film.

While I do NOT want those scenes back in the film unless
Shrader wants them back in, it would be nice if they
were included in at least a "deleted scenes" section.

One was a direct quote from the classic film, with Kinski
trying to catch a caged bird and having it die of fright.

In the new version, it seems redundant, especially after
her little walk in the woods.

I look forward to hearing the specs on the SE.

Mark

 

[Craig S]

This slightly cheesy yet compellingly watchable flick is one of my faves from the 80s. Look at all you get:

• Nekkid Nastassia Kinski
• A great crazed Malcolm McDowell performance
• Nekkid Annette O'Toole
• "St. Elsewhere"'s Dr. Victor ("You're a pig") Erlich (Ed Begley, Jr.) getting mauled by a panther
• Lots O' Kinky Sex
• New Orleans atmosphere (the ONLY city in America where this material works)
• More nekkid Nastassia
• David Bowie & Georgio Moroder
• Even more nekkid Nastassia

Really, what more could anyone want?
I have the widescreen laser, which suffers from intense chroma noise during the opening "Dawn Of Cat" sequence and the similarly red-tinted dream sequences. It'll be nice to finally have this one remastered & anamorphic on DVD. to Universal for this one!

 

[Jay E]

I'm glad that this is coming out and I will be picking it up, but it's very sad to see that this is the only new release Universal is putting out for Halloween.

And I was also an obsessed Kinski fan.

 

[SteveGon]

Cool news! I've always wanted this title but have never picked it up for one reason or another. Damn, August just keeps getting more and more expensive...

 

[Kevin M]

I have always thought that this film get's a bad rap for being "just another early 80's gore/sex fest", IMO it isn't. It has much more dense psychological underpinnings then most horror/thrillers from that time ever had (...well maybe not as dense as say, Body Heat or Crimes of Passion but still...), hell it was co-written (uncredited) & directed by Paul(Taxi Driver Last Temptation of Christ)Shrader for god's sake! You know from the start it isn't going to be you're standard "Boobs & Blood" early 80's gore flick.
...on the other hand the bulk of the script was co-written by Alan Ormsby...yes THAT Alan Ormsby. Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things Alan Ormsby. The man I wanted to kill for being the worst and most annoying actor in all of cinema history Alan Ormsby.
In the end I really think this film is a pretty original psycho sexual horror film....and it has the beautiful Nastassja Kinski & Annette O'Toole all nekid and wet and stuff!

 

[StevenA]

All well and good, but where's the Lewton/Tourneur original?!?

 

[Kevin M]

I would also love to see the original 1942 Cat People, Simone Simon was a rather beautiful woman.
However they can keep Robert Wise's Curse of the Cat People (1944), it had nothing to do with the original's storyline. I guess as a film onto itself (say with a different title) it would be ok but why did they even tack on the Cat People connection?

 

[Jack Briggs]

I love this 1982 film, flaws and all. It works. And the indoor swimming pool scene is a proper homage to the 1942 original (which can't be surpassed really).

Funny thing, though: I've never even taken the shinkwrap off my DVD, which I've owned since release. Perhaps I'll do so tonight.

Great news about the forthcoming SE.

Kevin mentioned Crimes of Passion--isn't a new 16:9-encoded edition of that title also in the works?

 

[Jay E]

Kevin mentioned Crimes of Passion--isn't a new 16:9-encoded edition of that title also in the works?

The new Crimes of Passion was released earlier this year by Anchor Bay. It has an anamorphic transfer, commentary by Ken Russell & deleted scenes

 

[Jack Briggs]

See how well-informed I am? Always up on the latest, hottest news, I am! Is the Anchor Bay edition a good transfer? I'm ordering it within the hour.

 

[Steve Christou]

Fantastic news!! Cat People (1982) is one of my favorite guilty pleasure movies, my love for this movie has nothing to do with the fact that gorgeous pussycat Nastassia Kinski is totally naked thru most of the film (liar!).
I even love the Giorgio Moroder score, which I have on LP and CD.
Far prefer this version to the classic 40's original.
I'll def be buying this baby.

 

[Will_B]

I liked this film and am glad to pick it up when it comes our remastered, but, it seems kinda funny that naked women were SUCH A BIG DEAL in the 80s. Cat People, Body Heat, 9 1/2 Weeks... as if no one ever heard of naked women, venetian blinds, and ice cubes.

Best recent lyric that reminds me of

"I've been putting out fire with gasoline"

is from Paul Westerberg's new album STEREO:

"Just stay where you are,
baby stay away from me.
With your eyes like sparks,
and my heart like gasoline."

 

[Kevin M]

Now if Universal would only re-release Andromeda Strain, just watched my old 1990 LD & it deserves a better transfer (never bought the Image DVD).

 

[ChristopherM]

I would also love to see the original 1942 Cat People

The original 1942 "Cat People", "Curse of the Cat People" and "The Leopard Man" are all available in France (R2 PAL)with the English soundtracks. However, I've been putting off buying them because I've heard that the picture/sound quality is very poor. Has anyone heard if there might be a US remastered release of these titles?

 

[Coressel]

I'm not a big fan of Cat People, but I would like to see this DVD when it comes out, if for no other reason than this:
Link Removed
I don't remember what role she played in Cat People, but cast member Berry Berenson was killed on September 11th last year.

 

[David Lambert]

She played the role of "Sandra" according to the IMDB, but I don't recall who that was story-wise...it's been a year since I've viewed the old DVD.

 

[JulianK]

Sandra ("Sandy" in all the dialogue) is the woman who lets Alice (Annette O'Toole) use the pool, even though they're "closing". Her scene is in chapter 26 of the Image disc, about 90 minutes into the film.

 

[Mikael Soderholm]

Really, what more could anyone want?

I absolutely agree, I was so glad when I found the Image DVD in a second hand store here in Stockholm, I have loved this movie since it came out and was very happy to be able to replace my p&s VHS with a DVD in the proper aspect ratio. Not sure I'll upgrade, though, think I'll wait till/if it pops up at my second hand store...
Now, all we need to have a complete collection of Bowie-related 80s movies with naked women in them is The Hunger, where is it?