Spoilers ahead.

Cat People is a quietly devastating look at one woman's life, and the impact social pressures and expectations have on her ability to live freely, told through the vehicle of horror. Irena Dubrovna (Simone Simon) is deeply alone, telling Oliver Reed (Kent Smith) on the very day they meet that he's her "first real friend." (Her word choice is terribly touching, suggesting a hopeful optimism that "only friend" would not have conveyed.) It's hard to tell if Irena…

[spoilers ahead]

Everything mainstream American culture feared and denied in the 1950s thrived in the noir films of the era. And so, in noir, women had power, corruption was rampant, survival was always in question, and the United States was an urban nation, populated by immigrants and Black and brown people. In many ways, the most powerful, ferocious rejection of the story America told itself in this era -- of the world of Leave it to Beaver and Father Knows…

What's perhaps most remarkable about Curse of the Cat People is the seriousness with which it treats the ideas and feelings of a child. We share Amy's (the extraordinary Ann Carter) pain at being rejected by her peers, her elation at finding a friend, and her confusion at being told by her truth-demanding father (Oliver, played by Kent Smith), to lie about Irena (Simone Simon). In addition to sharing her emotions, we also share Amy's physical POV, not only of…

Intellectually, I recognize that this is an impressive technical achievement for everyone involved, including but not limited to Robert Aldrich and Oscar-winning costume designer Norma, and I appreciate the criticism of stardom and Hollywood in general that is part of the film's story. But, ultimately, it’s a big 'not for me' — there no pleasure to be found in just watching suffering, and since finding the movie funny means just laughing at the people who are suffering, that doesn't feel…

i.

I've always felt a deep, emotional connection to Philip Marlowe (an entirely unoriginal fixation, I realize). His ferocious, irrational hopefulness is so moving, as is the commitment he's made to himself and to the world to keep going, even when the only possible result is doom and darkness. It's always been touching but, as I get older, it gets more and more melancholy, and his awareness of his own folly all the more intense.

ii.

"Down these mean streets…