Response #3 - Cat People - Stalking scenes of the century

Cat People

            For this week’s response I wanted to take a closer look at cat people and try to dissect some of the more intense chase scenes. As I watched the movie the thing that I picked up on was that Irena was only ever really stalking Alice, rather than Oliver. The initial stalk is one of the best shot scenes in the movie, as Irena follows Alice down the sidewalk under the bridge. The camera cuts back and forth between Alice’s legs and Irena’s legs as the music and the sound of high heels fill the audio track.  The focus on the legs without showing the faces is important to solidify the notion of a woman being chased by another woman. This is different for experienced horror viewers who typically will see a man chasing a woman as in most slasher films. What was still eerily similar to current horror films is the quick cuts between the chased and the chaser. The victim is moving fast, a sense of panic being communicated to the audience. Irena, or the aggressor, is moving at a steady walk. It doesn’t seem possible that she would catch up, but somehow they always do.

            This scene is also a great representation of film noir. The low lighting between the lamp posts as Alice moves faster and faster, play with the dark being a place of unknown and being safe in the light. This darkens the movie and plays into that noir sense. It is also a classic horror movie theme that gets repeated all the time. Evil can only find you in the dark. It also is why Irena never changes in a panther in the middle of lunch and starts ripping into people. It’s always late at night, when there aren’t many around to witness her transformation and the mauling she wants to hand out.

            The next stalking is the pool scene. Alice wants to go for a swim and is followed by Irena. In the nearly blacked out locker room, Irena senses something amiss and is spooked by the off camera snarls of a panther. She dives into the pool, and we are treated to a nerve racking scene as the camera cuts from being tilted down on her to gauge her reactions, and the point of view shots from Alice of the shadows on the walls. The camera cuts back and forth several times and the stalking becomes agonizing for the viewer. Irena lurks in the shadows, allegedly in the form of a panther, again playing with that idea of darkness as dangerous, and the pool which has underwater lights being the safe space. Plus cats are like crazy afraid of water. The lights are turned on as more people arrive and with these witnesses ruining her kill, Irena escapes through the shadows. The shot of the destroyed bathrobe gets at our sense of decency, and how cat people don’t seem to have any.

            The last stalking scene is the most intriguing one but it is also very different from the first because of the inclusion of Irena’s husband Oliver in the mix. This again toys with light and dark and the lighting from the design tables makes for a great way to cast strange shadows on the walls. From a directing stand point it is a very innovative way to light a darkroom and maintain the noir darkness. As Irena gets closer Oliver swings a T-square, filling in for a cross, and curses Irena invoking God. This again is a way of putting the battle between light and dark into the movie. The most well-known story of light versus dark being God against the devil. Draws parallels to that. The themes which made the stalking scenes stand out to me in this movie were the woman on woman stalking, the way quick cuts were used to build tension, and the excellent use of light versus dark.