Throughout Jacques Tourneur’s Cat People (1942), Irena consistently made efforts to warn her peers of her “condition”, which eventually leads to her death. This sense of disbelief in Irena and what said and felt, the fact her husband, psychiatrist, and rival frequently made efforts to belittle and Other her, follows the story of Cassandra from Greece. This “Cassandra” dynamic can be seen especially through the relationship of Irena and Dr. Louis Judd (a play on the name Jung?) with the Greek tragedy playing out in a more complicated way.
Irena is aware of the myth surrounding her village. Something in her past, which is never referenced, has lead her to working in America. She avoids people but ends up falling in love with someone who is “drawn” to her. Their relationship fails because she will not let him get close to her, which we discover is for his best interest in the end. Throughout the movie she is (for the most part) honest, telling those in her life why she fears intimacy, what she believes will happen, while holding up the values she believes to be important. Irena goes “dark side”, transforming into a cat to harass Alice who is actively pursuing her husband (she’s the “new kind of other woman”).
Visually, there is an obvious sense of body language separating Irena from those around her. The most obvious example of this, even though I was unable to find an image on the internet, was when Irena, Alice, and Oliver are at the museum. This event takes place after the spectral affair between Alice and Oliver begins, which is incredibly obvious to both the audience, and probably Irena, through the way both of them stand in the scene: together, Oliver behind Alice, their clothes matching and creating an obvious distance between them and Irena, dressed in black, on the other side.
The Museum Moment stands out the greatest when thinking about how Irena was Othered, in addition to her stories from Serbia are quickly waved away by Oliver and Dr. Judd. What continues to happen is Irena’s separation from everyone through their repeated attempts to “normalize” her, have her not believe the stories she has grown up knowing, stop viewing herself as dangerous, and consummate her relationship with her husband. These events in many ways cause Irena to believe herself more dangerous, become enveloped by the fantasy to the point she is able to become a cat.
There is something difficult about this movie to wrap your brain around, at least for me. Irena is forced to assimilate American culture after having her premonitions and worries disregarded. The more she resists this assimilation, by believing the Cat People stories, the more self hatred she develops. At the same time, she is eventually able to turn into a large cat by stalking Alice (a whole other can of worms), even though the disbelief around her has increased. This is so complicated, yet it is surprisingly deep in this aspect of complexity--moving away from the distractions of Freudian symbols which are used heavily. I find myself thinking about Cat People a lot these days.
Maybe the deeply tragic element of this story is not the death of Irena as an “innocent” monster but the idea behind a young woman believing and transforming herself into a monster because of her developing (or developed) sexuality. Something in this idea of a woman considering herself evil, carrying the pain of self-hatred to the level of transforming into the thing they fear about themselves most is heartbreaking, yet bittersweet. Irena both hates and relishes in becoming a large, dangerous cat; she hates not being believed but also uses this as a source of strength. Cat People, in spite of having glaring flaws (stereotyping minorities, general B-movie issues) works, but not in the most obvious ways.
Sophia,
ReplyDeleteI never noticed that parallel between Irena and Cassandra. How insightful! Cassandra was a psychic, correct? But no one would heed her warning, which led to the Fall of Troy. I never thought of Irena as psychic, per se, but you're right: no one will listen to her, and in the end, she is unfortunately proven correct. I think this has a lot to do with a long history of sexism; women had been told their ideas were "wrong" for so long, they started to believe it. It's interesting the way Irena doubts herself because of what Oliver, Alice, and the doctor tell her, but she never fully gives up on what she believes. It's upsetting that both these women's "predictions" come true, but do you think there's a sense of triumph when Irena and Cassandra's ideas become truth? Something to think about. Good response!
-Cierra
"Maybe the deeply tragic element of this story is not the death of Irena as an “innocent” monster but the idea behind a young woman believing and transforming herself into a monster because of her developing (or developed) sexuality": I'm quite convinced of this, Sophie--and well said on your part. I suppose, if we're sticking with the Freudian mood of this film, we can say that Irena internalizes the Law that others her (the U.S. is clearly presented as a "fatherland," anyway, given all the male father figures in the narrative). Thanks for these sharp thoughts. -MH
ReplyDeleteSophia,
ReplyDeleteYour argument concerning how the various characters in Cat People "other" Irena, both societally and in her relationship with Oliver, is spot on. I particularly enjoy your note about how Irena essentially protects Oliver by refusing to become intimate with him. It's a sort of irony that is displayed with great subtlety in the film, and is veiled very smartly by her lack of knowledge as to the certain truth of her heritage. The development of her from foreigner to assimilated woman is a highly interesting journey, as the process, as you describe, only seems to make her more dangerous, rather than something that Oliver wants her to be, defeating the purpose of the American assimilation entirely. Nice post!
I didn't really take note that as their disbelief grew, her belief grows stronger. I like that you point out that they are basically trying to define her truth for her when they have not taken the time to understand the complexities of her culture and past. This happens a lot with minorities. We're supposed to just throw out the parts of ourselves that don't fall in line with popular culture or with what the majority can understand. When those elements of culture are hung onto, minorities are berated and sometimes ostracized. Great post!
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