Comments on: Curse of the Cat People http://sweasel.com/archives/54 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 05:30:46 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.4 By: S. Weasel http://sweasel.com/archives/54/comment-page-1#comment-148 S. Weasel Sun, 04 Mar 2007 12:16:56 +0000 http://sweasel.com/archives/54#comment-148 This is the first time I've ever listened to a commentary track. Yes, it talked about Val Lewton a lot -- this was apparently an intensely personal movie for him. The thing with putting letters in a tree, for example, he actually did as a child -- but it was his sister's birthday party. This is an alternate ending. The original ending was too upsetting to him; he let the finished film sit around in the can for months while he thought of a way out of it. In the original ending, Crazy Lady doesn't kill Amy because Irena (it had to be Irena) locks her in her room -- thereby providing material proof of the physical existence of the imaginary friend. Irena also gives a lecture about how death isn't so bad, really. An entity that doesn't take form until the little girl sees a picture of a long-dead person; I'm thinking demon here. But I'm over-thinking it, of course. Nice touch in the released version: the heartwarming scene at the end where daddy pretends to see daughter's hallucination. Way to reinforce a psychosis, Dad. This is the first time I’ve ever listened to a commentary track. Yes, it talked about Val Lewton a lot — this was apparently an intensely personal movie for him. The thing with putting letters in a tree, for example, he actually did as a child — but it was his sister’s birthday party.

This is an alternate ending. The original ending was too upsetting to him; he let the finished film sit around in the can for months while he thought of a way out of it. In the original ending, Crazy Lady doesn’t kill Amy because Irena (it had to be Irena) locks her in her room — thereby providing material proof of the physical existence of the imaginary friend. Irena also gives a lecture about how death isn’t so bad, really.

An entity that doesn’t take form until the little girl sees a picture of a long-dead person; I’m thinking demon here. But I’m over-thinking it, of course.

Nice touch in the released version: the heartwarming scene at the end where daddy pretends to see daughter’s hallucination. Way to reinforce a psychosis, Dad.

]]> By: Trombonology http://sweasel.com/archives/54/comment-page-1#comment-147 Trombonology Sun, 04 Mar 2007 08:20:08 +0000 http://sweasel.com/archives/54#comment-147 "Curse ..." is one of my all-time favorite movies! Its producer, Val Lewton, who in all his assignments assumed a far more creative role than the title producer would suggest, wanted to call the film "Amy And Her Friend," but RKO nixed it, feeling that the thing to do was to try to cash in on the success of its semi-prequel "Cat People." Lewton, by all accounts, was horrified by cheap implications of "curse." You may have learned all this from watching the film with the commentary (I always resist the gab track), but I thought I'd mention it just in case this tidbit wasn't offered. It's plainly apparent that behind all the weirdness is the observation that it's no wonder that there are so many screwed up kids with the parent material out there. Oliver and Alice mean well, but I think they better cultivate that bridge game friendship with Miss Callahan, so they can get a few more pointers on child rearing in between bids. “Curse …” is one of my all-time favorite movies! Its producer, Val Lewton, who in all his assignments assumed a far more creative role than the title producer would suggest, wanted to call the film “Amy And Her Friend,” but RKO nixed it, feeling that the thing to do was to try to cash in on the success of its semi-prequel “Cat People.” Lewton, by all accounts, was horrified by cheap implications of “curse.” You may have learned all this from watching the film with the commentary (I always resist the gab track), but I thought I’d mention it just in case this tidbit wasn’t offered.

It’s plainly apparent that behind all the weirdness is the observation that it’s no wonder that there are so many screwed up kids with the parent material out there. Oliver and Alice mean well, but I think they better cultivate that bridge game friendship with Miss Callahan, so they can get a few more pointers on child rearing in between bids.

]]> By: S. Weasel http://sweasel.com/archives/54/comment-page-1#comment-124 S. Weasel Fri, 02 Mar 2007 16:46:35 +0000 http://sweasel.com/archives/54#comment-124 Weirdly, it's not even a horror movie. It's more of a fairy tale. And the ghost (or hallucination) is one of the nicest things in it. Weirdly, it’s not even a horror movie. It’s more of a fairy tale. And the ghost (or hallucination) is one of the nicest things in it.

]]> By: mesablue http://sweasel.com/archives/54/comment-page-1#comment-122 mesablue Fri, 02 Mar 2007 08:53:50 +0000 http://sweasel.com/archives/54#comment-122 I'm afraid just reading your captions. I’m afraid just reading your captions.

]]>