ONE MOVIE, THREE QUOTES: Cat People (1942)

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Horror Month is here! About three years ago, I wrote a piece about Cat People (1942) and why I think Irena Dubrovna (Simone Simon) is such a great tragic character. And because I’m doing that whole re-visiting stuff thing, I thought I’d go back to Cat People for Horror Month’s ONE MOVIE, THREE QUOTES.

Written by DeWitt Bodeen (another SCREENPLAY BY-ee from yesteryear) and directed by Jacques Tourneur, Cat People tells the story of Irene Dubrovna, a sketch artist who believes she will turn into a panther if gives into her sexual desires. And you know what, I like Irena so much, all of the quotes are hers.

1. ‘It’s just that cats don’t seem to like me.’ Irena – Fantastic foreshadowing and perhaps the most famous line in the film.
   1. ‘I envy them. They’re happy. They make their husbands happy. They lead normal, happy lives.’ Irena – Her desire to be ‘normal’ is a motif throughout the film and like I said in my previous piece, there is a wonderful social commentary in all of that, which is just magnificent.
   1. ‘They torment me. I wake in the night and the trail of their feet whispers in my brain. I have no peace, for they are in me.’ Irena – Bodeen’s screenplay is filled with these quotes and I personally adore them. Irena’s torment is heart-wrenching but her vulnerability is endearing. A brilliant character from a brilliant film.

Happy Horror Month!