The Cat Girl (1957)

Pretty Leonora is summoned by her uncle to his country mansion regarding her inheritance. She is told to come alone, but traumatized by her time there she brings her husband and some friends. On her way she crosses paths with her old Dr. flame for whom she still has feelings. Turns out Leonora also inherits the family curse, where she is somehow connected to this leopard that kills when she is angry. Good thing Dr. flame is a shrink.

Cat Girl has a certain Cat People feel but it isn’t a direct remake. There is a pretty girl, a curse, a cat, and violence, but the story is very different. And not to Cat Girl’s credit. While the former is taught and compelling, this is quite plodding.

Our good doctor Marlowe is our hero analog, but he is a poor one. He has science and wants to help poor Leonora but he does a terrible job. He is pretty harsh to her and makes terrible decisions. Then, at her darkest time, he decides she should leave the sanitarium and spend time with his wife, alone, even though she has been openly hostile towards her. What the hell, man! Plus actor Robert Ayres mumbles all of his dialog. And, it seems their romantic backstory occurred when she was a teen and he was in his mid-thirties.

I try not to impose Hollywood values on English films, but they can be so stiff and formal that they feel like a TV adaptation of a stage play. This being a prime example. Everyone here is pretty rude and even our protagonist turns into the monster. Also, much of the dialog is downright wonky. Cat Girl has a fair amount of atmosphere, some good ideas, and is pretty short, but that doesn’t keep it from being dull. AMRU 2.5. Watch Cat People instead. Not the Nastassja Kinski one.