“See these eyes, so green…”

Cat People has one of the greatest theme songs ever, courtesy of David Bowie, but it is buried over the end credits. (A fact Quentin Tarantino realised when he re-used it rather more dramatically mid-scene in Inglorious Basterds). 

Additional random fact/pathetic claim to fame: David Bowie brushed my shoulder once. (Long story, but he was seriously pissed off and trying to exit a party in a hurry after the premiere of Splitting Heirs, which remains one of the very worst movies I (and he) would have ever seen…)

The movie itself is so-so. Paul Schrader’s version is much more explicit remake of Val Lewton’s 1942  original, which notably built mood with shadows and editing, without revealing much at all of the titular creatures. A very rare Spanish herald for this that I stumbled across recently is pictured above. In Schrader’s take, meanwhile, we get a nude Nastassja Kinski turning into a panther mid-shag, and arms being ripped off onscreen – quite the change!

The image with Kinski is the French grande poster. It can be found for sale here.