Written by James M. Tate / 6/14/2022 / No comments / dennis o'keefe , film noir or melodrama , forties , horror , jacques tourneur , margo , thriller , val lewton
JACQUES TOURNEUR DIRECTS 'THE LEOPARD MAN' FOR VAL LEWTON
![]() |
YEAR OF RELEASE: 1943 Rating: **** |
An alternative title for THE LEOPARD MAN produced by b-movie guru Val
Lewton and directed by his stock suspense master Jacques Tourneur could
be called DOORS THAT DON'T OPEN ON TIME, but that would be a spoiler in
itself within this turnaround of their most well-known
collaboration and ultimately superior CAT PEOPLE, only this underrated gem purrs a bit smoother, is less character-driven and is a tad spookier, more ominous and far more often...
The first two victims
of a black leopard that escaped because of a practical joke on a samba dancer (who uses castanets in a spine-chilling, echoing manner), working
in a low-rent nightclub, are not just unlucky, but, in random circumstances, one locked outside, the other inside, they each die because of some lazy jerk who either takes their time or refuses opening up, no matter how much the shadowed soon-to-be-victims scream following well-paced setups that often override the quick turnout (implied deaths).. This is far more Body Count Horror than Fantasy Noir yet there's a combination of
each: the dark-lit, shadowy, investigative element combined with a Gothic and lurking,
creature-feature template that's deeper than the norm, based on superstitious
and forbidding black magic and taking itself extremely serious in the
process: without, that is, being melodramatic or pretentious.
![]() |
First victim Margaret Landry from THE LEOPARD MAN |
![]() |
First victim Margaret Landry from THE LEOPARD MAN |
![]() |
Jean Brooks from THE LEOPARD MAN |
![]() |
Jean Brooks from THE LEOPARD MAN with Dennis O'Keefe & Dynamite |
![]() |
Jean Brooks from THE LEOPARD MAN with Dynamite |
![]() |
Dennis O'Keefe from THE LEOPARD MAN |
![]() |
Third victim Margo as Clo-Clo from THE LEOPARD MAN |
![]() |
Second victim Tuulikki Paananen in THE LEOPARD MAN |
All Time Popular
-
Robyn Hilton enters into an eclectic exploitation comedy career in Wonder Women circa 1973 As mentioned a few posts ago, ROBYN HILTON, b...
-
year: 1978 cast: Allen Garfield, Leif Garrett, Kathleen Lloyd, Tony Alva, Pam Kenneally rating: ***1/2 Although promoted as a Leif Garr...
-
Mary-Louise Weller in NATIONAL LAMPOON'S ANIMAL HOUSE ANIMAL HOUSE, directed by John Landis and produced by Ivan Reitman, stars John Be...
-
Kari Michaelsen in Saturday the 14th year: 1982 In LOVE AT FIRST BITE, a popular comedy that took the vampire genre by satire, Richard ...
-
Robyn Hilton on STARSKY AND HUTCH Model/Actress ROBYN HILTON played Mel Brook's secretary in BLAZING SADDLES and turns up in an epis...
-
Cornelia Sharpe in BUSTING Year: 1974 Rating: **** Starring Elliott Gould and Robert Blake as determined vice cops BUSTING hookers, makin...
-
WILLIAM SMITH AS FALCONETTI ON RICH MAN POOR MAN The baddest of all TV bad guys… Matt Dillon’s character in BEAUTIFUL GIRLS calls Antho...
-
Kerri Green and John Candy in SUMMER RENTAL Year: 1985 John Candy, in his first leading role, plays a burnt-out air traffic controller ...
-
Kristine Debell as A.L. from MEATBALLS In MEATBALLS, actress KRISTINE DeBELL played a camp counselor in a classic movie that's lived ...
-
Susan Dey in Skyjacked YEAR: 1972 Some of the best elements of hijacking, plane crashing, ship sinking, building burning or any other di...
Featured Post
JOHN CARPENTER DIRECTS STEPHEN KING'S KILLER CAR 'CHRISTINE'
Title: Christine YEAR: 1983 Rates: **** John Carpenter's most sparse and subtle horror film, and based on Stephen King's multi-pers...

No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.