cult film freak: JACQUES TOURNEUR DIRECTS 'THE LEOPARD MAN' FOR VAL LEWTON

Written by James M. Tate / 6/14/2022 / No comments / dennis o'keefe , film noir or melodrama , forties , horror , jacques tourneur , jean brooks , margo , thriller , val lewton

JACQUES TOURNEUR DIRECTS 'THE LEOPARD MAN' FOR VAL LEWTON

6/14/2022 | No comment

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... rented by desperate nightclub promoter Dennis O'Keefe for singer Jean Brooks that escaped because of a practical joke from a jealous castanet-clicking samba dancer Margo... are not just unlucky, but, in random circumstances, one locked outside, the other inside, they each die because of some lazy stooge 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

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

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Tags : dennis o'keefe , film noir or melodrama , forties , horror , jacques tourneur , jean brooks , margo , thriller , val lewton

James M. Tate

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