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 , 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 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

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

Share This Post :

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

James M. Tate

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.

FAVORITES SHORTLIST

1)OTLEY 2)HELL IS A CITY 3)ROBBERY 4)THE FEARMAKERS 5)CANYON PASSAGE 6)VIOLENT SATURDAY 7)HOT CARS 8)JUNGLE STREET 9)ANATOMY OF A MURDER 10)THE CROWDED SKY 11))THE MAN FROM LARAMIE 12)SHARKS' TREASURE 13)SWEENEY TWO 14)RAIDERS FROM BENEATH THE SEA 15)HARDCORE 16)THE SYSTEM 17)WHITE HEAT 18)AL CAPONE 19)THE SERGEANT 20)FALLEN ANGEL 21)NIGHT CREATURES 22)CURSE OF THE DEMON 23)ASH WEDNESDAY 24)THE BREAK 25)AIR PATROL 26)DUEL IN THE JUNGLE 27)EASY LIVING 28)WILLIAM CONRAD'S BRAINSTORM 29)FRENZY 30)THE ROARING TWENTIES 1)DANA ANDREWS 2)JAMES CAGNEY 3)STANLEY BAKER 4)MARLON BRANDO 5)JACK NICHOLSON 1)VIRGINIA MAYO 2)SUE LYON 3)GENE TIERNEY 4)MERRY ANDERS 5)FAYE DUNAWAY DIRECTORS 1)JACQUES TOURNEUR 2)RICHARD FLEISCHER 3)STANLEY KUBRICK 4)ORSON WELLES 5)OTTO PREMINGER 6)JOHN LANDIS 7)JOHN GUILLERMAN 8)VAL GUEST 9)JOHN CARPENTER 10)MICHAEL WINNER