The Leopard Man

The Leopard Man

Directed by	Jacques Tourneur
Produced by	Val Lewton
Written by	Cornell Woolrich novel Black Alibi Ardel Wray Edward Dein
Starring	Dennis O'Keefe Margo Jean Brooks
Music by	Roy Webb
Cinematography	Robert De Grasse
Editing by	Mark Robson
Distributed by	RKO Radio Pictures Inc.
Release date(s)	May 8, 1943 (U.S. release)
Running time	66 min .
Language	English
All Movie Guide profile
IMDb profile

The Leopard Man is a 1943 horror movie directed by Jacques Tourneur based on the book "Black Alibi" by Cornell Woolrich. The film is one of the first few American movies to attempt even a remotely realistic portrayal of a serial killer (although that term wasn't in use at the time).^[1]

Plot summary

The story, set in New Mexico, begins as Jerry Manning hires a leopard as a publicity stunt for his night-club performing girlfriend, Kiki. Her rival at the club, Clo-Clo, not wanting to be upstaged, startles the animal and it escapes the club into the dark night. Soon people are being found mauled to death. Manning and his girlfriend, guilty about the monster they unleashed, try to help hunt down the giant cat. A particularly haunting scene involves a young girl who, on returning from an errand to a local store for corn meal, is mauled by the cat after her mother won't let her in the house. Upon hearing the screams, the mother clamors to open the door as dark blood seeps under the door.

Production details

The film was made on a budget of $150,000.

The same black leopard (named Dynamite) used in Cat People, another Val Lewton-produced film, was brought back for this film.

Cast

Dennis O'Keefe as Jerry Manning
Margo as Clo-Clo
Jean Brooks as Kiki Walker
Isabel Jewell as Maria

Critical reaction

Most reviews of the film are positive, while noting that it is less challenging or thematically dense than the other Lewton/Tourneur films such as Cat People.

TV Guide's review of the film praises the low budget effort: "this film, along with Lewton and Tourneur's other collaborations, proves once again that money is not the most essential element in good filmmaking. Robert de Grasse's gorgeously fluid camerawork creates the absolutely chilling mood of this film."

Turner Classic Movies review of the film also notes the $150,000-budgeted film looked more expensive on screen: "Much credit for the Lewton/Tourneur successes is owed to the talented craftsmen of RKO -- under the guidance of cinematographer Robert de Grasse and art directors Albert D'Agostino and Walter Keller -- who were adept at transforming cheap underlit sets into the stuff of nightmares, where every darkened nook housed a potential menace."

Notes

^ Preston, Scott. "The Strange Pleasure of The Leopard Man: Gender, Genre, and Authorship in a Val Lewton Thriller", CineAction #71, May 2007

References

Val Lewton Horror Collection DVD documentary 2005

External links

Films directed by Jacques Tourneur

Tout Ça Ne Vaut Pas L'Amour (1931) • Pour Etre Aime (1933) • Les Filles De La Concierge (1934) • The Man in the Barn (1937) • They All Come Out (1939) • Nick Carter, Master Detective (1939) • Phantom Raiders (1940) • Doctors Don't Tell (1941) • Cat People (1942) • I Walked with a Zombie (1943) • The Leopard Man (1943) • Days of Glory (1944) • Experiment Perilous (1945) • Canyon Passage (1946) • Out of the Past (1947) • Berlin Express (1948) • Easy Living (1949) • The Flame and the Arrow (1950) • Stars in My Crown (1950) • Circle of Danger (1951) • Anne of the Indies (1951) • Way of a Gaucho (1952) • Appointment in Honduras (1953) • Stranger on Horseback (1955) • Wichita (1955) • Great Day in the Morning (1956) • Nightfall (1957) • Night of the Demon (1957) • The Fearmakers (1958) • The Giant of Marathon (1959) • Timbuktu (1959) • The Comedy of Terrors (1964) • War Gods of the Deep (1965)

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Donate to Wikimedia