BootDigest Such a frustrating disappointment

Platicsco Good story, Not enough for a whole film

Beanbioca As Good As It Gets

ShangLuda Admirable film.

Nigel P In Val Lewton films, there's always at least one scene that sticks in the mind. 'The Isle of the Dead' features the awakening of a body buried in a casket, in the 'Body Snatchers', we have the unforgettable finale. Here we have several , including the increasingly distraught teenage girl returning home, pounding at the door of her home with her mother heartlessly refusing to let her in – followed by silence, and the spreading of a pool of blood beneath the closed door.Charlie (Abner Biberman) is nice, he likes his big cat. It earns him a good living and he clearly adores it. Alongside the animal itself, he is 'The Leopard Man's most likable character. Dennis O'Keefe is a good leading man. Sad-eyed Jean Brooks plays Kiki Walker. Only the maracas-playing Clo-Clo (Margo) annoys – her jealousy that the cat would steal her thunder and her teasing of the animal causes killings and other unfortunate events to spiral, yet she shows no sign of giving a darn – until she gets her comeuppance, that is.The implication of a man/leopard hybrid is completely absent in the story – in fact the revelation the feline has been dead before some of the killings take place, and that the murderer is a mere human, is a little disappointing (only the trailer implied a lycanthropic plot line). It's true to say this is not Lewton's most effective production: the modern day setting is less suggestive of Gothic flavour than other, period pieces. Having said that, he and Director Jacques Tourneur ensure there are some chilling set-pieces, my favourite being the sombre funeral procession, with murmuring, candle-holding mourners making their way across a barren, windswept studio set, led by black robed lamenters.

meddlecore The Leopard Man is a Tourneur/Lewton collaboration from RKO, adapted from the book Black Alibi by Cornell Woolrich (the most prolifically adapted crime writer of his time). It was made on a budget of $150,000 and is thus quite short- running only 66 minutes. It's notable for being one of the first serial killer films.Everything starts when a show producer rents a leopard from a local sideshow act in order to boost the entertainment value of his production. When one of his performers walks on stage with the cat on a leash...it gets spooked by the crowed and runs off.With the cat on the loose, the whole town goes into a panic and is afraid to leave their homes. One adolescent girl, however, is sent by her mother to fetch a bag of cornmeal. Unfortunately, fate crosses her path with the leopard- who gets spooked by a train and attacks her. A short while later, a young woman goes to rendezvous with her lover in the local cemetery, only to be attacked and killed by what seems to have been a leopard as well.The producer isn't so certain this time around though. Things just don't add up. So he goes to speak with the cat's owner- who concurs with his speculation. They think a man is responsible for this...and that the leopard is being framed. However, the local museum curator- Galbraith- fashions himself an expert, and remains adamant the leopard is to blame (convincing the police). Despite the protests put forth by the producer and owner of the cat.Ironically, it's the murder of the leopard that helps them conclude and confront the killer for who he really is.There's an odd sense of moralism spun into this film- but i couldn't tell if this was included for indoctrination purposes; or whether the filmmakers were subtly trying to undermine something they were forced to include. A couple examples being: the warning from the young girls mother, before she wanders off to the cemetery (and get's killed for it). And the producers admission that he has met some sketchy individuals in and around night clubs and bars.Other than that, with it's short runtime it manages to keep you engaged in the mystery throughout- making it an entertaining little picture.It's not terribly scary or anything, but there are some moments of tension. The best part about this film are it's transitions from plot element to plot element. It has a really nice flow.I suppose it's also pertinent to note the misleading trailer- which made it seem like the killer was going to be some sort of leopard-man hybrid. It's not. While not the most memorable film or anything, it's entertaining enough.6 out of 10

gavin6942 A seemingly tame leopard used for a publicity stunt escapes and kills a young girl, spreading panic throughout a sleepy new Mexico town.Mike Mayo says this film is "cut from the same highly stylized cloth and it isn't derivative of" Cat People. He further says the social criticism is "naive" and the film is "more mystery than true horror". I shall address these in reverse order.Yes, the film is more mystery than horror. I fully agree with that. There are some creepy moments and the one woman's finger instruments sound like a rattlesnake, which I found a bit disturbing. But really, the plot revolves around a murder and who or what committed it.Is the social criticism naive? Mayo points out how the film speaks of the poor all suffering together. I guess I would just say I did not think there was a driving critical undertone. Maybe I missed it or was not looking at it that way... but if it was naive, I think that does little to detract from the overall film.And how can I disagree with the first point? Val Lewton was a genius and Tourneur was probably his greatest director. Could one have excelled without the other? Probably. But they make quite the team when working together.Chris Fujiwara is far more praising in his critique of "Leopard Man", and I will not address his points here. But for an excellent deconstruction of the film, I do recommend his book on Tourneur.

GManfred A great story from a great storyteller, "The Leopard Man" has all the earmarks of a Tourneur film. He creates tension and suspense without allowing it on screen - all the dread and horror is in the mind of the viewer. This, of course, is diametrically opposed to the way horror is portrayed in movies nowadays, which is to drench the screen with buckets of blood and gore.This is a Val Lewton low budget picture, Lewton being the man who could produce quality films at bargain prices for RKO. He chose Dennis O'Keefe as the hero of the piece, one of Hollywood's most unsung and underrated actors. O'Keefe had not yet hit his stride as a top 'B' film actor, and "Raw Deal" and "Woman On The Run" were yet to come. Good support comes from Margo, Isabel Jewell, and James Bell, one of the most recognizable faces in movies and on TV.The only flaw in this picture is the weak ending, which dropped my rating from an eight to a seven. Can't have everything, I guess, but this picture comes very close. That came with "Out Of The Past", several years later, which to my mind is the best Noir film ever made.