Movie Review: Shadow of the Cat (1961)
Synopsis: A wealthy woman is murdered by her husband and servants before burying her in the woods. As her killers search for her will, they discover an unexpected obstacle, her pet cat, Tabitha, a feline that is now is seeking revenge after witnessing the brutal slaying. This leads to a confrontation as the villains try to capture and kill Tabitha before she kills them or drives them insane.
Who's in it? The film stars Andre Morell, Barbara Shelley, William Lucas, Conrad Phillips, Vanda Godsell and Bunkie.
Review: My youngest daughter was at theater rehearsal, my wife was taking her adult ballet class, and my other daughter was doing homework, leaving me alone in the living room last night with just my cat, Stormcloud. Since she was there to watch it with me and it is almost Halloween, I decided to re-watch Shadow of a Cat.
This is a movie that surprised me when I first watched it a few years ago. From the description, it seemed like a movie that could get extremely stupid very fast. Instead, it is a unique thriller.
The thing I like best about this film is Tabitha (Bunkie) proves to be much more of a nemesis to the houseful of villains than I would have expected. Her revenge was both physical and psychological, toying with her soon-to-be victims before striking a deadly blow. This, in turn, added a bit of a mystery regarding the creature. Was it an ordinary cat that was pushed too far or is there more to that story?
The villains themselves were fun to watch as well. Their evil and greed meant they were unpredictable and could easily turn on each other at any minute. The movie found a comfortable balance with this, making the cat's work easier without diminishing her contributions.
My only real complaint about the film, other than the filmmakers choosing to tell the audience what the villains were searching for rather than keeping it a mystery, was the decision to show a good portion of the film from the cat's perspective. I'm not going to fault the artistic decision because I understand what the film was trying to do. I just think the execution wasn't all that good and it didn't have the same effect I think the movie wanted. Either way, I don't think it was needed.
Final Opinion: At minimum, this is a good Halloween movie for cat lovers, especially since it was made at a time when the filmmakers had to use a real cat and couldn't cheat with CGI. Stormcloud slept through it, so I wasn't able to judge her opinion. I, however, still think this is a movie that is worth watching at least once.
My Grade: A
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Here are some reviews of other movies from 1961:
Movie Review: Creature From the Haunted Sea (1961)
Movie Review: Flight That Disappeared (1961)
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