In my review of "Cat People", I said that it's a film that you have to appreciate on its own terms, and the same is true of its sequel. If you're wanting a rehash of the first film, then you will be disappointed. While the first film was dark and creepy, this film mostly replaces those primal fears with awe and childlike wonder (though there are certainly some creepy elements as well). Both films are essentially psychological studies told through fantasy, but they play out very differently.
This film relies heavily on the talents of the child star, and Ann Carter delivers as the little girl Amy. She wants friends, she wants to please her parents, she wants to use her imagination, and she wants to enjoy her life. All of these desires are very normal for childhood, and most of us spend our lives looking for these desires to be met.
The first film focused on Irena and her fears about herself. She desperately wanted friendship and affection, yet feared that if she became too passionate about anything, her inner self would be manifested as a vicious beast. And this fear ultimately led to her demise.
In "The Curse of the Cat People", Amy desperately wants friendship as well, but instead of withholding her affections (as Irena did), she reaches out to people--her parents, her peers, and the Farrens. Sadly, these gestures of goodwill are often misunderstood or rejected, and she is practically forced into her own fantasy world. (The only exception is Mrs. Farren, but she practically lived in a fantasy world herself, so she provided no help.) While Irena's life became darker and darker as she withdrew into herself, Amy's life in most aspects becomes brighter (literally--with beautiful sets that really capture a sense of awe and wonder). However, the film never settles for easy answers. Amy is generally happier in her fantasy world than in the real world, but she never seems fully satisfied with it either.
I listened to part of the commentary track on the DVD, and the film historian noted that Val Lewton "double cast" himself in the film. On the one hand, his childhood was very much a fantasy world like Amy's. On the other hand, Mr. Lewton also saw himself as Amy's father Oliver Reed (played by Kent Smith), who strongly discourages Amy's imagination. The film never wholeheartedly endorses either character. In never quite sympathizes with a life of pure imagination, but it is also reluctant to embrace an imagination-less life.
At the end of the film these two views finally seem to reach a happy co-existence.
For those who have criticized the Farren mother-daughter characters in the film, they really represent the whole meaning of the story. Mrs. Farren, a former stage actress who is constantly imagining and living in someone else's story, represents the dangers of living completely in a fantasy world--to the point that she rejects her own daughter. With her we see that fantasy has its dark side, and we could well imagine Amy growing up to become like her if she forever stayed in her own fantasy world. On the other hand, the daughter Barbara Farren (the mysterious Cat Woman in the first film) represents cold reality. She is constantly trying to pull her mother out of her fantasy world, never giving an inch, and she feels rejected because her mother doesn't recognize her. Her life is not any happier.
When Mrs. Farren dies, in a sense the last part of Amy's fantasy world dies as well. But she also uses the fantasy world--seeing Irena in place of Barbara Farren--to bring peace to Barbara. Ultimately, this brings friendship to them both.
The father-daughter relationship between Amy and Oliver ends similarly. She and her father agree to be friends, and he meets her halfway by "seeing" Irena with her. Perhaps the message of this movie is that we all need an equal balance of fantasy and reality. We need the maturity that faces life as it really is, but we also need the joy of our childhood dreams to carry us through.
If you're willing to explore these issues--coping with rejection, the balance between reality and imagination, fear of the unknown, and the desire to dream--all from a child's perspective, "The Curse of the Cat People" will give you plenty to think about. But if you want to see another film just like "Cat People", watch "Cat People" again.
This film relies heavily on the talents of the child star, and Ann Carter delivers as the little girl Amy. She wants friends, she wants to please her parents, she wants to use her imagination, and she wants to enjoy her life. All of these desires are very normal for childhood, and most of us spend our lives looking for these desires to be met.
The first film focused on Irena and her fears about herself. She desperately wanted friendship and affection, yet feared that if she became too passionate about anything, her inner self would be manifested as a vicious beast. And this fear ultimately led to her demise.
In "The Curse of the Cat People", Amy desperately wants friendship as well, but instead of withholding her affections (as Irena did), she reaches out to people--her parents, her peers, and the Farrens. Sadly, these gestures of goodwill are often misunderstood or rejected, and she is practically forced into her own fantasy world. (The only exception is Mrs. Farren, but she practically lived in a fantasy world herself, so she provided no help.) While Irena's life became darker and darker as she withdrew into herself, Amy's life in most aspects becomes brighter (literally--with beautiful sets that really capture a sense of awe and wonder). However, the film never settles for easy answers. Amy is generally happier in her fantasy world than in the real world, but she never seems fully satisfied with it either.
I listened to part of the commentary track on the DVD, and the film historian noted that Val Lewton "double cast" himself in the film. On the one hand, his childhood was very much a fantasy world like Amy's. On the other hand, Mr. Lewton also saw himself as Amy's father Oliver Reed (played by Kent Smith), who strongly discourages Amy's imagination. The film never wholeheartedly endorses either character. In never quite sympathizes with a life of pure imagination, but it is also reluctant to embrace an imagination-less life.
At the end of the film these two views finally seem to reach a happy co-existence.
For those who have criticized the Farren mother-daughter characters in the film, they really represent the whole meaning of the story. Mrs. Farren, a former stage actress who is constantly imagining and living in someone else's story, represents the dangers of living completely in a fantasy world--to the point that she rejects her own daughter. With her we see that fantasy has its dark side, and we could well imagine Amy growing up to become like her if she forever stayed in her own fantasy world. On the other hand, the daughter Barbara Farren (the mysterious Cat Woman in the first film) represents cold reality. She is constantly trying to pull her mother out of her fantasy world, never giving an inch, and she feels rejected because her mother doesn't recognize her. Her life is not any happier.
When Mrs. Farren dies, in a sense the last part of Amy's fantasy world dies as well. But she also uses the fantasy world--seeing Irena in place of Barbara Farren--to bring peace to Barbara. Ultimately, this brings friendship to them both.
The father-daughter relationship between Amy and Oliver ends similarly. She and her father agree to be friends, and he meets her halfway by "seeing" Irena with her. Perhaps the message of this movie is that we all need an equal balance of fantasy and reality. We need the maturity that faces life as it really is, but we also need the joy of our childhood dreams to carry us through.
If you're willing to explore these issues--coping with rejection, the balance between reality and imagination, fear of the unknown, and the desire to dream--all from a child's perspective, "The Curse of the Cat People" will give you plenty to think about. But if you want to see another film just like "Cat People", watch "Cat People" again.