Cat People

Director Paul Schrader's Cat People finally comes to DVD in a fine edition care of Universal. The 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer sports a fine look save for a few instances of edge enhancement and some grain and dirt found in the image. Overall, the color schemes and black levels are all spot-on and very solid, making this a pleasing transfer for fans. The soundtrack is presented in Dolby Digital 2.0 English with English, French, and Spanish subtitles. While the sound mix certainly sports even bass and subtle effects from the front and center speaker, overall dynamic range and fidelity are missing from this suitable if unimpressive mix. Fans of Cat People will be thrilled with this new edition which starts off with a very enlightening commentary track by director Schrader discussing multiple aspects of the film (including the casting and effects). "Cat People: An Intimate Conversation with Paul Schrader" is an interesting look at the film through the eyes of its director. Two other featurettes ("Special Makeup Effects by Tom Burman" and "Robert Wise on Producer Val Lewton") are well meaning if all-too-short. Finally, there are two short montages on the publicity of the film and some matte tests, a ten-minute, early '80s "On the Set With Paul Schrader" featurette that was dug out of the Universal archives, some very thin production notes on the movie, and a theatrical trailer for the film.