AN EROTIC FANTASY FOR THE ANIMAL IN US ALL.
At the same time as Irena Gallier (Nastassja Kinski) moves into her brother’s (Malcolm McDowell) home, a ferocious black panther is terrorizing the neighborhood. This film is loosely based on the 1942 classic, but it has been “schraderized”; the director recognizes sexual urges as a power that propels the story and as usual they are tied to violence. A slick movie that features good-looking special effects and liberal doses of blood and nudity, effectively scored by Giorgio Moroder and David Bowie… but the story has too many lulls and the characters are uninvolving.
1982-U.S. 118 min. Color. Directed byĀ Paul Schrader. Music: Giorgio Moroder. Song: “Putting Out the Fire” (David Bowie, Giorgio Moroder). Cast: Nastassja Kinski (Irena Gallier), Malcolm McDowell (Paul Gallier), John Heard (Oliver Yates), Annette O’Toole, Ruby Dee, Ed Begley, Jr… John Larroquette.
