The Leopard Man [Blu-ray]

Director: Jacques Tourneur Jacques Tourneur

Overview

Adapted from the Cornell Woolrich novel Black Alibi, The Leopard Man is a lesser but still fascinating psychological-horror effort from producer Val Lewton. Someone has been killing off the citizens of a small New Mexico town, and the most likely suspect is a huge leopard, purchased for a local nightclub act by press agent Jerry Manning (Dennis O'Keefe), which has escaped from its cage. Neither Manning nor his star Clo-Clo (Margo) are totally convinced that the big cat is responsible.The haunting finale takes place during the annual "Day of the Dead" festivities. The opening sequence of Leopard Man, atmospherically detailing the last few moments of murder victim Teresa Delgado (Margaret Landry), is so powerful that the rest of the film seems anticlimactic. Long available only in its 59-minute reissue form, the film was restored to its original 65-minute running time in the mid-1980s.

Product Details

Release Date:	07/30/2019
UPC:	0826663199857
Original Release:	1943
Rating:	NR
Source:	Shout Factory
Region Code:	A
Presentation:	[B&W]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Mono]
Language:	English
Time:	1:06:00
Sales rank:	19,872

Special Features

New audio commentary with filmmaker/film historian Constantine Nasr; Audio commentary with filmmaker William Friedkin; Theatrical trailer

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Dennis O'Keefe	Jerry Manning
Margo	Clo-Clo
Jean Brooks	Kiki Walker
Isabel Jewell	Maria
James Bell	Dr. Galbraith
Margaret Landry	Teresa Delgado
Abner Biberman	Charlie How-Come
Richard Martin	Raoul Belmonte
Tula Parma	Consuelo Contreras
Ben Bard	Chief Robles
Ariel Heath	Eloire
Fely Franquelli	Rosita
Rita Corday	Actor
Robert Anderson	Dwight
Jacqueline de Wit	Helene
Robert Spindola	Pedro
William Halligan	Brunton
Kate Lawson	Senora Delgado
Russell Wade	Man in Car
Jacques Lory	Philippe
Ottola Nesmith	Senora Contreras
Marguerita Sylva	Marta
Charles Lung	Manuel
John Dilson	Coroner
Mary MacLaren	Nun
Tom Orosco	Window Cleaner
Elias Gamboa	Senor Delgado
Joe Dominguez	Cop
Betty Roadman	Clo-Clo's Mother
Rosarita Varella	Clo-Clo's Sister
John Piffle	Flower Vendor
Rene Pedrini	Frightened Waiter
Brandon Hurst	Gatekeeper
Rose Higgins	Indian Weaver
George Sherwood	Police Lieutenant
John Tettener	Minister
Roy Webb	Composer
Tuulikki Paananen	Consuelo Contreras
Ed Agresti	le policier mexicain
Robert Andersen	Dwight Brunton
Lulu Mae Bohrman	Actor
Jack Chefe	Actor
David Cota	Actor
Sidney D'Albrook	Actor
John Eberts	Actor
Shep Houghton	Actor

Technical Credits

Ardel Wray

Cornell Woolrich

Jacques Tourneur	Director
Ardel Wray	Screenwriter
Val Lewton	Producer
Cornell Woolrich	Screenwriter
John C. Grubb	Sound Effects
Terry Kellum	Sound Effects
James G. Stewart	Sound Effects

Editorial Reviews

Shadows abound in The Leopard Man, the third of the Val Lewton-Jacques Tourneur collaborations. While Leopard does not quite compare to the previous two (Cat People and I Walked with a Zombie), it is nonetheless a gripping and exciting psychological thriller. Tourneur knew that exploring the human mind and the human psyche -- if there is a difference between them -- involves digging through many layers of darkness, and Leopard is filled with eerie shadows and with shades of gray and black that can be startlingly ferocious. Working from Edward Dein's taut adaptation of the wonderful Cornell Woolrich novel, Tourneur creates a mesmerizing world in which questions abound and those who presume certainty in their answers are only fooling themselves. The director wraps the story in ambiguity and in so doing offers a glimpse at the terrifying underside of both nature and humanity. He is enormously helped by Robert de Grasse's brilliant cinematography, the instrument that fully realizes Tourneur's vision. Also of note is the intriguing Roy Webb musical score, which is invaluable in establishing atmosphere and suspense. Of the cast, Dennis O'Keefe and Jean Brooks are a bit weak; they're not bad, just not as strong as one wishes. But Margo is in quite good form.