Customer Reviews

The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing [VHS]

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

If you like a well-done Western, you'll enjoy this one. It has everything - train robberies, shoot outs, Outlaws, Indians, bad guys, heroes, strong women and strong men, romance and a touch of humor. It's too bad Burt Reynolds didn't choose more movies roles like this. He plays the part very well and Sara Miles is enchanting as the strong-willed Catherine. And what Western would be complete without Lee J. Cobb and Jack Warden? Look for an amazingly well done performance by (of all people) George Hamilton.

Now - I only wish Warner would put it out on DVD!

Reading westerns and watching western films has always been something of an enjoyment. In my humble estimation this film is as good as it gets. The movie comes from the book THE MAN WHO LOVED CAT DANCING by Marilyn Durham, a 1972 hardcover book published by Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc. was a nationwide bestseller, eventually republished as Dell mass market paperback #5246, July, 1973. Marilyn Durham is also the author of DUTCH UNCLE.

Though an off-beat western with equal sadness and joy, the actors, rugged scenery, and tight script make 'Cat Dancing' a movie very hard to equal. As usual Lee J. Cobb is just a gem, and has one of the best spoken lines in a movie, ever. There is a gritty reality to this movie that few others ever attain, Yellow Sky, 100 Rifles, Shane, and The Walking Hills, and The Professionals all come to mind.

In this film though Reynolds is not only a very flawed man, but equally one in denial, the viewer is still on his side. And at film's end you just gotta believe Sarah Mile's injunction willing him to live will carry through. Even the crusty Lee J Cobb is willing to walk away.

I have a couple copies of this film on VHS from TV movie channels, but nothing would be better than to have it on DVD. Keep the faith, I never thought the movies YELLOW SKY or RAWHIDE would make it to DVD but they did. So hope lives on that this one will be issued on DVD, too.

Semper Fi.

I once had a roommate who often played a song with the lyrics, "Ladies love outlaws like babies love stray dogs." This movie sets out to prove that point when a spirited woman, Sarah Miles, fleeing her husband gets kidnapped by a band of outlaws led by Burt Reynolds. Romance on the Range soon ensues. As westerns go, it's pretty enjoyable.

I saw this movie in South Africa 30 years ago and loved it. Then I bought the book which is now old and tattered, and still a favorite. I had forgotten how the film ended, but read in a review that the ending was not the same as the book. What a pity. The book ending is perfect. It comes as a shock every time I read it.

I would love to buy this on DVD. The story, the acting, the scenery and the music were wonderful. One can still find it on videotape, but I prefer to wait, and hope, for the DVD, and perhaps buy the cd soundtrack. The music, by John Williams, was great.

I have been waiting for years for this movie to be released in DVD format. One of my all time favorite westerns however. you can buy it now directly from the Warner Brother website for $19.95 plus shipping. I am not sure why this particular dealer "pokatink" has it listed for $39.95 unless it is just to rip you off before the word gets out.

Sometimes you watch a film with disinterest and by its conclusion are suddenly captivated and charmed. "The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing," an oddly named 1973 western romance (based on the early 1970's bestseller The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing by Marilyn Durham), is one of those films. It's practically forgotten today, with faded stars breathing life into a western genre dying fast. One of the beauties of the Internet is the ability to investigate a movie's back story, and this one certainly had a troubled production including changes in directors and musical composers, plus Sarah Miles' assistant committing suicide.

There's an undeniable chemistry between stars Burt Reynolds and Miles, and through all the on-set controversy, they carve interesting performances rivaling the best work of their unique careers. It's an engaging, if implausible, oater as aristocratic wife Catherine Crocker (Miles) decides to run away from her wealthy husband (George Hamilton). She stumbles upon a train robbery where she's kidnapped by the motley outlaws and forced to travel cross-country through the desert. They are doggedly tracked by a posse, led by a salt-of-the-earth sheriff (Lee J. Cobb) and, of course, the unusually foppish husband.

Miles sleeps next to campfires, avoiding rape on a nightly basis. The leader of the crew is, of course, Reynolds, a soft-hearted man with a past who eventually becomes Miles' protector, sparking their slowly budding romance. This was an interesting performance for Reynolds at an important phase of his career, post-Deliverance and pre-Smokey and the Bandit - Special Edition. He has undeniable physical presence, adorned in beard and dusty clothes, usually chomping a cigar. While Reynolds eventually fell into mostly comedic roles, this was a rare opportunity to play a brooding man of action, and he displays an appealing confidence on the level of Clint Eastwood.

Miles, with doe eyes and stubborn disposition, almost steals the film with an enormously sympathetic performance that, under the right circumstances, could have garnered an Oscar nomination. An eccentric free spirit in real life, the behind-the-scenes controversy of her assistant committing suicide (while Miles' husband Robert Bolt was in England, she was having a sporadic affair with her assistant and, in a jealous rage over time spent with Reynolds, he evidently took sleeping pills) had much to do with fans ignoring this film. Original director Brian Hutton also dropped out to be replaced by Richard C. Sarafian (hot off the success of Vanishing Point). In addition, producers publicly clashed over the screenplay and, finally, a very young John Williams (pre-Jaws (30th Anniversary Edition) super-stardom) was carted in overnight to write a subtle but likable score (The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing - arguably one of his best) after the original composer's work was rejected. It was a turbulent production.

Through it all, you have the extraordinary cinematography of veteran Harry Stradling, Jr., taking full advantage of the colorful locales of Arizona and Utah. A fine supporting cast, including Jack Warden and Bo Hopkins in villainous form, and Cobb as Sheriff Lapchance, deliver unique dialog most likely lifted straight from Durham's novel. Warden, especially, displays uneasy menace as one of the more sadistic villains to be found in a western. Many criticize "The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing" because of its harsh violence, with fights to the death, rape and one brutal sequence where a man is shot in the groin, though granted it was poetic justice. Ultimately, I believe, the frontier violence is an intense contrast to the tender Reynolds/Miles romance, as they find love in the most unlikely places.

There are extreme missteps in this film, including the miscasting of Hamilton in a crucial role. Filmmakers also chose to have Reynolds shave his beard about two-thirds in so we have the famous mustache, giving him a far-too-urban look when all that had come before was intentionally rustic. Burt was giving a fine performance (one of the five best of his career, along with "Deliverance," Boogie Nights, Starting Over and Breaking In) and there was no need to revert to sex symbol pop persona. When the dust finally clears, we have a flawed but touching film. Perhaps cursed by history, this gently engrossing work is deserving of discovery, with a unique beauty if in the right frame of mind.

This is a great movie that does what movies should. It entertains and makes you feel good. The acting is great and the background music score lifts your heart. In my opinion, it's Burt Reynolds best movie and one of Sarah Miles best as well. It's got plenty of western action but most of all it's a love story that shows the great joy life brings when a man and woman love one another and how nothing's too tough as long as they're together. One of my all time favorite movies and one I watch over and over when I want to feel good and remember how wonderful it is to love and be loved.

This is a wonderful movie and I don't understand why is has not been released on DVD years ago. It was one of Burt Reynolds best films, one that he should be proud to have released on DVD for all to see and let those that have not seen it find out just how great of a movie it really is.
This is one person that hopes it is released very soon, because it is one movie I will purchase ASAP...
Thanks
Someone who loves this movie........

Well I have waited for this movie for simply ages. What a delight to finally get it. I do enjoy westerns and certainly Cat Dancing is a western. I enjoy romance, and certainly this is a tender love story. I enjoy magnificent scenery. it abounds in this panoramic movie. Above all I enjoy being entertained and good acting, which is sorely missing in the modern movie, with special effects and staged scenes dominating the screen today.
The story is simple of Cat Dancing, so there is nothing special about it. Train robber (Burt Reynolds) takes hostage (Sarah Miles) who is in the wrong place at the "right" time and runs. Posse, led by Lee J Cobb (Wells Fargo representative)and wealthy, angry, possesive husband (George Hamilton)give chase.
There are cowboys, Indians and cavalry. The makings of an average western? No definitely not!
The characters are intense and one gets propelled into a world of greed, wrath, hate, heartache, despair, love, adventure and more. The cast is incredibly well put together and the acting is excellent. For me this is one of Burt Reynolds best efforts as an actor. Sarah Miles is perfect as the wealthy lady who gets caught in a chain of events that take her from velvet riding habits to miners clothing.
If you enjoy a western with a human relationship theme running through it this is the one for you.
If you enjoy a western with good acting and direction impacting on the overall effect - this is for you.
If you enjoy a western that entetains from beginning to end - this is definitely for you.
The only down side to the copy of the DVD that I received was that 45 minutes into the movie it stuck. I was able to forward wind and bypass this section - lost about 10 minutes of movie - so was able to see the rest of the movie after all. Also there are no special features which for such an expensive DVD is a pity as today one has become accustomed to the little extras. They may have made up for the hic up in the middle of the movie.
Overall however I am pleases to have this product in my collection.

Made during the peak of Burt Reynolds's film career, TMWLCD has not been given its due. The story in a nutshell: an abused wife trying to escape her husband accidentally encounters a group of train robbers also on the run. The outlaws' leader has a secret from his past that he hopes the swag from the robbery will help fix. The photography and scenery are great, as is Elmer Bernstein's score. Reynolds and Sarah Miles are both ideal in their roles, despite the occasional line of sappy dialogue. Jack Warden is memorable as a thoroughly evil villain and George Hamilton as the abandoned husband is properly devoid of feeling except when he's causing someone else pain. There's action a-plenty and while not a milestone in the Western genre, is still worth a viewing.