Customer Reviews

Track of the Cat [VHS]

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4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

TRACK OF THE CAT is an obscure yet brilliant allegorical tale of a snowbound family whose distorted views on patrimony and perceived lascivious behavior, all shaped by the conniving matriarchal Beulah Bondi, come to a resounding climax after being set into motion by the perceived appearance of a mountain lion. Directed by William "Wild Bill" Wellman the word "perceived" literally describes the haunting images and ambiguous and double-edged dialogue that unfolds. Brothers Robert Mitchum and William Hopper pursue the unseen cat across treacherous snow covered mountainous terrain. Wellman filmed these scenes on location on Mount Rainier. Waiting in the cabin for their return are Tab Hunter (their younger brother), Teresa Wright (their sister), Diana Lynn (in pursuit of Hunter's love) and their parents (Philip Tonge and Bondi). Filmed in WarnerColor director Wellman had cinematographer William H. Clothier essentially film the images in a bleached out and colorless "black & white" effect where everything is shot against a white background. The exteriors of blinding white snow are counterbalanced by the interiors of the cabin whose walls and ceiling are painted bleach white. In contrast, the trees, horses, furniture and actors (all dressed in dark and/or white attire) all appear black against Clothier's white cinematic canvas. The effect is unsettling, unnerving and unforgettable if you have ever seen this film. The result is that of a nightmarish and haunting tale that eludes the viewer's sense of morality in a superficial and dreamlike world of black and white where black and white are constantly being juxtaposed redefining what is apparent just for the moment. The VHS copy is in Dolby Surround stereo.

Robert Mitchum helped to introduce the psychological western in the landmark film Pursued. In Track of the Cat, he continued to chart new territory for what was already a well-worn genre in 1954.

Track of The Cat, set on Mount Ranier, features Mitchum as the forceful head of a very disfunctional family in the waning days of the 1800's. Mitchum is the middle child, but runs roughshod over his gentle older brother, played by William Hopper (Paul Drake of TV's Perry Mason), and his younger, unconfidant brother, played by 50's heartthrob Tab Hunter. The rest of the family is a spinsterish sister, played by Teresa Wright, (who was in Pursued with Mitchum), and overbearing mother and alcoholic father, played by Beulah Bondi and Philip Tonge.
When a mountain lion begins to attach their cattle, Mitchum and Hooper start out on a lion hunt. Back home, Hunter is trying to navigate an uneasy visit by his girfriend, who is welcomed by half the family and disliked by the other half. Much drama and tragedy ensues.

The predominant use of black and white by director William Wellman is very effective, but it would have been wasted without such a great cast. Everyone is excellent, particularly Mitchum, Bondi, and Tonge, who played comic relief with great effect.

This is a great film long overdue on DVD.

Absolutely everyone in this movie was sensational. Everyone! Even the scary "so called" Indian Joe Sam. But Tab Hunter really held his own against the more seasoned and less handsome star - Robert Mitchum. I have watched this movie over and over for years, but when I saw it on DVD - on AMAZON, it was well worth buying this copy. The commentary is excellent and Tab so funny and charming disucssing his feelings about the director and his costars. I really enjoyed the lady who discussed how training the horse who played "Kentuck" as well as other horses trained in Hollywood. She was really good too. I keep hearing people say - "But we didn't get to see the cat!" And hearing Mr. Wellman's son say his dad sort of regretted not showing us the "black panther" was a mistake, I have to disagree. When the cat kills "Arthur" in the movie - having his reaction to knowing he was about to die and seeing the fear in his eyes and not seeing the cat was perfect! I like not seeing the cat, it makes me wonder really how big was this cat really. I like the old saying - less is more - it really gives us an impression the way the old films did. They gave us more imagination. This is lost in today's movie making. I sure would suggest you buy this movie, it's well worth it and Tab Hunter is great in everything he does.

TRACK OF THE CAT is an outstanding Western that focuses on fear of the unknown and the psychological effects of fear. "Wild Bill" Wellman once again comes through with another classic that has gone unrecognized. TRACK OF THE CAT's highly stylistic visual cinematography including stunning location photography and claustrophobic indoor photography that juxtaposes feelings of security and insecurity suggesting that man must find a balance to his environment in order to survive in it. Both Robert Mitchum and Tab Hunter give uncharacteristic performances. This is probably one of Tab Hunter's best performances in a motion picture.

This is not your typical western, it more a character study than an action thriller but the the cast is good and deliver solid performances throughout, even Tab Hunter.

I'm a Bob Mitchum fan, and this film is another great performance, with a great cast including Tab Hunter. Gorgeous cinemtography, with striking use of color. Another film version of a Walter Van Tillburg Clark novel, by same director who filmed Clark's "The Ox-Bow Incident." Recommended.

An outstanding cast and beautiful scenery combined with a nerve-shattering story make TRACK OF THE CAT a great Western. Interesting dialogue abounds. This is a very thought provoking movie. Robert Mitchum and Tab Hunter give very credible performances. They don't make them like this any more. A high point of this DVD is Tab Hunter's comentary. Tab Hunter's comentary is very insightful and informative and actually contains many pleasing antidotes.

While I love to watch old movies, I hadn't seen "Track of the Cat" until recently. I enjoyed it and wanted to purchase it to have on hand. I received the movie very quickly and appreciated the service.

Thank you very much!

Chan

William Wellman's long unavailable Track of the Cat finally makes it to DVD in a good but not exceptional widescreen transfer. Sadly, it proves to be one of those films better remembered than seen, failing to live up to fond memory and revealing itself to be an ambitious but largely unsuccessful experiment. William Clothier's Scope "black and white" color cinematography is largely successful, especially in the surprisingly few location scenes, but the art direction on the all-too obviously artificial studio sets makes it feel like two distinctly different movies: a stagebound pseudo Eugene O'Neill drama about a house of secrets torn apart by a long day's journey into light and an assembly of second-unit footage of Robert Mitchum adrift in a snowy landscape as his bravado and ego break down in the face of an unseen enemy (in this case a deadly "painter") and hostile elements. Unfortunately we get far more of the homestead theatrics than the tracking, and there's none of the menace and dripping dread so prevalent in the novel.

It's not exactly a bad film, and once you get past the wildly overlong and stagey opening 22 minutes it picks up steam, but it's hard to shake the feeling of a missed opportunity here. Mitchum, Tab Hunter and Teresa Wright all offer good performances, but Val Lewton or Charles Laughton could have made so much more of it.

The extras package is good, although there's surprisingly little about the actual making of the film aside from the excellent audio commentary and the theatrical trailer advertised on the sleeve is nowhere to be found on the disc itself.

A disturbingly dysfunctional family is at the heart of TRACK OF THE CAT, which tries to impose symbolic significance on the threat of the creature that is being stalked by the two oldest brothers. But the tale, filmed in muted color with Mitchum's red jacket dominating the screen, tends to be a somber and talky character-driven tale exploring deeper meanings but never quite connecting with them.

The performances are standard except for Mitchum who does a believable job as the loutish oldest brother in an underwritten role. TERESA WRIGHT, DIANA LYNN and TAB HUNTER do fairly standard work, under William A. Wellman's slow-paced direction.

It's a stark and brooding story of an isolated farm family living in a remote area and haunted by the symbolic "cat" of the title. Photographed in muted WarnerColor with effective background music by Roy Webb, its somber wintry atmosphere is well captured in the opening scene but becomes tedious before the story reaches a midway point because a real connection with the troubled characters is never really made.

All the cast members have done better work elsewhere. It's hard to believe how matronly and severe TERESA WRIGHT became for this role. She's almost unrecognizable as the spinsterish sister, only a few years beyond her delicate work as a leading lady in many films of the '40s. WILLIAM HOPPER is effective as Mitchum's outspoken brother.

All the interiors are filmed in a style that seems more like a filmed play than a film. BEULAH BONDI as the embittered mother manages to give some gravitas to the story. ROBERT MITCHUM gives his usual sturdy and colorful performance as the oldest son hellbent on tracking a killer cat. TAB HUNTER as the weakest younger brother has less to work with and plays the majority of his scenes with nothing more than a solemn gaze.

A fairly interesting, harsh, character-driven tale that should have been much more effective with better dialog and family dynamics.