Simone Simon’s Irena from Cat People (1942), whose healthy sexual desire is subverted into something to fear. A curse.

Set apart from the ‘normal, all-American’ purity of her love rival Alice, Irena’s depiction as ‘other’ alienates her from the very people she craves acceptance from and the life feels she should be living.

But how colourless they all seem next to her.

#oldhollywood #noir #horror #noirhorror #catpeople #vallewton #jacquetourneur