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The Leopard Man
The Leopard Man
	Theatrical release poster by William Rose
Directed by	Jacques Tourneur
Written by	Ardel Wray; Edward Dein
Based on	Black Alibi; 1942 novel; by Cornell Woolrich
Produced by	Val Lewton
Starring	Dennis O'Keefe; Margo; Jean Brooks
Cinematography	Robert De Grasse
Edited by	Mark Robson
Music by	Roy Webb
Distributed by	RKO Radio Pictures Inc.
Release date	May 8, 1943;
Running time	66 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	≈ $150,000

The Leopard Man is a 1943 American horror film directed by Jacques Tourneur, and starring Dennis O'Keefe, Jean Brooks, and Margo. Based on the book Black Alibi by Cornell Woolrich, it follows a series of violent murders in a town in New Mexico, which coincide with the escape of a leopard from a nightclub.

It is one of the first American films to attempt an even remotely realistic portrayal of a serial killer (although that term had yet to be coined).^[2]

Plot

In an unnamed New Mexico bordertown, nightclub promoter Jerry Manning hires a black leopard as a publicity stunt for his girlfriend, Kiki Walker, a performer there. Kiki uses the opportunity to upstage the act of her rival, Clo-Clo, by making an entrance into the night club with the leopard on a leash. Angered, Clo-Clo frightens the leopard with her castanets, and it escapes, fleeing into the night. Charlie, the Native American owner of the leopard who leased it to Jerry, begins pestering him for money to replace the cat.

That night, Teresa, a young local woman, goes to purchase corn meal for her family's dinner. Under a bridge in an arroyo, she encounters the leopard and flees to her house. She is killed at the door just before her family is able to let her back in the house. The medical examiner rules Teresa's death an accident, concluding she was mauled by the leopard. Shortly after, Consuelo, another local, goes to visit her father's grave in the cemetery on her birthday. Lost in thought, Consuelo fails to leave before the gatekeeper locks the gate and finds herself trapped within the cemetery's stone walls. When help arrives, Consuelo is found, another apparent victim of the leopard.

After learning of the second murder, Jerry inquires to the police as to why the leopard has remained within the city as he was informed it would naturally flee to the wilderness. Charlie also questions whether the leopard killed Consuelo, but he is goaded by the local historian and museum curator Galbraith into believing he may be responsible, committing the murders during his nightly alcohol binges in which he blacks out. At his request, Charlie is kept in a jail cell overnight. Clo-Clo spends the evening with an elderly wealthy man at the nightclub, who gives her a $100 bill. After, she visits Maria, a fortune teller, who warns her that "something black" is coming to claim her. En route home, Clo-Clo loses the $100 bill. When she goes back out to find it, she is attacked and murdered.

Kiki and Jerry prepare to leave for Chicago, coinciding with an annual procession that occurs in the town, commemorating a massacre of Native Americans by the Conquistadors. As they depart for their train, Kiki and Jerry are given a bouquet of flowers from Galbraith, which Kiki wishes to place on Consuelo's grave before they leave town. At the cemetery, they are met by Charlie, who notifies them his leopard has been found shot dead in the arroyo, and its fur taken; he presumes the cat has been dead for at least a week, suggesting a human may be responsible for the murders. Charlie recalls having seen Galbraith in the area and suspects he killed the leopard. Jerry attempts to turn Galbraith in to the police, but they do not believe him.

During the procession that night, Galbraith hears a woman's scream at the cemetery. He subsequently enters the museum, where he hears the sound of the castanets echoing. Shortly after, Kiki arrives at the museum, where she offers to accompany Galbraith in viewing the procession. She convinces Galbraith to turn off the lights, remarking they will better be able to watch the procession. Galbraith agrees, and once the lights are off, Kiki drops a pair of castanets. Galbraith attacks her, but she is saved by Jerry. Galbraith flees into the street, where he is eventually stopped among the procession marchers. Confronted by Jerry and Raoul, Consuelo's fiancé, Galbraith confesses to having murdered both Consuelo and Clo-Clo. He admits to having been inspired to do so after witnessing the leopard maul Teresa to death. Seeking vengeance, Raoul shoots Galbraith to death.

Later, while at the funeral parlor, Jerry and Kiki reaffirm their love for one another.

Cast

Dennis O'Keefe as Jerry Manning
Margo as Gabriella "Clo-Clo"
Jean Brooks as Kiki Walker
Isabel Jewell as Maria, the Fortune Teller
Marguerite Sylva as Marta
Margaret Landry as Terésa Delgado
Abner Biberman as Charlie
James Bell as Dr. Galbraith
Tuulikki Paananen as Consuela Contreras
Richard Martin as Raoul Belmonte ‡
Fely Franquelli as Rosita Contreras ‡
Ariel Heath as Eloise ‡

‡ indicates uncredited cast member

Production and release

Production took place from February 9, 1943 until March 8, 1943, on a budget of approximately $150,000.^[1] The film was released on 8 May 1943.^[3]

Critical reaction

Initial response

Upon its initial theatrical release, The Leopard Man received mixed reviews. In their 1943 review of the film, Bosley Crowther of The New York Times called the film "half-baked", and wrote "The Leopard Man is nothing but a feeble and obvious attempt to frighten and shock the audience with a few exercises in mayhem."^[4]

Tourneur later said he "didn’t like" the film as "it was too exotic, it was neither fish nor fowl: a series of vignettes, and it didn’t hold together. There were some startling things in that story... But there were too many bad scenes, and even though we used an effective Mexican birthday song, the overall effect was spotty, uneven."^[5]

Reassessment

In the subsequent years, following the film's release, modern critical response has been mostly positive, with many critics praising the film's atmosphere, direction, and suspense. On Rotten Tomatoes, The Leopard Man holds an approval rating of 89%, based on 18 reviews, with a weighted average rating of 7.37/10.^[6]

Ed Gonzalez of Slant awarded the film four out of four stars, praising Tourneur's use of sound and shadows to create tension.^[7] Dennis Schwartz of Ozus' World Movie Reviews rated the film a grade A, writing, "Tourneur's fast-paced film is armed with a taut and intelligent script, and is one of those memorable films that gets even better with age like a good wine."^[8]

Legacy

The Leopard Man has acquired a cult following over the years, and is now considered a cult classic.^[9] It has been included in multiple lists at various media publications as one of the greatest horror films ever made. Indiewire placed it at No. 90 in its "The 100 Greatest Horror Movies of All-Time".^[10] Slant listed it at number 30 in its "The 100 Best Horror Movies of All Time".^[11]

References

^ ^a ^b Scheuer, Philip K. "Trio Gives Horror Picture New Dress". Los Angeles Times. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Preston, Scott. "The Strange Pleasure of the Leopard Man: Gender, Genre and Authorship in a Val Lewton Thriller". CineAction 71. Archived from the original on 2009-12-03. Retrieved 2010-02-20.
^ "AFI|Catalog". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved 2023-03-20.
^ Crowther, Bosley (May 20, 1943). "Boo to You". The New York Times. Retrieved August 22, 2019.
^ Higham, Charles (1969). The celluloid muse: Hollywood directors speak. p. 219.
^ "The Leopard Man (1943)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
^ Gonzalez, Ed (June 22, 2004). "Review: The Leopard Man". SlantMagazine.com. Slant Magazine. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
^ Schwartz, Dennis (December 18, 2004). "leopardman". Ozus' World Movie Reviews. Dennis Schwartz. Archived from the original on April 30, 2019. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
^ Guynn, William (13 September 2010). The Routledge Companion to Film History. Routledge. p. 150. ISBN 978-1-136-89940-9.
^ Blauvelt, Christian (October 9, 2019). "The 100 Best Horror Movies of All Time". Indiewire. p. 2. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
^ "The 100 Best Horror Movies of All Time". SlantMagazine.com. Slant Magazine. October 26, 2021. Retrieved October 18, 2022.