The Leopard Man is a triumph of style over content. The plot of an escaped leopard terrifying a community certainly justifies calling this a horror film, but it succeeds as a minor masterpiece in the genre only because of the elegant direction and cinematography, which took advantage of the black and white medium. In the DVD Val Lewton Collection , Citizen Kane is mentioned frequently, both for its artistry and for its financial disappointment; (though I have read that in fact it turned a small profit.) Also mentioned are the films of Astaire and Rogers, and their use of black and white photography. It may be that Lewton and company learned from their RKO predecessors, especially Citizen Kane; in this case to cast an ominous aura over the action. The color black is the key, from the time that the leading lady decides to wear a black gown for her night club entrance with the leopard. The leopard image is used to foreshadow the deaths of the two young girls. In one case the black hand shadow of a leopard head made by her brother hangs over and behind her head as she leaves the house. In the other, the mother of the second victim is seen carrying a black cat in her arms. Then there is the Ace of Spades dealt to Margo by the fortune teller on two occasions. All very stylish! If not for the men behind the scenes the film would have been lost in the abyss of B films gone and also forgotten. The performances are about as wooden as one would expect in a typical B film, with only Margo conveying some of the tension one would expect from persons in a small town with a frightened leopard on the loose. However, special note should be taken of Dynamite, the big cat who receives billing, possibly as a result of his terrifying performance in Cat People, when he set the stage for the action, chewing on a large roast in his cage. However, one cannot help but be puzzled by the fact that a black panther is playing a leopard (which in this film did change his spots). Did RKO have him under a long-term contract? Comparing his performance with those of the actors reminds me of the supposed comment of director van Dyke after the filming of Rose Marie, starring Nelson Eddy as a mountie: "It was easier to get a good performance from his horse than it was from Nelson".
Review of The Leopard Man
