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The Track of the Cat
 
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The Track of the Cat

Robert Mitchum (Actor), Teresa Wright (Actor), William A. Wellman (Director) | Rated: NR (Not Rated) | Format: DVD
5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
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You never see the title character in William Wellman's Track of the Cat--a black panther terrorizing the land and herd of a frontier family--which is just one of the many bold strokes of this ambitious movie. The intruder claims not merely cattle but also one family member, so middle son (and unquestioned alpha male) Robert Mitchum goes out in the dead of winter to bag the cat. Meanwhile, the tensions inside the ranch house are distilled from Greek tragedy with a large dollop of Freud: harridan mother Beulah Bondi (good performance) wants her sons to remain unmarried, despite the fact that youngest boy Tab Hunter has fallen for a forward lass played by Diana Lynn. Teresa Wright--almost unrecognizable as the spinster sister--speaks for sanity and modern thinking. Track is the second film Wellman made from a novel by Walter Van Tilburg Clark; the first was The Ox-Bow Incident, that equally serious and offbeat Western about lynch violence. For this one, Wellman admitted that one of his motivations was a long-held desire to make a color film that was essentially black-and-white; the snowy backdrops of the exteriors (shot spectacularly around Washington State's Mount Rainier) offered that chance. It's a very exactingly directed movie, both indoors and out, and qualifies as an experiment in mise-en-scene; but experiments in mise-en-scene have rarely translated into box-office success, and Track of the Cat was no exception. One problem: despite Mitchum's robust presence, his solitary journey (which could be covered in interior monologue in a novel) is rather inscrutable. The spiky script is by A.I. Bezzerides, who would do Kiss Me, Deadly a year later. By the way, Wellman later regretted not showing the cat--but he was right the first time. It's an eerie touch in a movie that gets under your skin. --Robert Horton

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Customer Reviews

2 Reviews
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 (2)
4 star:    (0)
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5.0 out of 5 stars (2 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Haunting Nightmare, Dec 5 2002
By 
This review is from: Track of the Cat (VHS Tape)
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.
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5.0 out of 5 stars A fatal obession, Nov 25 2009
By 
Robert Hislop (Chateauguy, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: The Track of the Cat (DVD)
I thought this movie was a cleaver thiller, told as a wesetern. This western has a great story to it. Shot very haunting beautifull on location. The cast in this movie is perfect. The directer of this movie knew what he wanted to say to the audience,and people would like this movie. the dvd is top notch quality.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com: 4.1 out of 5 stars (16 customer reviews)

32 of 34 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Haunting Nightmare, Dec 5 2002
By gobirds2 - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Track of the Cat (VHS Tape)
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.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Another Great Psychological Western With Robert Mitchum, Nov 14 2005
By Terence Allen - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Track of the Cat (DVD)
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.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Tab Hunter and Robert Mitchum Make the Movie, April 29 2007
By Jason Crawford "Jason Crawford" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Track of the Cat (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.
› Go to Amazon.com to see all 16 reviews  4.1 out of 5 stars 
 
 
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