Jacques Tourneur’s Cat People, released on December 25, 1942, was a clear reflection of the times in which it was made. It conveyed the fears of sexuality, feminism, and foreigners and personified it in the form of a foe that takes on an innocent form.
The film was a last ditch effort by RKO Pictures to save itself from bankruptcy. They had just released two box office bombs by acclaimed director Orson Welles: Citizen Kane and The Magnificent Andersons. As…