Thanks to the auteur theory, we really consider the role a producer has in a motion picture. Immediately we give all the credit to the director and why not? They have forced “A Film By” credit at the start of every movie now. But once upon a time in Hollywood, a producer was the person truly in charge of the set. They found the material. They developed the script with the writer. They hired the director and decided the cast and crew. They oversaw the final cut that went to the studio executives. A producer produced the film. Nowadays we imagine a producer has as much power on the set as a caddy during the Masters. Val Lewton was a producer who wasn’t there to merely haul the clubs for others. He made moves at RKO. He made scary movies on a shoestring for the studio in the early 1940s. He brought on board Jacques Tourneur (Out of the Past) to direct both Cat People and I Walked With A Zombie to establish Lewton’s new shadowy fears. The duo teamed up one more time for The Leopard Man. The film dares to question if the citizens of a New Mexico town are being killed by an escaped leopard or a serial killer using the leopard for cover. It’s a tense affair that’s now coming to Blu-ray on July 30. Here’s the press release from Scream Factory that includes the bonus features:
SCREAM FACTORY PRESENTS
THE LEOPARD MAN
ON BLU-RAY™ JULY 30, 2019
A savage killer is on the loose!
Los Angeles, CA – Scream Factory proudly presents the 40s horror cult classic The Leopard Man in its Blu-ray debut July 30, 2019. The release comes complete with special features including new audio commentary and a brand new 4k scan of the original nitrate camera negative.
From legendary horror film producer Val Lewton (The Body Snatcher, Bedlam, The Ghost Ship) and from Jacques Tourneur, the director of the original Cat People, The Leopard Man is one of the first American films to attempt a remotely realistic portrayal of a serial killer.
Is it man, beast or both behind a string of savage maulings and murders? An escaped leopard provides the catalyst for a foray into fear in which a cemetery is the rendezvous for death and love, and a closed door heightens rather than hides the horror of a young girl’s fate. The Leopard Man once again teams producer Val Lewton with director Jacques Tourneur (Cat People). This thriller stars Dennis O’Keefe (T-Men, Raw Deal), Margo (Lost Horizon) and Jean Brooks (The Seventh Victim).
Special Features:
NEW 4K scan of the original nitrate camera negative
NEW Audio Commentary with filmmaker/film historian Constantine Nasr
Audio Commentary with filmmaker William Friedkin
Theatrical Trailer
Still Gallery
