CAT IN THE BRAIN

Italy | 1990 Directed by Lucio Fulci Starring Lucio Fulci David L. Thompson Malisa Longo Color | 93 Minutes | Not Rated Format: DVD (R0 - NTSC | 2-disc set) Grindhouse Releasing

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6     10   10 = Highest Rating   Guest Review by Troy Howarth

Director Lucio Fulci (playing himself) fears that his gory horror films are driving him insane...     Diehard Fulci gorehounds are a well-meaning lot, but they do tend to lose sight of reality in the throes of their passion. It was they who elevated Fulci to the status of "Godfather of Gore", a schlocky moniker that tends to obscure his many more serious and substantial merits as a filmmaker. True, Fulci didn't believe in beating around the bush — subtlety wasn't exactly his strong point, at least where violence was concerned, and it was his audacity that endeared him to a new generation of punks and misfits the world over. Even so, there is something seriously amiss when a film like Cat in the Brain is proclaimed a "masterpiece" with a straight face. The concept is a good one, rife with self-reflexive irony, but practical reality intervened and the end result is as far from the perfection implied by "masterpiece" as can be imagined. Yes, the fans mean well — but in giving the hard sell on this particular title to a prospective audience who may not be over familiar with Fulci's better work, the repercussions could only be damaging to his already poor standing among the critical establishment. Having established that, Cat in the Brain is a fun film and a singularly fascinating one for reasons that may soon become apparent.     On a purely technical level, the film is a mess. Fulci wasn't given access to his greatest, most personal work, so the clips he uses to illustrate his background in horror comes from films mediocre (Touch of Death), horrid (Ghosts of Sodom) or from pictures he didn't actually direct himself. If this was intended to be his 8½, as some have suggested, there's no question that he wasn't able to come to it with the same level of freedom as Fellini. The plot, such as it is, ambles about somewhat incoherently. The basic set up is this: Lucio Fulci goes to see a shrink when he worries that his obsession with violence may spill over to reality; to say much more would spoil whatever surprises first-time viewers may hope to find. That Fulci cast himself in the lead was in itself an accident — the director later admitted that an actor was already cast but dropped out at the last minute; since Fulci often played authoritative cameo roles in many of his own films, he regarded himself as a logical substitute. Truth be told, were it not for his presence in the lead, it's likely that the film would have sank into obscurity along with most of the other pictures he helmed during this desperate timeframe. Not that Fulci gives a great or even particularly good performance — far from it. He staggers about with the self-consciousness of an amateur, and his few really good moments are very far between; his big freakout when he attacks a German producer isn't exactly the stuff of Masterpiece Theatre, of course, but it does produce an intended chuckle. Even so, there is something undeniably fetching about the concept of a director laying himself open to interpretation. The film skewers the psychiatric profession in a way Fulci fans have come to expect (think of the useless psychiatrist figures in Lizard in a Woman's Skin or City of the Living Dead, for example), and the director openly mocks the contention that horror films lead to violence in real life, but beyond that it is a very guarded self-portrait; no mention is made of his health issues, his many personal tragedies, or his glory days making films with decent budgets.     That Fulci dominates the cast is no surprise. The only other really noteworthy performer in the cast is Brett Halsey, and even he is present only due to heavy clip usage from Touch of Death. David L. Thompson overacts badly as the psychiatrist, Geoffrey Kennedy is bland as Fulci's inspector friend, and only Malisa Longo manages a few seductive moments among the underdressed and undertalented female supporting players. The cinematography is functional at best, though there are a few moody images along the way. Even so, the cut-rate production values haunt the film throughout — special effects work, even in some of the clips put on display, are seldom very convincing, but typical of Fulci, the sheer nastiness of the concepts give them a frisson that belies their cheesy appearance. Longtime Fulci collaborator Fabio Frizzi (Zombie) contributes an effective, if minimal, soundtrack.     Ultimately, to claim Cat in the Brain as a masterpiece is to do Fulci an injustice — at his best, and with the collaborators he needed to realize his vision, he was capable of so much better. Even so, the harsher critics of Cat can also be accused of taking it all too seriously. Viewed on its own terms, within its own limitations, it has much to offer Fulci fans in particular.

Grindhouse Releasing first announced a deluxe special edition DVD of Cat in the Brain what seems to have been eons ago... Now that the proverbial cat is out of the bag, the celebration can commence. Grindhouse have clearly spared no expense in the production of this disc, and this should be enough to quell the Internet complainers who wanted their copy years ago. It may seem strange to have put so much energy into a marginal title such as this, but loyal Fulci enthusiasts exist in large enough numbers to make it a potentially profitable venture. Viewers accustomed to the ratty editions previously available may well opt to pass on this disc, but it would truly be their loss. Not only does the 1.85/16x9 transfer blow every other release out of the water, it also comes with a mouth watering array of extras.     First things first, the film: it looks as good as one could possibly hope for. Don't forget, this is a low budget 16mm picture — but Grindhouse have delivered a hi-def transfer that is truthful to its grainy origins while offering a far richer, more detailed image than ever before. The film is completely uncut; a good thing, too, for a film often referred to (hyperbolically) as the most violent ever made. Audio options include the Italian and English mono tracks, neither of which feature Fulci's speaking voice — the English track is pretty laughable, but it plays better in Italian (where, no doubt sensibly, Fulci allowed his dialogue to be recorded by a professional). English subtitles are included, but they seem to be a direct transcription of the English track rather than a true Italian to English track translation. This small caveat is the one and only complaint I can level against this release, and it's a very minor one indeed.     Extras commence on Disc 1, with the complete Fangoria Festival appearance of Fulci in 1995, shortly before his death from complications from diabetes. The footage is a little rough, but it's so much fun to see the grand old man fielding questions and having the time of his life. Disc 2 includes two lengthy on-camera interviews with Fulci, speaking in Italian on everything from his love of dancers to his relationship with genre giants like Mario Bava and Dario Argento. They're wonderful to watch, and Fulci never falters even if one might question is his logic on certain topics; English subtitles capture the nuance of his very intelligent conversation. Next up is a lengthy interview with Brett Halsey (The Atomic Submarine), who speaks about his career in general and his work in Italian cinema in particular. He lavishes praise on Bava and Riccardo Freda, speaks fondly of Fulci and notes his annoyance at being "cast" in Cat via old footage — and never being paid for it. Halsey is a down-to-earth and likable guy; his conversation compares well with that of Fulci. A still gallery, trailers for the film and other Grindhouse/Box Office Spectacular titles and a few hidden Easter Eggs round out the package. 4/06/09

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