The Cat’s Meow
In this age of instant information, rabid paparazzi, and tabloid television, it’s virtually impossible for anyone who is someone to keep a secret. Winona Ryder supposedly gets caught shoplifting, and it’s not just news, it’s the topic of conversation on talk shows for weeks. I bet Winona wished she could control the press.
Of course it would help if you owned the press, and your name was William Randolph Hearst. That was the case back in November of 1924, when filmmaker and innovator Thomas Ince was found dead on Hearst’s private yacht. Ince’s death was investigated, but the case was quickly dropped. Did Ince die of natural causes, or was he murdered?
Don’t look for the facts in “The Cat’s Meow,” a frothy period piece from director Peter Bogdanovich. Based on Steven Peros’ play (he also wrote the screenplay), “The Cat’s Meow” uses Ince’s death as a springboard for what might have happened during that weekend cruise off the coast of California.
Bogdanovich has created a wonderfully winning film, filled with colorful, sharply defined characters and smart, witty dialogue. It’s been eight years since Bogdanovich has directed a film, and his absence has been felt.
Bogdanovich’s sense of cinema and history make him the perfect choice to direct “The Cat’s Meow.” Perhaps no modern director has been able to capture the very essence of classic cinema like Bogdanovich. “The Last Picture Show” and “Paper Moon” were so perfect in their representation of their respective eras that audiences 100 years from now probably couldn’t tell the difference without knowing in advance.
He accomplishes the same tone in “The Cat’s Meow.” What is basically a chamber piece still feels rich and opulent. Every frame benefits from the exquisite production design of Jean-Vincent Puzos, who recreates a time where money flowed as freely as the champagne and debauchery.
Taking a break from his empire, Hearst (Edward Herrmann) and his mistress, silent film actress Marion Davies (Kirsten Dunst) play host to a diverse group of people aboard his yacht Oneida. The guest list includes Ince (Cary Elwes); newspaper columnist Louella Parsons (Jennifer Tilly); actor-director Charlie Chaplin (Eddie Izzard), who has a thing for Davies; novelist Elinor Glyn (Joanne Lumley), who brings along her wry, British humor; and various other guests.
After an evening of drink, drugs and sex, Ince winds up dead. His death isn’t so much the mystery as who did it, and that’s where “The Cat’s Meow” purrs with perfection. Bogdanovich revels in the parlor games the characters play, and he has handpicked a cast that brings each and every one to life.
Dunst is the real revelation of “The Cat’s Meow,” playing an adult Davies with maturity and sophistication. I’ve always been a fan of her work, but Dunst’s turn as a woman torn between the man she loves and the man she needs is extraordinary. Herrmann is charismatic as Hearst, making the newspaper magnate appropriately larger than life.
British comedian Eddie Izzard is a delight as Chaplin, so ego driven that he has no problem hitting on Davies with Hearst on the same boat. Izzard plays it straight, delivering a performance that is more than just an imitation. Part of the beauty of “The Cat’s Meow” is that most viewers won’t be familiar with the real people and will accept these performances on their own terms.
It’s easy to appreciate Jennifer Tilly’s Louella Parsons, who witnesses Ince’s death and uses it to advance her career. It’s probably total fabrication, but Tilly makes us want to believe it as fact.
Peros is so confident that these people and events are engaging that he doesn’t feel the need to open up his play. Most of the action takes place on and inside the yacht, but the film never feels claustrophobic. Credit cinematographer Bruno Delbonnel (Amelie) for the film’s airy, nostalgic look.
As a film historian and friend of Orson Welles, one wonders what attracted Bogdanovich to the project. Was it because he saw an opportunity to poke fun at Hearst, who claimed Welles’ landmark film “Citizen Kane” was a thinly veiled portrait of his life and did everything in his power to stop its release? Probably, but like who killed Ince, I doubt we’ll ever really know.
What I do know is that I’m glad Bogdanovich is back. I count “What’s Up Doc?” as one of my favorite films, so it’s extremely gratifying to see him behind the camera. “The Cat’s Meow” isn’t a perfect film, it could use a little trimming, but it is pure Bogdanovich.
SECOND OPINION I.M.D.B.
CITIZEN HEARST
Bogdanovich’s nostalgic nod is “The Cat’s Meow”
THE CAT’S MEOW
Kirsten Dunst, Edward Herrmann, Eddie Izzard, Carey Elwes, Jennifer Tilly, Joanna Lumley in a film directed by Peter Bogdanovich. Rated PG-13. 112 Minutes.
LARSEN RATING: $7
