The Private Life of a Cat

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the_private_life_of_a_cat

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Directed by: Maya Deren, Alexander Hammid

year: 1944 22 minutes

Toward the end of their marriage, filmmakers Maya Deren and Alexander Hammid collaborated on the remarkable short THE PRIVATE LIVE OF A CAT. As the film’s furry protagonists, identified only as “She” and “He,” gave birth to a litter of kittens (a process recorded in the film in full though without sound), Deren and Hammid captured their sly, sidelong glances, their cuddles and licks, their resourcefulness and their casual, curious mannerisms. The filmmakers both adored cats and their admiration and affection for the creatures is evident here; their feline subjects occupy nearly every frame of the film, which was shot over the course of four weeks. The filmmakers themselves never appear in this piece; the world they created is inhabited by the animals alone. Here, Deren and Hammid exist only in the objects in their apartment; in the film’s sparse intertitles; in the appearance of the occasional saucer of milk; and in the presence of the camera. “One of the finest films that has ever been made,” said filmmaker Stan Brakhage of PRIVATE LIFE, a work that’s a character study, a work of cinematic anthropology, a narrative, a documentary, part drama and, perhaps above all, a romance. - Livia Bloom

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Reviews

Brent Thorsen

A lovely little cat family! Great animal documentary.


Edward Fernandez

A Cat Lovers Delight! Wonderful film... as warm and fuzzy as its stars!!


Reini Urban

With Renoir's Une partie de campagne 1936 one of the masterpieces of "Idyllic Cinema".


Lia McCoo

I loved it... I was a little off-put by the shakey camera work in the beginning; but it stopped being shakey, early on and I was able to really enjoy the film.


Rafael Lido

An amazing film - really captures the familial aspect of cats - with great depth and MAGIC!


Vickie Griffin

Beautiful film of how animals interact.


thorp

Cute romance scene. Loved the shot of His first glimpse of the babies. Nice use of camera angles in the door scene, the home search and on the scratching post. More than once we caught ourselves seeing the "humanness" of their emotions.


myshkin
myshkin

Loving animals lovingly shot.


Spor
Spor

FYI, this movie get 656x better if you add your own soundtrack... May I suggest some atmospheric doom to lighten the mood?


jjinux
jjinux

The subject was interesting. The filmmaking was fantastic. Music would have been a nice addition. Worth watching.


jay seis
jay seis

Cat lovers will delight in this B&W silent movie (made in 1944 by Alexander Hammid) which captures the birth, early life and education of a litter of kittens living in a cozy urban apartment... Meanwhile, film buffs will appreciate the way in which this short film demonstrates the narrative-building techniques of framing and composition, POV, and selective editing. A strong slice-of-life narrative is created, complete with adorable kittens and proud parents -- the filmmakers keep a documentarian's distance, so while we see the little fuzzballs learning to chase tails and climb furniture, we are denied seeing them curl up into a human's lap. Just as well: the kitties are plenty captivating on their own, as is this whimsical gem of short-subject filmmaking. (JS)