Is it an escaped leopard or something more sinister that is responsible for some grizzly murders in a New Mexico border town? Teaming up with producer Val Lewton for the third time, director Jacques Tourneur has fashioned an eerie, economical and atmospheric film noir thriller. Based on the Cornell Woolrich novel “Black Alibi”, ‘The Leopard man’ utilizes to great effect, a subtle, moody soundtrack and expressionistic lighting to suggest rather than show, proving that the imagination can sometimes be more terrifying. Like their previous collaboration’s ‘Cat People’ (1942) and ‘I Walked with a Zombie’ (1943), the film is made up of a series of chilling set pieces that unnerve and linger rather than shock in their disquieting tone and atmosphere. Cast includes Margo, Dennis O’Keefe, Jean Brooks, Isabel Jewell and James Bell.
Content notification
Our collection comprises over 40,000 moving image works, acquired and catalogued between the 1940s and early 2000s. As a result, some items may reflect outdated, offensive and possibly harmful views and opinions. ACMI is working to identify and redress such usages.
Learn more about our collection and our collection policy here. If you come across harmful content on our website that you would like to report, let us know.
How to watch
Stream, rent or buy via
Collection
In ACMI's collection
Credits
Collection metadata
ACMI Identifier
315999
Language
English
Audience classification
PG
Subject categories
Animals & Wildlife → Circus animals
Crime, Espionage, Justice, Police & Prisons → Serial murderers
Feature films → Feature films - United States
Literature → American literature - Film and video adaptations
Sound/audio
Sound
Colour
Black and White
Holdings
VHS; Access Print (Section 1)