Mousey (released as Cat and Mouse in theaters and on UK television)[2] is a 1974 Canadian thriller action drama film directed by Daniel Petrie,[3] and starring Kirk Douglas, Jean Seberg and John Vernon.[4]

Mousey
Directed byDaniel Petrie
Written byJohn Peacock
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyJack Hildyard
Edited byJohn Trumper
Music byRon Grainer
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release date
  • March 9, 1974 (1974-03-09) (U.S.)
Running time
89 minutes[1]
CountryCanada

Although made for television, it was released theatrically outside of the U.S. In London, it was shown as part of a double feature with Craze.[5][6]

Plot

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In Halifax, Novia Scotia, biology teacher George Anderson (Douglas) earns the nickname "Mousey" from his students when he is unable to dissect a frog. However, when he learns that the child that his pregnant wife (Seberg) is expecting is not his, he follows her to Montreal, where he plans to kill her and her lover.[7][8][1]

Cast

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Production

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Mousey was filmed on location in Montreal, Canada and at Pinewood Studios in England. Filming commenced in November 1973.[6]

Reception

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The film received mixed reviews. Steven H. Scheuer was negative, saying that, "It's complicated and not very interesting;"[9] and the Los Angeles Times wrote that "Mousey seems to have been doomed from the start."[8] Leonard Maltin, however, reviewed it positively, calling it "tightly made" and praising Douglas as "wonderfully sinister,"[10] and Amis du film called it "a good 'suspense' film," although noting a lack of originality in its plot.[11] Monthly Film Bulletin called it "a thriller with some pretensions to psychological depth."[1]

Legacy

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Mousey has since been re-shown on television and released on VHS, resulting in blogs noting the film's rising cult status.[12][13]

References

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Citations
  1. ^ a b c Raisbeck, John (January 1, 1974). "Cat and Mouse". Monthly Film Bulletin. Vol. 41, no. 480. London. p. 122.
  2. ^ Coates-Smith & McGee 2014, p. 184
  3. ^ Roberts, Jerry (5 June 2009). Encyclopedia of Television Film Directors. Scarecrow Press. p. 444. ISBN 978-0-8108-6378-1.
  4. ^ Lentz III, Harris M. (24 October 2008). Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2005: Film, Television, Radio, Theatre, Dance, Music, Cartoons and Pop Culture. McFarland Publishing. p. 378. ISBN 978-0-7864-5210-1.
  5. ^ Allon, Yoram; Cullen, Del; Patterson, Hannah (2000). The Wallflower Critical Guide to Contemporary North American Directors. Wallflower. p. 355. ISBN 978-1-903364-10-9.
  6. ^ a b Coates-Smith & McGee 2014, p. 186
  7. ^ Thomas, Tony (1991). The Films of Kirk Douglas. Citadel Press. p. 283. ISBN 978-0-8065-1217-4.
  8. ^ a b Thomas, Kevin (Mar 9, 1974). "Kirk at the Breaking Point in 'Mousey'". Los Angeles Times. p. B3.
  9. ^ Scheuer, Steven H. (1977). Movies on TV. Bantam Books. p. 487. ISBN 9780553114515.
  10. ^ Maltin, Leonard (1989). Leonard Maltin's TV Movies and Video Guide. p. 742.
  11. ^ Coates-Smith & McGee 2014, p. 185
  12. ^ "The Tie That Binds – Rediscovering 'Mousey' (US/UK 1974–86 mins)". Tina Aumont's Eyes. January 26, 2015.
  13. ^ "Cat and Mouse (1974)". Ninja Dixon. August 10, 2011.
Bibliography
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