Last Embrace (1979)

by Ted Davis

Directed by: Jonathan Demme

Cat Out of the Bag Alert! This review contains some spoilers for this film!

Synopsis: Convoluted would-be Hitchcockian mystery-thriller propelled partially by the richly emotive Miklos Rozsa music score, with a dumb-dumb plot about permanently tanned and sinewy Harry Hannan (Roy Scheider), anxiety consumed agent for a covert government agency, who receives a cryptic death threat written in Biblical Aramaic, which has the inevitable result of increasing his already noteworthy paranoia. Soft and pretty Ellie Fabian (Janet Margolin) is the young anthropologist who helps Hannan decipher the ominous note and who eventually steals his heart, initiating a troubled romance which reaches an unintended climax at Niagara Falls.

Cat Burglar (Scene Stealer): After an absence of three months, during which time he was being treated for a nervous breakdown, Hannan returns to his apartment and discovers that it has been sublet by Ellie. The first clue to this surprising arrangement is when he spies a tabby cat standing in the living room. “And who the hell are you?” Hannan asks with some amusement. The cat meows in reply.

Last Embrace - brown tabby cat Kitty standing in apartment

Both Ellie and Hannan are taken aback by each others’ presence. Hannan walks away from Ellie and trips on the cat, whose name is the imaginative “Kitty.” As we hear the cat cry out, Ellie scoops up Kitty and carries him with her throughout the rest of the scene, as she and Hannan bicker over who has rights to his apartment.

Last Embrace - brown tabby cat Kitty on the shoulder of Ellie Janet Margolin with Hannan Roy Scheider

Last Embrace - brown tabby cat Kitty on the shoulder of Ellie Janet Margolin chasing after Hannan Roy Scheider animated gif

Last Embrace - brown tabby cat Kitty held by Ellie Janet Margolin with Hannan Roy Scheider

Last Embrace - brown tabby cat Kitty held by Ellie Janet Margolin

Later in the film, Hannan is studying the biblically themed omen while sitting on a bed with the mild-mannered and forgiving kitty lounging nearby, next to a full ashtray. Hannan performs a slight adjustment on the kitty’s position so that he can open his traveling case containing his disassambled pistol.

Last Embrace - brown tabby cat Kitty on bed with Hannan Roy Scheider

Still later, as Hannan is sleeping in another bedroom, Ellie is on her bed examining a sheaf of photographs with a magnifying glass, with Kitty dozing across one of her legs. The kitty’s head pops up at one moment and he lets out a mew.

Last Embrace - brown tabby cat Kitty on bed with Ellie Janet Margolin

This seems to be in anticipation of Hannan letting out a scream as he wakes suddenly from a nightmare. The cry startles Ellie and poor Kitty, who moves to the edge of the mattress as Ellie scrambles out of bed.

Last Embrace - brown tabby cat Kitty startled on bed

Last Embrace - Hannan Roy Scheider screaming from nightmare scarying brown tabby cat Kitty and Ellie Janet Margolin animated gif

Much later in the film, Hannan enters the apartment bearing groceries. Offscreen Kitty meows in greeting and Hannan politely meows back.

After Hannan and Ellie make love and are relaxing under the covers, the mewing Kitty joins them in bed, resting on top of the blanket. Kitty does not appear again after this.

Last Embrace - brown tabby cat Kitty on covers of bed with Ellie Janet Margolin and Hannan Roy Scheider

There is also a moment of feline imagery in a scene which opens on the famous Chat Noir poster and which concludes with Ellie delivering instructions to Hannan about the care and feeding of the kitty, not to mention her bird and fish.