English Title: Cremator
Directed by: Juraj Herz
This review contains a slight Kitty Carnage Warning!
Cat Out of the Bag Alert! This review contains some spoilers for this film!
Synopsis: A Czechoslovakian cremator named Karel Kopfrkingl (Rudolf Hrusínský) suffers from delusions of grandeur, slipping more and more into a fantasy world that leads to horrific acts.
Featured Feline: Kopfrkingl’s family owns a white cat named Roxana with black tabby markings. The cat is first seen in the bathroom where Kopfrkingl is trying to decide where to hang a painting with his wife and daughter. He notices Roxana’s bowl is empty and says not to let the poor thing suffer. He often refers to Roxana as his magic beauty.
Roxana is even included in a family photo session.
Slight Kitty Carnage Warning! During dinner, Kopfrkingl picks up Roxana by the scruff and lifts her up to show her, talking about how after she dies he will cremate her. “You won’t even recognize yourself one day,” he says. “Burial by fire is completely humane.”
Later when the maid is about to kill and clean some fish in the bathroom, the son picks up Roxana by the scruff. “Our dearest will feast on the guts,” Kopfrkingl explains.
As Kopfrkingl is telling his son he must go away with his sister, Roxana is at the man’s feet. He pushes the cat away with one foot saying, “Go and don’t bother me.”
In a shocking scene near the end, Kopfrkingl takes his wife into the bathroom and hangs her. Roxana is present, watching this take place then sniffing and biting at one of the woman’s untied shoe tassels.
Kopfrkingl calmly gives Roxana some milk. Fortunately the cat survives the film, unlike most of the family.
Final Mewsings: Cats know how to play it cool around crazy people.
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