Walk on the Wild Side (1962)

Directed by: Edward Dmytryk

This review contains a Kitty Carnage Warning!

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

Synopsis: Based on the novel by Nelson Algren. A man named Dove Linkhorn (Laurence Harvey) meets the wild and impetuous Kitty (Jane Fonda) and gets tangled up in dirty dealings at a New Orleans bordello.

Cat Burglars (Scene Stealers): This film begins with one of the most memorable and iconic opening credits in all of film, created by the fabulous Saul Bass. A black cat struts through back alley backgrounds to the sultry music of Elmer Bernstein.

Walk on the Wild Side - black cat emerging from cement pipe

Walk on the Wild Side - black cat walking viewed from above

The cat’s pace is timed perfectly with the music.

Walk on the Wild Side - black cat walking

Walk on the Wild Side - black cat coming out from cement pipe

Walk on the Wild Side - black cat emerging from pipe animated gif

Kitty Carnage Warning! The black cat happens upon a white cat and a fight breaks out between them. The white cat finally gives up and leaves.

Walk on the Wild Side - white cat mouth snarling

Walk on the Wild Side - white cat crouching

Walk on the Wild Side - black cat close up snarling

Walk on the Wild Side - black cat and white cat fighting animated gif

The black cat continues walking along as the credits proceed.

Walk on the Wild Side - close up of black cat face

The end credits carry on this theme (this time with lyrics) with the black cat walking, faded in from the final scene of the film.

Walk on the Wild Side - black cat walking over superimposed last scene

The cat then saunters over some newspapers with headlines that pertain to the story.

Walk on the Wild Side - black cat walking over newspapers viewed from above

Walk on the Wild Side - black cat walking over newspapers viewed from above animated gif

Kitty Cameo: Despite such a promising beginning, only one cat actually appears in the story itself. When Dove Linkhorn is being beaten by Jo’s men, Kitty Twist (who is in part responsible, having told on Dove) watches from the balcony above as she holds a cat, which she eventually sets down.

Walk on the Wild Side - Kitty Jane Fonda holding cat on balcony

Walk on the Wild Side - Kitty Jane Fonda holding a cat on balcony while Dove Laurence Harvey gets beaten animated gif

Behind the Scenes

Despite mixed reviews for the film itself, almost every critic writing about the movie upon its release made note of the brilliant opening sequence, often crediting it as the best part of the film. Even after all these years this remains one of the most popular opening movie title sequences ever.

Saul Bass was famous for creating memorable opening titles. His work is so popular that retrospectives of his credits have been assembled and screened. In an On the Town article by Charles McHarry in the February 4, 1962 edition of The Daily News, Bass explained his thoughts behind the imagery for the opening of Walk on the Wild Side. “The cat is the symbol of the basic variability, ferocity and changeability of the women who are the picture’s central characters.”

Walk on the Wild Side - black cat walking viewed from side

It was reported that Bass spent six weeks photographing cats for the three minute segment. In Herb Michelson’s Stage and Screen column running in the Oakland Tribute on July 24, 1964, Bass says he and Elmer Bernstein collaborated on the titles. Interestingly enough, according to this report Bass first turned out a script outlining the idea for the opening before filming the scenes with the cats. Bernstein wrote the music only after viewing Bass’ efforts. Then the music and film were combined with complementary audio and visual effects. “It was a give and take process,” Bass said, and Michelson went on to say the two understood each other’s work and the material.

But what about the notorious cat fight sequence? How was that achieved? “Actually, we dumped one [cat] on top of the other,” Bass reportedly explained with the words “Animatedly speaking” added by the reporter in parenthesis. “But they refused to tangle and just rolled over a couple of times. We caught this roll on film and used it over and over, enlarging it each time. Later, we passed one cat over the head of the other, caught the snarls in close-up and edited.” Regarding such editing, Bass indicated it is “the most exciting part” of the business. “You create something out of nothing.”

Walk on the Wild Side - close up of black cat snarling with scratches on film

Indeed the editing of the opening, especially the catfight segment, deserves close scrutiny, much in the same way as Hitchcock’s shower scene becomes more fascinating when studied frame by frame. The fast edits and blurry close ups accompanied by Bernstein’s pounding rhythm is brilliantly done. But there is an additional element here. In the rest of the credits the film is of very clear, clean quality. But during this segment, the film appears to be scratched and torn, as if it has been run through a movie projector countless times. This is a very clever way of creating tension and representing the “scratches” supposedly happening on screen. This was certainly done on purpose and really showcases the depths of Bass’ genius.