From award-winning screenwriter Steven Peros and acclaimed director Peter Bogdanovich comes THE CAT'S MEOW, an extraordinary look at a fateful excursion of "fun and frolic" aboard William Randolph Hearst's private yacht in November of 1924 that brought together some of the century's best-known personalities and resulted in a still-unsolved, hushed-up killing. As Hearst and his lover actress Marion Davies set sail from San Pedro Harbor early one Saturday morning. They host a small group that includes the brilliant but self-absorbed Charlie Chaplin, film pioneer Thomas Ince preoccupied with his recent financial setbacks, ambitious gossip columnist Louella Parsons, and the eccentric British Victorian novelist Elinor Glyn. Quickly, however, it becomes clear that although witty repartee is the order of the day, deceit and deception are also on the menu.
Everyone, it seems, has a secret agenda: Ince, whose pioneering work in defining the role of the film producer has been favorably compared to D.W. Griffith's contributions to directing, is determined to seal a partnership with Hearst's Cosmopolitan Pictures despite W.R.'s seeming lack of interest; New York-based film critic Louella Parsons has her eye on a transfer to the west coast where she can cover the film industry more intimately; Ince's lover, actress Margaret Livingston, no longer cares to keep their affair a secret; Hearst himself suspects that his paramour Davies has been unfaithful with the legendary comic Chaplin; and Chaplin indeed schemes to steal away the beautiful actress from the richest man in the world.
The boat sets off, and the first evening's dinner gives way to frenetic dancing to the on-board jazz band, followed by a screening of Ms. Davies' latest film. From there the late-night revelries shift to individual cabins for bootleg whiskey and other tempting, though illicit, nocturnal activities.
Meanwhile, Ince stokes Hearst's flames of jealousy and offers to "keep an eye on" Ms. Davies if the two men were to unite their filmmaking enterprises. At the same time, Elinor warns Marion away from the predatory advances of the womanizing Chaplin. Hearst is further incensed when a late-night wire comes in to report that a rival newspaper will publish an item romantically linking Chaplin and Davies.
The next day Hearst's party guests are treated to an unusual display when their host fires a cannonball into the stomach of a brawny vaudevillian named "Mr. Cannonball." Meanwhile, lawyer George Thomas warns the increasingly desperate Ince not to turn over to Hearst a love letter to Marion that the producer stole from Chaplin's cabin. That afternoon, as Margaret reveals to anyone who'll listen that she is Thomas Ince's lover, Marion pleads with Charlie to keep his distance, though they cannot deny their mutual attraction.
A Hollywood scandal springs to life in Peter Bogdanovich's lively Cat's Meow. In 1924 the immensely powerful publishing magnate William Randolph Hearst held a yacht party that ended with a gunshot. Between Hearst's influence and that of his glitterati guests (including Louella Parsons and Charlie Chaplin), no satisfying account of what happened ever made it to the public. The Cat's Meow reconstructs one of the more whispered-about possible scenarios and has quite a bit of fun doing so. Cast and crew alike skewer 1920s Hollywood decadence and, by extension, today's. Eddie Izzard is a boldly odd casting choice as Chaplin, but he succeeds, refusing to fall back on Little Tramp mannerisms. There are several other good performances, but best of all is the cool-as-sherbet Joanna Lumley as the deliciously jaded Elinor Glyn. The script is a strong one, never stooping to the excesses of its characters--Bogdanovich's take is far from the most lurid allegations of what happened that weekend. --Ali Davis
(22 votes)
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