The Cat's Meow

In november of 1924 a mysterious hollywood death occurred aboard media mogul william randolph hearsts yacht. Included among the famous guests that weekend were charlie chaplin hearsts mistress starlet marion davies the studio system creator producer thomas ince & gossip columnist louella parsons Studio: Lions Gate Home Ent. Release Date: 09/14/2004 Starring: Kirsten Dunst Edward Herrmann Run time: 112 minutes Rating: Pg13 Director: Peter Bogdanovich

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