neumu [ cinematronic ]




	The Cat's Meow
	Peter Bogdanovich Kirsten Dunst, Edward Hermann, Eddie Izzard, Jennifer Tilly, Cary Elwes. Joanna Lumley 2001 Widescreen; closed caption; Spanish, English subtitles; commentary by director Peter Bogdanovich; behind-the-scenes footage; "Anatomy of a Scene" featurette; restored 1916 Charlie Chaplin short "Behind the Screen"; "Seein' Stars" newsreel from 1919; theatrical trailer.		Not quite a docu-drama, this sophisticated treat from director Peter Bogdanovich ("The Last Picture Show," "Mask") would more rightly be called historical supposition or speculation. It concerns events that transpired aboard media mogul William Randolph Hearst's yacht during a fateful voyage in 1924. The passenger list included Hearst's young mistress Marion Davies and rising silent-movie star Charlie Chaplin (who had been romantically linked), gossip columnist Louella Parsons and fading, pioneer film producer Thomas Ince. The occasion was a birthday celebration for Ince, but the party was pooped when a guest was seriously injured and died. Extraordinary, multi-hued performances by Kirsten Dunst, a revelation as Davies, and Edward Hermann, complex as Hearst, are reason enough to see "The Cat's Meow." British comic Eddie Izzard captures Chaplin's spirit, despite lacking the Little Tramp's svelte grace; Jennifer Tilly is appropriately grating as Parsons; and Cary Elwes is dashing yet anxious as Ince.