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;Kong: A huge, bullying cat who belongs to the Claudandus Sect. After the discovery of his mate Solitaire's murder, he begrudgingly helps Francis.
;Kong: A huge, bullying cat who belongs to the Claudandus Sect. After the discovery of his mate Solitaire's murder, he begrudgingly helps Francis.


;Nhozemphtekh: (Pronounced "No-zemf-tek") A mysterious but beautiful female cat who seduces Francis as he tries to unravel the secret behind the murders. She is one of a new, wild breed of cat that Bluebeard claims are taking over the neighborhood. She later becomes Francis' mate.
;Nhozemphtekh: (Pronounced "No-zemf-tek") A mysterious but "super-sexy" female cat who seduces Francis as he tries to unravel the secret behind the murders. She is one of a new, wild breed of cat that Bluebeard claims are taking over the neighborhood. She later becomes Francis' mate.


;Preterius: A scientist striving to create a "tissue-bonding glue" that will heal cuts instantly. He performs many experiments on cats, which are recorded on a [[video]] [[diary]]. Francis stumbles across these videos while hunting mice and sees Preterius' descent into a rambling [[alcoholic]]. Preterius was killed by Claudandus.
;Preterius: A scientist striving to create a "tissue-bonding glue" that will heal cuts instantly. He performs many experiments on cats, which are recorded on a [[video]] [[diary]]. Francis stumbles across these videos while hunting mice and sees Preterius' descent into a rambling [[alcoholic]]. Preterius was killed by Claudandus.

Revision as of 19:10, 6 October 2011

Felidae
Theatrical release poster
Directed byMichael Schaack
Screenplay byAkif Pirinçci
Martin Kluger
Stefaan Schieder
Story byAkif Pirinçci
Produced byHanno Huth
StarringUlrich Tukur
Mario Adorf
Klaus Maria Brandauer
CinematographyWerner Loos
Edited byKlaus Basler
Music byAnne Dudley
Boy George
Production
company
Distributed bySenator Film Distribution
Release date
  • 3 November 1994 (1994-11-03)
Running time
80 minutes
CountryTemplate:Film Germany
LanguageGerman

Felidae is a 1994 German animated mystery directed by Michael Schaack, written by Martin Kluger, Stefaan Schieder and Akif Pirinçci based on the novel Felidae, produced by Trickompany,[1] and starring Ulrich Tukur, Mario Adorf and Klaus Maria Brandauer. The famed nightmare sequence was directed, designed, and animated by Hayo Freitag. The story centers around domestic house cat Francis and the grisly feline murders taking place in his new neighborhood.

Plot

A cat named Francis moves with his owner to a new neighborhood, and no sooner has he set paw into his new home than he is greeted by the slain body of another cat. Local street cat Bluebeard is convinced that this, and the other three recent killings, must have been committed by a "can-opener" - cat slang for a human.

Francis disagrees, and as he finds out more about the victims, he is sure that not only is the murderer a cat, but that the killings are all connected by one common factor - each of the victims was sexually aroused at the time of death. He is aided in his investigations by fierce, gluttonous Bluebeard, blind but wise Felicity, and the computer-using cat Pascal. His sleep is haunted by terrifying and vivid nightmares, which offer insight into the mind of the murderer.

Francis soon runs afoul of the local bully Kong and the suicidal Claudandus Sect, and he discovers that his new home was once the site of a laboratory owned by Doctor Preterius. Preterius, in his search to create a bonding glue that would heal any flesh wound, performed painful and deadly experiments on countless cats, including the legendary Claudandus. After Preterius's death, the lab became a meeting site for the Claudandus Sect, who believe that Claudandus was imbued with powers that could help the cat species evolve into something greater. It is eventually revealed that Pascal is actually the legendary Claudandus, and is responsible for the murders. Using his owner's computer to keep a listing of every cat in the city, Claudandus is systematically culling the cats he deems unworthy of breeding with his 'new breed.'

Discovering this, Francis destroys the computer containing the information on the listed murders, subsequently causing an electrical fire. Claudandus is killed in the ensuing battle as he gets his chest sliced open, spilling his organs out. Francis escapes the fire with the injured Bluebeard and resumes his normal life while pursuing a relationship with Nhozemphtekh, one of the "new" cats bred by Claudandus. He also muses that, perhaps, things would be better if mankind acted more like Felidae.

Production

Felidae was the most expensive animated film produced in Germany to date, reportedly costing 10 million marks.[2]

Release

Aside from being released on the VHS, it was also released on the Laserdisc format in the English dub.

It was released on PAL DVD region 2 with Dolby 5.1 and 2.0 surround sound for the original German audio and Dolby 2.0 for the English audio dub in Dolby 2.0. Extras (in German only) include DVD commentary, trailers in English and German, and a "making of" documentary.[3]

Characters

Main characters

Francis
The lead role and narrator, Francis is a black and gray tomcat whose natural curiosity leads him to become entangled in the string of murders.
Bluebeard (Blaubart)
A mangled and streetwise tom cat who helps Francis uncover clues, when he isn't trying to find his next meal. He is badly injured by Pascal towards the end of the film, but the dialogue in the epilogue implies he lived.
Pascal/Claudandus
An elderly, brilliant cat whose knowledge of the local cats proves vital in helping Francis solve the mystery. Unbeknownst to Francis, Pascal is actually Claudandus, one of Preterius' favorite subjects. Claudandus was considered the "mascot" of the vivisection projects. After being subjected to many experiments, Claudandus killed Preterius and reached a legendary status amongst the cats. Most believe him to be dead. He is later found to be the murderer. Claudandus wanted Francis to be his successor because of his intelligence, but he was killed in combat with Francis towards the end of the film.

Supporting characters

Felicity (Felicitas)
The sixth murder victim. A blind but insightful Russian Blue[citation needed] cat who befriends Francis, offering some vital clues. She is later found gruesomely decapitated.
Jesaja
A mentally disturbed cat who lives in the sewer system, collecting the remains of murder victims in belief that it is the job willed to him by the prophet "Felidae."
Joker
Leader of the Claudandus Sect. He allows Claudandus to kill him in order to protect the secrecy of the Sect, becoming the eighth murder victim.
Kong
A huge, bullying cat who belongs to the Claudandus Sect. After the discovery of his mate Solitaire's murder, he begrudgingly helps Francis.
Nhozemphtekh
(Pronounced "No-zemf-tek") A mysterious but "super-sexy" female cat who seduces Francis as he tries to unravel the secret behind the murders. She is one of a new, wild breed of cat that Bluebeard claims are taking over the neighborhood. She later becomes Francis' mate.
Preterius
A scientist striving to create a "tissue-bonding glue" that will heal cuts instantly. He performs many experiments on cats, which are recorded on a video diary. Francis stumbles across these videos while hunting mice and sees Preterius' descent into a rambling alcoholic. Preterius was killed by Claudandus.

Minor characters

Archie
Gustav's friend, an interior decorator.
Gustav
Francis' human owner. Blissfully unaware of the cat murders, "Gus" is a writer who, according to Francis, moves house every time he encounters writer's block.
Gregor Mendel
The "father of modern genetics," who haunts Francis' nightmares.
Deep Purple
The fifth murder victim, elderly Deep Purple is found in a garage with his throat torn out.
Hermann 1 and 2 (Known as Herman and Herman in the English dub)
Two droopy-eyed cats who serve as Kong's henchmen.
Pepeline
Joker's great-granddaughter, who believes that Claudandus is alive and will return to lead the Sect.
Sasha
The fourth murder victim, found in Francis' new backyard.
Solitaire
The seventh murder victim, Kong's favored female friend and expected mother of his kittens. Francis discovers her body, disemboweled with the unborn kittens strewn on the ground.
Ziebold
Pascal's wealthy owner, and former co-worker of Preterius. He idolizes Gregor Mendel.

Voice cast

English dub

Soundtrack

Untitled

Track listing

  1. "Felidae" — 04:44 (Boy George/John Themis)
  2. "Main Theme From Felidae" — 02:06
  3. "Bluebeard - And Archie" — 01:26
  4. "Kong And His Cronies" — 02:11
  5. "Celebrating The Black Mass" — 05:55
  6. "Felicitas" — 01:50
  7. "Pascal - The Enigma" — 01:37
  8. "Mendel's Waltz" — 02:39
  9. "Blood Sport" — 02:17
  10. "A Gruesome Encounter" — 04:03
  11. "Catacombs Of Doom" — 01:01
  12. "The Egyptian Dream" — 01:18
  13. "Seduction NHOZEMPHTEKH" 01:29
  14. "In The Snow" — 01:14
  15. "The Riddle Falls Into Place" — 05:04
  16. "I Am Claudandus" — 05:01

References

  1. ^ http://www.trickcompany.com/
  2. ^ Chin, Rita (2007). "Toward a German Multiculturalism". The Guest Worker Question in Postwar German. Cambridge University Press. p. 230. ISBN 0521870003.
  3. ^ "ASIN: B0001HN2SY". Amazon.de. Retrieved 9 January 2009.
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