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Felidae (film)
Encyclopedia
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, 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.
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 killing the cats he deems unworthy of breeding with his 'new breed.'
Discovering this, Francis successfully deletes the information on the listed murders, while Claudandus, in an attempt to kill Francis, inadvertently destroys the screen, causing an electrical fire. Francis kills Claudandus by slicing his chest open. 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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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
.
Akif Pirinçci
Akif Pirinçci is a German writer of Turkish origin who is best known internationally for his novel Felidae.- Biography :Pirinçci was born on the 20th October 1959 in Istanbul, Turkey, but emigrated to Germany together with his parents in 1969...
based on the novel Felidae
Felidae (novel)
Felidae is a 1989 novel by German-Turkish writer Akif Pirinçci. The main character is a cat named Francis who investigates the murders of several cats in a big city in Germany...
, produced by Trickompany, and starring Ulrich Tukur
Ulrich Tukur
Ulrich Tukur is a German actor and musician.-Biography:Tukur spent his youth near Hanover where he finished his final secondary-school examinations in 1977. He also achieved a high school degree in Boston during an exchange of students where he met his first wife, Amber Wood. With her, he had two...
, Mario Adorf
Mario Adorf
Mario Adorf is a German film and stage actor, best known for his lead role in the 1978 film The Tin Drum.-Biography:...
and Klaus Maria Brandauer
Klaus Maria Brandauer
Klaus Maria Brandauer is an Austrian actor, film director, and professor at the Max Reinhardt Seminar in Vienna.-Personal life:...
. The famed nightmare sequence was directed, designed, and animated by Hayo Freitag. The story centers around domestic house cat
Cat
The cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...
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 slangSlang
Slang is the use of informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's language or dialect but are considered more acceptable when used socially. Slang is often to be found in areas of the lexicon that refer to things considered taboo...
for a human
Human
Humans are the only living species in the Homo genus...
.
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
Blindness
Blindness is the condition of lacking visual perception due to physiological or neurological factors.Various scales have been developed to describe the extent of vision loss and define blindness...
but wise Felicity, and the computer
Computer
A computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem...
-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
Sect
A sect is a group with distinctive religious, political or philosophical beliefs. Although in past it was mostly used to refer to religious groups, it has since expanded and in modern culture can refer to any organization that breaks away from a larger one to follow a different set of rules and...
, and he discovers that his new home was once the site of a laboratory
Laboratory
A laboratory is a facility that provides controlled conditions in which scientific research, experiments, and measurement may be performed. The title of laboratory is also used for certain other facilities where the processes or equipment used are similar to those in scientific laboratories...
owned by Doctor Preterius. Preterius, in his search to create a bonding glue
Glue
This is a list of various types of glue. Historically, the term "glue" only referred to protein colloids prepared from animal flesh. The meaning has been extended to refer to any fluid adhesive....
that would heal any flesh
Flesh
In vertebrate animals, flesh is the colloquial for biological tissue which consists of skeletal muscles and fat as opposed to bones, viscera and integuments. Flesh may be used as food, in which case it is called meat....
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
Evolution
Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
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 killing the cats he deems unworthy of breeding with his 'new breed.'
Discovering this, Francis successfully deletes the information on the listed murders, while Claudandus, in an attempt to kill Francis, inadvertently destroys the screen, causing an electrical fire. Francis kills Claudandus by slicing his chest open. 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.
Voice cast
- Ulrich TukurUlrich TukurUlrich Tukur is a German actor and musician.-Biography:Tukur spent his youth near Hanover where he finished his final secondary-school examinations in 1977. He also achieved a high school degree in Boston during an exchange of students where he met his first wife, Amber Wood. With her, he had two...
as Francis - Mario AdorfMario AdorfMario Adorf is a German film and stage actor, best known for his lead role in the 1978 film The Tin Drum.-Biography:...
as Bluebeard - Helge SchneiderHelge SchneiderHelge Schneider is a German comedian, jazz musician and multi-instrumentalist, author, film and theatre director, and actor....
as Jesaja - Wolfgang Hess as Kong
- Gerhard Garbers as Preterius
- Mona Seefried as Felicity
- Ulrich Wildgruber as Joker
- Manfred Steffen as Gustav
- Uwe OchsenknechtUwe OchsenknechtUwe Adam Ochsenknecht is a German actor and singer.-Work:Films Uwe Ochsenknecht has starred in include Schtonk!, Das Boot and the TV miniseries Frank Herbert's Dune.-Personal life:...
as Archie - Michaela Amler as Nhozemphtekh
- Christian Schneller as Mendel
- Tobias Lelle as Hermann 1
- Frank RöthFrank RothFrancis Charles Roth was a Major League Baseball catcher. He played all or part of six seasons in the majors, between and , for the Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Browns, Chicago White Sox and Cincinnati Reds...
as Hermann 2 - Alexandra Mink as Pepeline (credited as Alexandra Ludwig-Hahn)
- Klaus Maria BrandauerKlaus Maria BrandauerKlaus Maria Brandauer is an Austrian actor, film director, and professor at the Max Reinhardt Seminar in Vienna.-Personal life:...
as Pascal / Claudandus
Production
Felidae was the most expensive animated film produced in Germany to date, reportedly costing 10 million marks.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.
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
Animal testing
Animal testing, also known as animal experimentation, animal research, and in vivo testing, is the use of non-human animals in experiments. Worldwide it is estimated that the number of vertebrate animals—from zebrafish to non-human primates—ranges from the tens of millions to more than 100 million...
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 BlueRussian Blue
The Russian Blue is a cat breed that has a silver-blue coat. These cats are known to be highly intelligent and playful but tend to be timid around strangers...
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 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.
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
Video
Video is the technology of electronically capturing, recording, processing, storing, transmitting, and reconstructing a sequence of still images representing scenes in motion.- History :...
diary
Diary
A diary is a record with discrete entries arranged by date reporting on what has happened over the course of a day or other period. A personal diary may include a person's experiences, and/or thoughts or feelings, including comment on current events outside the writer's direct experience. Someone...
. 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
Human
Humans are the only living species in the Homo genus...
owner. Blissfully unaware of the cat murders, "Gus" is a writer who, according to Francis, moves house every time he encounters writer's block
Writer's block
Writer's block is a condition, primarily associated with writing as a profession, in which an author loses the ability to produce new work. The condition varies widely in intensity. It can be trivial, a temporary difficulty in dealing with the task at hand. At the other extreme, some "blocked"...
.
Gregor Mendel
Gregor Mendel
Gregor Johann Mendel was an Austrian scientist and Augustinian friar who gained posthumous fame as the founder of the new science of genetics. Mendel demonstrated that the inheritance of certain traits in pea plants follows particular patterns, now referred to as the laws of Mendelian inheritance...
: 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
Gregor Mendel
Gregor Johann Mendel was an Austrian scientist and Augustinian friar who gained posthumous fame as the founder of the new science of genetics. Mendel demonstrated that the inheritance of certain traits in pea plants follows particular patterns, now referred to as the laws of Mendelian inheritance...
.
Track listing
- "Felidae" — 04:44 (Boy GeorgeBoy GeorgeBoy George is a British singer-songwriter who was part of the English New Romantic movement which emerged in the early 1980s. He helped give androgyny an international stage with the success of Culture Club during the 1980s. His music is often classified as blue-eyed soul, which is influenced by...
/John Themis) - "Main Theme From Felidae" — 02:06
- "Bluebeard - And Archie" — 01:26
- "Kong And His Cronies" — 02:11
- "Celebrating The Black Mass" — 05:55
- "Felicitas" — 01:50
- "Pascal - The Enigma" — 01:37
- "Mendel's Waltz" — 02:39
- "Blood Sport" — 02:17
- "A Gruesome Encounter" — 04:03
- "Catacombs Of Doom" — 01:01
- "The Egyptian Dream" — 01:18
- "Seduction NHOZEMPHTEKH" 01:29
- "In The Snow" — 01:14
- "The Riddle Falls Into Place" — 05:04
- "I Am Claudandus" — 05:01
External links
- Trickompany website