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All good stuff. Still, if I had to choose the single best use of a swimming pool in a motion picture, the clear pick would be a classic scene from the superb 1942 chiller Cat People. Heroine Jane Randolph, all alone while taking a late-night swim at an indoor pool, is forced to tread water for what seems like an eternity while an unseen panther lurks (and growls) in the darkness surrounding her. Director Jacques Tourneur used the shadows and light to dazzling effect in this beautifully staged sequence that works because the menace is kept hidden from the viewers. In this modern era in which the costly price of special effects insures everything must be thrust in our faces, this film's visual subtlety is a welcome diversion, about as refreshing as -- yes -- a dip in a cool pool on a hot summer day.
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