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Laura (1944)
Classic film noir mystery about the murder of a socialite.
The plot revolves around those who were close to her
as Detective Dana Andrews hears their stories and tries
to find her killer. Then the film has a huge plot twist
midstream that changes the entire focus of the plot.
But while the film has beautiful black and white images,
vivid characters, lovely music and an interesting screenplay,
one also finds it easy to loose interest during some
of the more static and elongated stretches of conversation.
Director Otto Preminger is surely to blame for this.
Andrews is perfect as the hard boiled detective who
swills booze while on the job and calls women "dames."
We are forced to believe that he has fallen in love
with the titular Laura (Gene Tierney), who we see in
flashback while stories are told about her, though he
has only seen her picture, heard of her from friends
and read her correspondence. This is a bit hard to swallow
yet Andrews somehow pulls it off. Vincent Price is wonderful
as a dapper ladies' man who was engaged to Laura while
consorting with several other women. This is a rare
example of his more interesting film work before he
became known as the king of the horror B's. And while
these two and others, such as Dorothy Adams as Laura's
maid, are wonderful in the film, it is Clifton Webb
as the foppish, snobbish Lydecker who steals the film.
Webb's dialogue, as he postures as a sophisticate in
love with the much younger woman, infuses the film with
both wry humor and biting pathos. His exaggerated speech
and action comes across as very gay by today's standards,
and Webb was gay in real life, so we find some of his
feelings for Laura a bit hard to believe. But for the
40's it was perfectly acceptable. With political correctness
what it is today, the film's resolution would cause
a minor outrage. If the film could be played with Webb's
Lydecker as an impotent closet-case in denial about
his true sexuality who values Laura for her companionship
and intellectual insights, the film would be much more
realistic, if not politically acceptable by 90's standards.
But it must be played differently with the Hayes Office
still intact and Webb, unfortunately, can't pull off
his character's ultimate consequence when viewed today;
We find it highly unlikely. 40's filmgoers apparently
found it riveting. Time is a monster.
Preminger took over the film from Rubin Mamoulian
and receives the Producer/Director credit here. Mamoulian
claims he directed about 75% of the film before Daryl
F. Zanuck pulled the plug on him though it seems more
like a Preminger film than one of his. The film is a
taunt and interesting psychological drama. It is a perfect
example of what we call Film Noir though it examines
it's noir characters against a backdrop of wealth and
high social standing.
But most of the film's actual beauty can be credited
to Oscar winning cinematographer Joseph LaShelle. The
shadows and light fuse together to make wondrous images.
This is highlighted by a scene where Andrews takes a
beautiful woman into an interrogation room and turns
the bright lights upon her. It's as if the film was
highlighting it's own wonderful imagery.
"Laura" was written by Jay Dratler, Samuel Hoffenstien
and Betty Reinhardt based upon a novel by Vera Caspary.
Much of the book's sexual content (including Lydecker's
impotence) is transformed or missing in the film version.
Still, the script does hold up. The music features an
excellent theme by Johnny Mercer and David Raksin. The
acting is great and the direction is well suited for
the piece, although too slowly paced at times. Only
LaShelle received the Oscar for the work here. Still,
"Laura" is a classic which will be loved for generations
to come - and rightly so.
Note:
The film runs 88 minutes but was edited to 85 minutes
for many years due to some legal problems with the soundtrack
music. By 1997, the full film had been restored and
was viewed for this writing on cable channel American
Movie Classics.
Webb had been in theatrics for many years and was
mainly known as a singer and dancer. He performed in
a few films in the 20's before returning to the stage.
He soon turned to dramatic roles on stage and "Laura"
marked his return to film. The success of the film made
him an unlikely star (he was nominated for three Oscars,
including one for Best Supporting Actor here) and he
appeared in several films, including 3 as Mr. Belvedere,
until his death in 1966. His sexuality was well known
in Hollywood circles and it is rumored that he bedded
many a young male star, who in turn received his help
in launching their careers. He was mainly seen on the
arm of his mother in Hollywood and was devastated at
her death. It is said the two were the inspiration for
Tennessee Williams' "Suddenly Last Summer."
(Review written in 1997)
Report Card
Script: A-
Acting: A
Cinematography\Lighting: A+
Special Effects\Make Up: A
Music: A
Final Grade: A-
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