Laura

"Laura" is a classic murder mystery and more. The main characters make for a fascinating psychological study, and the movie is also filled with wit and style, in addition to a murder mystery that holds plenty of interest in its own right.

The story opens with a detective (Dana Andrews) questioning suspects in the murder of popular, beautiful, and successful Laura Hunt. As he does, we learn not only about the suspects but about Laura herself, through flashbacks. We see Laura (Gene Tierney) develop the career and relationships that eventually led to danger, and we also learn that Laura meant something very different to each of the suspects: the snobbish, venomous writer who launched her career (Clifton Webb), the worthless playboy whom Laura was going to marry (Vincent Price, in a role quite different for him) and her rather desperate aunt (Judith Anderson). Even the detective quickly becomes obsessed with Laura's memory. The psychological overtones of all this add considerably to the mystery plot.

The mystery story itself is quite good, with interesting details and at least one major surprise along the way. The climax is tense and exciting, a fitting conclusion to both the mystery plot and the complex relationships among the characters. The acting and direction are all very good, and make the most of the story's possibilities.

"Laura" is a must-see not only for those who like mysteries, but for anyone who likes classic cinema made with style.

A superbly stylish movie. None of its characters is without flaws - even the elusive Laura is too naive for her own good. They are presented lovingly by Preminger, and his award-winning DOP Joseph LaShelle.

The excellent script ranges from caustic Laedecker/Webb put-downs, through brutal Treadwell/Anderson self-assessment, to laconic MacPherson/Andrews minimalism.

The score is, of course, a classic. Raksin's sinuous melody, brilliantly deployed, haunts the picture as powerfully as Laura's portrait haunts Detective MacPherson.

The central performances are wonderful, not least because of the perfect casting. Tierney shines as the enigmatic title character: beautiful, intelligent, somehow both cool and passionate at the same time. Webb dazzles, Price slithers, Anderson simmers. Best of all is Andrews as the detective who barely opens his mouth when he speaks, and on whose face desire barely flickers - but he does enough to show you exactly what he wants and how he feels. It's a great movie performance from an underrated actor. Only Dorothy Adams doesn't quite fit, in a role - Laura's maid - that could easily have been as showy as the others with the right performer.

LAURA doesn't appear to be about anything significant, but it leaves behind it a feeling that it is greater than the sum of its parts. I don't know how this was managed, and perhaps no-one involved in it did either. It's one of those movies where everything just clicked. Seeing it again recently, after many years, confirms its status for me as a significant work, but exactly why or how remains as much of a puzzle as Laura herself.

Laura A definitive film noir classic, and simply put my favorite film of all time. Laura tells the shocking story of Park Avenue society beauty, Laura Hunt ( Gene Tierney) who is murdered in her apartment, which brings Detective Mark McPherson ( Dana Andrews) to New York's most elegant neighborhood to investigate. As he tried to get inside the head of the victim, he also questions the men in her life-the acerbic critic Waldo Lydecker ( Clifton Webb) and her playboy fiancé Shelby Carpenter ( Vincent Price). But who would have wanted to kill a girl with whom every man she met seemed to fall in love? Fueled by her stunning portrait, liquor and classical music, McPherson quickly finds himself falling under her spell too. A police detective falling in love with the woman whose murder he's investigating? Then in one stormy night, halfway through his investigation, something so bizarre happens to him, that he is forced to re-think the whole case.

This reveal still kind of leaves me guessing. Is it all a dream? Or maybe it is all formulated by the ' spell' of the movie. An alluring cast and no doubt the famous musical theme by David Raksin has something to do with it.

There are so many scenes I could count as my favorite but, the one that always stands out to me is the scene where McPherson falls asleep under the portrait and he awakes with the sudden appearance of a woman who seems to be Laura Hunt herself!, dressed in a drenched trenchcoat. This entire scene is fuelled with more sexuality than Hollywood Studios these days can ever dream of in their bids to put two stars together.

Another scene I love is when McPherson slugs Carpenter in the stomach. " It's too bad. You didn't open up that door Friday night." I'm not kind, I'm vicious. It's the secret of my charm." "You'd better watch out, McPherson, or you'll finish up in a psychiatric ward. I doubt they've ever had a patient who fell in love with a corpse." "People are always ready to hold out a hand to slap you down, but never to pick you up." "Waldo, why are you doing this?" "For you, Laura." "I was 99 percent certain about you.... but I had to get rid of that one percent doubt."

Laura is a wonderful example of film noir. The cast is perfect. Dana Andrews is the detective assigned to investigate the murder of Laura (played by Gene Tierney). As he interviews her associates and becomes mesmerized by her portrait, he begins to fall for Laura posthumously. Clifton Webb plays her mentor perfectly and Vincent Price is classic as Laura's pretty boy fiance. Although the movie begins with Laura's murder, it still has incredible surprises and an awesome denouement. Andrews hard boiled detective and the dark, raining sets illustrate the meaning of film noir. I highly recommend it.

Laura Hunt has been murdered in a most grisly way, a shotgun blast to the face as she answered her apartment door. Dana Andrews as Detective Mark McPherson is assigned to the case and he's got a good list of suspects to work from in this up close and personal murder.

Laura Hunt hung out with some real characters. Dana Andrews has a good group to choose from. There's Vincent Price who was to marry Laura, a worthless playboy who spends his life as a permanent party guest. There's Clifton Webb as the epicene critic and noted wit who was a kind of sponsor for Laura into society. There's Judith Anderson as Laura's sophisticated aunt who has a yen for Price. There's even Dorothy Adams as Bessie, Laura's lesbian maid who is carrying a titanic torch for her ex-employer.

Andrews very patiently and methodically goes through the suspects. In his way he's as officious and annoying as Lieutenant Columbo on television. But he does get to the truth. Of course there's one very big surprise for him during the course of the investigation.

Gene Tierney is Laura and she was a beauty in her day. Man or woman, who wouldn't be crushing out on her. This film was the first one that got Dana Andrews any real notice from the critics. And of course Clifton Webb made a screen debut in this after a long career on Broadway. Webb got an Oscar nomination for his role of Waldo Lydecker as a Best Supporting Actor, but lost to Barry Fitzgerald for Going My Way.

David Raksin's musical theme for this film is one of the great ones ever done for the cinema. So popular did it prove that Johnny Mercer wrote a lyric for it after the film came out. At the time people like Frank Sinatra and Dick Haymes and a host of others rushed to record it.

I guess you could classify Laura as a kind of sophisticated noir police drama. It's dialog will leave you begging for more. It's not much in the way of mystery because about a third of the way through you will realize at the same time Andrews does who the murderer is, maybe even before Andrews does. That doesn't matter though because Laura is entertaining every step of the way.