Laura (1944)

Star Rating: 3
Length of Film: 88 minutes
Director: Otto Preminger, Rouben Mamoulian
Cast: Gene Tierney, Dana Andrews, Clifton Webb, Vincent Price, Judith Anderson, Cy Kendall, Grant Mitchell
Oscar: Joseph LaShelle (photography)
Oscar Nominations: Clifton Webb (actor is support role), Otto Preminger (director), Jay Dratler Samuel Hoffenstein, Elizabeth Reinhardt (screenplay), Lyle r. Wheeler, Leland Fuller, Thomas Little (art direction)





Laura is a Film Noir movie about a New York detective running an investigation on the murder of Laura Hunt (Gene Tierney). Detective Mark McPherson's (Dana Andrews) first individual he questions is newspaper columnist Waldo Lydecker (Clifton Webb) who's a close acquaintance of Laura. McPherson questioned Lydecker while he was the bath (WTF?!). It was really awkward because the bath was in the middle of the room, with a leopard print chair and a retractable desk attached to the bath.

McPherson next questioned Laura's fiancé Shelby Carpenter (Vincent Price), her socialite Aunt who's in love with Shelby, Ann Treadwell (Judith Anderson), and Laura's faithful servant, Bessie (Dorothy Adams). McPherson drills Ann on her bank accounts and specific amounts of money she withdrawn, pointing out that she's been giving Shelby money. McPherson gets a hold of Laura's diaries, and starts reading them in her apartment. Lydecker comes over and insists on getting the things back that he gave to Laura; a grandfather clock, a vase, and a fireplace cover. When he's over there, he notices McPherson is becoming infatuated with Laura. Lydecker says the best quote of the whole movie:

"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. "

After Lydecker left Laura's apartment, and McPherson just staring at her self portrait, reading her belongings, keys jingled in the door, and in walks Laura. Laura was not murdered it was someone else! Laura looks through her closet and notices a dress that's not hers, but belongs to one of her models Diane Redfern, who looks very similar to Laura. Her maid, Bessie miss identified the body. So the real questions comes to, why was Diane in her apartment when Laura was in the country, and who was accompanying her? Especially since no one has a key to her place?


The movie goes back and forth giving you suspects swaying you on who might be the murderer. Laura herself was a suspect, along with Waldo Lydecker, and Shelby Carpenter. I won't tell you the ending, I'll leave that up for surprise, but where they hide the gun, is the best part. Oh...and yes, Laura and McPherson kiss.