{"id":6718,"date":"2009-06-09T20:26:46","date_gmt":"2009-06-10T03:26:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=6718"},"modified":"2020-12-10T19:16:16","modified_gmt":"2020-12-11T02:16:16","slug":"laura-1944","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=6718","title":{"rendered":"Laura (1944)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;I must say: for a charming, intelligent girl, you certainly surrounded yourself with a remarkable collection of dopes.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Laura-Poster.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Laura-Poster-201x300.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"201\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-56902\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Laura-Poster-201x300.png 201w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Laura-Poster-685x1024.png 685w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Laura-Poster-86x128.png 86w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Laura-Poster-181x270.png 181w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Laura-Poster.png 741w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 201px) 100vw, 201px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nA hard-boiled detective (Dana Andrews) investigates the murder of a woman (Gene Tierney) loved by both an arrogant newspaper columnist (Clifton Webb) and a spoiled dilettante (Vincent Price).\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Clifton Webb Films<\/li>\n<li>Criminal Investigation<\/li>\n<li>Dana Andrews Films<\/li>\n<li>Detectives and Private Eyes<\/li>\n<li>Gene Tierney Films<\/li>\n<li>Judith Anderson Films<\/li>\n<li>Love Triangle<\/li>\n<li>Mistaken Identities<\/li>\n<li>Murder Mystery<\/li>\n<li>Obsessive Love<\/li>\n<li>Otto Preminger Films<\/li>\n<li>Vincent Price Films<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Response to Peary&#8217;s Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nAs Peary notes, this &#8220;cult classic&#8221; is among &#8220;the best of [director] Preminger&#8217;s somber excursions into psychological melodrama, stories with brutal intonations but dealing primarily with the perversity of the mind.&#8221; The fact that it presents &#8220;the screen&#8217;s first movie hero to fall for a dead woman&#8221; has won it a lasting spot in cinematic history; indeed, it remains the definitive film about &#8220;necrophilic&#8221; love. Details of the plot itself (essentially a flashback murder mystery) are oddly forgettable; what one remembers instead are both the film&#8217;s classic theme song (which wasn&#8217;t even nominated for an Oscar!) and the oh-so-odd love quadrangle at its core. <\/p>\n<p>In his most iconic role, Dana Andrews plays a &#8220;tough, crude police detective who is&#8230; totally out of his element&#8221; in Laura&#8217;s upper-crust milieu; meanwhile, Gene Tierney will always be equated with her performance in the film&#8217;s title role as an ambitious woman who is ultimately &#8220;attracted to men because of brawn rather than brains&#8221;. But it&#8217;s Laura&#8217;s two primary rivals &#8212; Clifton Webb and Vincent Price &#8212; who easily steal the show. The much-older Webb (as Waldo Lydecker &#8212; what a name!) never emerges as a viable sexual partner for 20-something Laura (in the book, he&#8217;s impotent; here, he&#8217;s merely posited as a companion), but it&#8217;s clear she would be nothing without him: he is her Svengali, and he is literally obsessed with making her his personal &#8220;project&#8221;. Webb delivers many of the film&#8217;s most memorable lines with droll aplomb (&#8220;I don&#8217;t use a pen; I write with a goose quill dipped in venom.&#8221;), and never apologizes for his view of the world: &#8220;I should be sincerely sorry to see my neighbors&#8217; children devoured by wolves.&#8221; Meanwhile, Price &#8212; looking &#8220;weak and hungry&#8221; &#8212; is hilariously snivelly and self-absorbed as Laura&#8217;s two-timing fiance (&#8220;I can afford a blemish on my character, but not on my clothes.&#8221;); fans of his later work in campy horror flicks will likely be surprised by his early turn here.   <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Clifton Webb as Waldo Lydecker<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Laura-Webb2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Laura-Webb2-1024x640.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"400\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-56904\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Laura-Webb2-1024x640.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Laura-Webb2-300x188.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Laura-Webb2-128x80.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Laura-Webb2-768x480.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Laura-Webb2-1536x961.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Laura-Webb2-432x270.png 432w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Laura-Webb2.png 1623w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Vincent Price as Shelby Carpenter<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Laura-Price4.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Laura-Price4-1024x643.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"402\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-56911\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Laura-Price4-1024x643.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Laura-Price4-300x188.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Laura-Price4-128x80.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Laura-Price4-768x482.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Laura-Price4-1536x964.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Laura-Price4-430x270.png 430w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Laura-Price4.png 1623w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Dana Andrews as Detective McPherson<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Laura-Andrews2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Laura-Andrews2-1024x639.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"399\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-56907\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Laura-Andrews2-1024x639.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Laura-Andrews2-300x187.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Laura-Andrews2-128x80.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Laura-Andrews2-768x479.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Laura-Andrews2-1536x959.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Laura-Andrews2-432x270.png 432w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Laura-Andrews2.png 1629w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Gene Tierney as Laura<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Laura-Tierney.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Laura-Tierney-1024x636.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"398\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-56906\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Laura-Tierney-1024x636.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Laura-Tierney-300x186.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Laura-Tierney-128x80.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Laura-Tierney-768x477.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Laura-Tierney-1536x954.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Laura-Tierney-435x270.png 435w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Laura-Tierney.png 1637w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Judith Anderson as Ann Treadwell<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Laura-Anderson.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Laura-Anderson-1024x628.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"393\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-56908\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Laura-Anderson-1024x628.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Laura-Anderson-300x184.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Laura-Anderson-128x79.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Laura-Anderson-768x471.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Laura-Anderson-1536x943.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Laura-Anderson-440x270.png 440w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Laura-Anderson.png 1631w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Fine cinematography<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Laura-Cinematography2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Laura-Cinematography2-1024x635.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"397\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-56909\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Laura-Cinematography2-1024x635.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Laura-Cinematography2-300x186.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Laura-Cinematography2-128x79.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Laura-Cinematography2-768x476.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Laura-Cinematography2-1536x952.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Laura-Cinematography2-435x270.png 435w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Laura-Cinematography2.png 1637w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Laura-Cinematography.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Laura-Cinematography-1024x631.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"394\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-56910\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Laura-Cinematography-1024x631.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Laura-Cinematography-300x185.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Laura-Cinematography-128x79.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Laura-Cinematography-768x474.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Laura-Cinematography-1536x947.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Laura-Cinematography-438x270.png 438w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Laura-Cinematography.png 1643w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Jay Dratler, Samuel Hoffenstein, and Elizabeth Reinhardt&#8217;s clever, immensely quotable screenplay<\/li>\n<li>David Raksin&#8217;s classic title song<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, as a classic <em>noir<\/em> murder mystery. Nominated by Peary for an Alternate Oscar as best film of the year, and discussed at length in his <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?page_id=5986\"><em>Cult Movies<\/em> (1981)<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Genuine Classic<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> (<span style=\"color:red;font-weight:bold;\">Listed in <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-static\/1001Movies.htm\"><em>1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die<\/em><\/a><\/span>) <\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0037008\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/movies.tvguide.com\/laura\/review\/103939\">TV Guide Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1944\/10\/12\/archives\/at-the-roxy.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.slantmagazine.com\/film\/film_review.asp?ID=1497\">Slant Magazine Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.dvdtalk.com\/dvdsavant\/s1566laur.html\">DVD Savant Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.filmsite.org\/laur.html\">Greatest Films Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.timeout.com\/film\/reviews\/80204\/laura.html\">Time Out Capsule Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;I must say: for a charming, intelligent girl, you certainly surrounded yourself with a remarkable collection of dopes.&#8221; Synopsis: A hard-boiled detective (Dana Andrews) investigates the murder of a woman (Gene Tierney) loved by both an arrogant newspaper columnist (Clifton Webb) and a spoiled dilettante (Vincent Price). Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Clifton Webb Films Criminal Investigation Dana Andrews Films Detectives and Private Eyes Gene Tierney Films Judith Anderson Films Love Triangle Mistaken Identities Murder Mystery Obsessive Love Otto Preminger&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=6718\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6718","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-responses-to-peary"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6718","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6718"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6718\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":56912,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6718\/revisions\/56912"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6718"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6718"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6718"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}