It is the sleekest of murder mysteries, and ahead of its time -- not least in having a gay suitor for Laura, and possibly two.
Laura (1944)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:44
Fresh:44
Rotten:0
Average Rating:8.6/10
Consensus: A psychologically complex portrait of obsession, Laura is also a deliciously well-crafted murder mystery.
Runtime: 1 hr 33 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: A classic noirish mystery with a consummate ensemble of actors. Dana Andrews adroitly plays the detective who delves into the murder of the stunningly beautiful Laura, with whom it seems everyone,... A classic noirish mystery with a consummate ensemble of actors. Dana Andrews adroitly plays the detective who delves into the murder of the stunningly beautiful Laura, with whom it seems everyone, including the detective himself, is in love. But Webb steals the show as the titular ingenue's creepily elegant social mentor, Waldo Lydecker. Based on the novel by Vera Caspary. Academy Award Nominations: 4, including Best Director. Academy Awards: Best (Black-and-White) Cinematography. [More]
Starring: Gene Tierney, Dana Andrews, Clifton Webb, Vincent Price
Starring: Gene Tierney, Dana Andrews, Clifton Webb, Vincent Price, Judith Anderson, James Flavin, Clyde Fillmore, Ralph Dunn, Grant Mitchell, Kathleen Howard, Dutch Schlickenmeyer, Harry Strang, Lane Chandler, Frank La Rue
Director: Otto Preminger
Director: Otto Preminger
Screenwriter: Jay Dratler, Elizabeth Reinhardt, Samuel Hoffenstein, Ring Lardner, Jerry Cady
Story: Vera Caspary
Producer: Otto Preminger
Composer: David Raksin
Reviews for Laura
The plot is deliberately perfunctory, the people deliciously perverse, and the mise-en-scène radical.
A classic noir romance where all of the cinematic elements fit together perfectly.
O roteiro é, na melhor das hipóteses, medíocre, mas a direção sombria de Preminger, a música-tema e as atuações de Webb e Price transformam este filme em um marco importante do nascente noir.
Less a crime film than a study in levels of obsession, Laura is one of those classic works that leave their subject matter behind and live on the strength of their seductive style.
Gene Tierney makes an appealing figure as the art executive and Vincent Price is convincing as a weak-willed ne'er-do-well.
Just watching Clifton Webb's deliciously nasty performance, as the effete critic and Laura's mentor, delivering the film's best lines, is worth the price of admission
This kooky film noir is so beautifully directed by Otto Preminger that all its protruding elements seem to slide delicately and accurately into place.
At times, the plotting takes leaps that the film’s 87-minute run doesn’t adequately support; but overall this is a gem.
The story is a good whodunnit, although it probably isn't half as clever as a mystery as it is a character study.
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