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20th Century Fox
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The story of a love that became the most fearful thing that ever happened to a woman!
A police detective falls in love with the woman whose murder he's investigating.
CinemaSerf
Nov 19, 2024 · via TMDB
We know right from the outset that the eponymous character (Gene Tierney) has been killed and that investigating police officer "McPherson" (Dana Andrews) is going to have quite a task finding out just what happened. The ensuing story tries to knit together the separate threads of evidence provided by her rather odious sponge of a fiancé (Vincent Price), her maid "Bessie" (Dorothy Adams), her wealthy and rather disapproving aunt (Judith Anderson) and finally from her somewhat supercilious mentor "Waldo" (Clifton Webb) who has a penchant for writing his acerbic newspaper columns from the comfort of his hot bath. It's this latter character that provides us with a bit of extra information, via a narration, to illustrate a story of an ambitious but flawed woman who was quite susceptible to a bit of manipulation. As if poor old "McPherson" didn't have his problems to seek, the arrival of a woman onto the scene midway through his foraging for the truth really does set the cat amongst the pigeons requiring a complete reassessment of the proceedings. This is a cleverly crafted enterprise with both Tierney and Webb at their best delivering characterisations that really do get under your skin. I always felt Andrews a bit light-weight, but here he too manages to contribute effectively as the mystery deepens and the audience are invited to make their own judgements on just about every vice - real or imaginary, as avarice and envy vie with lust for top billing amongst the candidates for motive amongst a family you might sooner not be a part of! Preminger gradually merges these separate strands to create a denouement that is not what you expect at the start and the film is at the better end of the noir genre that focuses on a story, strong writing and some characterisations that make it well worth a watch.
John Chard
Jun 19, 2019 · via TMDB
Yeah, dames are always pulling a switch on you. Otto Preminger's wonderfully crafted mystery has become something of a big favourite of many people over the years, and rightly so. But just what is it that makes the film so watchable after all these years? Sure the cast is solid, but I personally wouldn't say spectacular. Gene Tierney simmers and holds it together whilst Clifton Webb, Dana Andrews & Vincent Price are perfectly admirable in their roles as guys in drippy infatuation with Tierney's vibrant title character. Perhaps the success of the piece is with the screenplay? Adapted by at least "five" known writers from the novel by Vera Caspary, it is in truth delightfully bonkers! You have shades of necrophilia, potential gay suitors, and the girl the boys all court is dead, minus her face after a shotgun assault. Then there is the fact that Laura bends the conventions of the genres it can each sit in. Is it film noir, a who done it, a ghost story or just a plane old detective story? Does it matter? No, not really, because it's the ambiguity that is the films strength. As for Laura Hunt herself, well she's no femme fatale, in fact she's an ordinary woman, yet the men are in awe of her. It shouldn't work on the surface, but it does, very much so. The film had something of a troubled shoot, hires and fires and jiggled endings were abound. Preminger was originally the producer for the film but was hired after Fox head honcho Darryl Zanuck fired Rouben Mamoulian. He in turn replaced cinematographer Lucian Ballard with Joseph LaShelle (who won the Academy Award for his efforts). Regardless, what we have with the finished product is a cheeky and often twisted tale of obsession. A film where one can never be sure what is actually going to develop, right up to, and including, the final denouement. 8/10
User reviews courtesy of TMDB.
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Dana Andrews
Det. Lt. Mark McPherson
Gene Tierney
Laura Hunt
Clifton Webb
Waldo Lydecker
Vincent Price
Shelby Carpenter
Judith Anderson
Ann Treadwell
Dorothy Adams
Laura's Maid Bessie Clary (uncredited)
Wally Albright
Newsboy (uncredited)
Bobby Barber
Newsboy (uncredited)
Harry Carter
Party Guest (uncredited)
Lane Chandler
Detective (uncredited)
Dorothy Christy
Woman (uncredited)
Ralph Dunn
Fred Callahan (uncredited)
Jean Fenwick
Woman (uncredited)
Clyde Fillmore
Owner of Bullitt & Co. Ad Agency (uncredited)
James Flavin
Det. McEveety (uncredited)
Bess Flowers
Restaurant Patron (uncredited)
Lee Tung Foo
Waldo's Servant (uncredited)
William Forrest
Important Client (uncredited)
Frances Gladwin
Woman (uncredited)
Beatrice Gray
Woman (uncredited)
Kathleen Howard
Ann's Cook Louise (uncredited)
Frank LaRue
Hairdresser (uncredited)
Kay Linaker
Woman (uncredited)
Harold Miller
Party Guest (uncredited)
Forbes Murray
Man (uncredited)
Jane Nigh
Secretary (uncredited)
Aileen Pringle
Woman (uncredited)
Cyril Ring
Party Guest (uncredited)
Larry Steers
Man Dining with Laura (uncredited)
Harry Strang
Detective (uncredited)
Cara Williams
Advertising Agency Employee (uncredited)
Otto Preminger
Director
Otto Preminger
Producer
David Raksin
Original Music Composer
Ring Lardner Jr.
Screenplay
Samuel Hoffenstein
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Oct 11, 1944
Mar 31, 2006
Wisconsin Film Festival
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A Real Job
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1987 · 14 wins
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2019 · 11 wins
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