Search - Laura on DVD

MPAA Rating: NR Content Advisory: Adult Situations Movie Release: 1944 DVD Release: 03/15/2005 Format: DVD - Black and White - Closed Captioned Edition: Dual Layered Audio Tracks: English, Spanish Subtitles: English, Spanish SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 27 mins Studio: 20th Century Fox Members Wishing: 28 Genres: Mystery, Detective Film, Film Noir, Romantic Mystery, Psychological Thriller

This adaptation of Vera Caspary's suspense novel was begun by director Rouben Mamoulien and cinematographer Lucien Ballard, but thanks to a complex series of backstage intrigues and hostilities, the film was ultimately credited to director Otto Preminger and cameraman Joseph LaShelle (who won an Oscar for his efforts). At the outset of the film, it is established that the title character, Laura Hunt (Gene Tierney), has been murdered. Tough New York detective Mark McPherson (Dana Andrews) investigates the killing, methodically questioning the chief suspects: Waspish columnist Waldo Lydecker (Clifton Webb), wastrel socialite Shelby Carpenter (Vincent Price), and Carpenter's wealthy "patroness" Ann Treadwell (Judith Anderson). The deeper he gets into the case, the more fascinated he becomes by the enigmatic Laura, literally falling in love with the girl's painted portrait. As he sits in Laura's apartment, ruminating over the case and his own obsessions, the door opens, the lights switch on, and in walks Laura Hunt, very much alive! To tell any more would rob the reader of the sheer enjoyment of watching this stylish film noir unfold on screen. Everything clicks in Laura, from the superbly bitchy peformance of Clifton Webb (a veteran Broadway star who became an overnight movie favorite with this film) to the haunting musical score by David Raskin. Long available only in the 85-minute TV version Laura has since been restored to its original 88-minute running time. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Gene Tierney - Laura Hunt
Dana Andrews - Mark McPherson
Clifton Webb - Waldo Lydecker
Vincent Price - Shelby Carpenter
Judith Anderson - Ann Treadwell

Otto Preminger's Laura (1944) was originally promised on DVD in 2003, and was then delayed for two years. In the interim, the proposed disc got loaded up with special features, and the wait was worth it, to judge not only from the viewing but also the listening of this disc. Between the two commentary tracks involving three people, and the pair of Biography specials appended, there is plenty to enjoy here beyond the movie itself. And as to the movie, the full-screen (1.33-to-1) transfer here makes the old laserdisc (which looked pretty good in its time) obsolete. The clarity and sharpness are as close a match, in tone and richness, to a proper theatrical showing as this viewer has seen from a classic black-and-white movie on DVD. Additionally, both the standard and the extended versions of the movie (the latter containing footage that was removed when the movie was sent overseas) are included on the disc. There are two commentary tracks as well, both for the slightly shorter standard version, one by Rudy Behlmer and the other by Jeanine Basinger and composer David Raksin. Behlmer's work mostly consists of tying together the nuts and bolts of the production and the evolution of the original story with the decisions made by the studio; Basinger covers some of the same material but concentrates much more on actors, characters, and themes; and Raksin, who passed away soon after recording his portion of the commentary, talks about the movie's music, which he composed (it's just a pity they didn't get to him five or ten years earlier, when he would have remembered more about the film). Those commentary tracks are rewarding and worthwhile and, coupled with the presence of the Biography shows from the 1980s devoted to Gene Tierney and Vincent Price, make this a near total-immersion experience of the movie -- the only thing missing that would have made this release perfect is a similar portrait of director/producer Otto Preminger. Both edits of the movie (and this reviewer recommends the slightly longer extended version over the standard version) have been given a generous 20 chapters. The disc opens on a multi-layered menu that's easy to maneuver around, and which allows one to bounce between (or out of) the two commentary tracks without losing one's place in the film. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide