Told in flashback mostly, "Laura" is quintessentially a taut and atmospheric romantic mystery, in which a New York detective is investigating the murder of a beautiful woman and falling in love with her image. The plot is moody, intriguing and well constructed. I will admit I did find the ending abrupt when I first saw it, but it has grown on me, and Otto Preminger's direction is stark and suspenseful. "Laura" is also stylishly filmed, with breathtaking black and white cinematography, and the drama is really helped by an elegant and sophisticated screenplay and a truly haunting score from David Raksin. The casting is absolutely perfect, with the gorgeous Gene Tierney at her most entrancing in the title role and Dana Andrews commanding and authoritative in the role of detective McPherson. Also impressive are Judith Anderson's vain and silly society dame, Vincent Price's southern-accented and smarmy(handsome too) fiancé and especially Clifton Webb as truly shifty columnist Wacko. One thing of note, the opening narrative line "I shall never forget the night Laura died" is one of those opening lines that will really stay with you forever. In short, "Laura" really is a classic and shouldn't be missed. 10/10 Bethany Cox
Review of Laura
Laura
(1944)
A classic film noir-well directed and stylishly filmed with a gorgeous Gene Tierney
9 February 2010