168. Laura (1944)

Directed By Otto Preminger, Rouben Mamoulian

Synopsis

Old writer doesn't want his fag-hag to belong to anyone else, successively destroying her relationships. After casting aspersions on her husband to be, Laura prepares to go to the country. Laura is found dead in her apartment, but is she? And if she isn't who is the body? And who shot that body in the face?

Review

This was quite a perfect little whodunnit film. And probably one of the greatest possessiveness films, the whole story is about possessiveness, but you must see it really. Waldo is incredibly possessive of Laura, but there is no sexual tension there, he is an old bachelor writer with a taste for the best things in life, who makes a life out of being bitchy in his newspaper column, Laura is his friend that brings out the best in him, and for whom he buys clothing and expensive antiques.

Waldo is obviously a caricature of an old bitchy Queen, although that is obviously never stated in the film, because we are in 1944, it makes him one of the most interesting characters in the whole thing. Of course there is this whole romance story between the detective investigating the murder and Laura and Vincent Price comes into it as well, but that is all secondary really. It is the relationship between Waldo and Laura that fascinates and that is ultimately crucial to the film.

The filming has all the staples of noir, the hard shadows, the angles, and it seems everyone has annoying blinds constantly making all white surfaces scored with diagonal black shadows, but it does work as an ambience. It is a fun film and although not spectacular, it is well worth watching. The pacing is perfect, it never gets dull and it wraps itself up nicely. There isn't much to the story between Laura and the detective, but it didn't matter anyway.

Final Grade

9/10

Trivia

From Wikipedia:

The character of Waldo Lydecker appears to be based on the columnist, broadcaster and New Yorker theater critic Alexander Woollcott, a famous wit who, like Waldo, was fascinated by murder. Woollcott always dined at the Algonquin Hotel, where Laura first approaches Waldo.

Otto Preminger's original idea for the film score was to use Duke Ellington's "Sophisticated Lady." David Raksin later composed the familiar score for "Laura" over the course of a weekend, after being inspired by a Dear John letter he received from his wife.

The film has been remade as a made-for-TV movie, with the inspired casting of Vincent Price (the original Shelby) as Waldo Lydecker! Price plays the possessive Lydecker as somewhat of a fop.

Trailer: