Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
266 of 276 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Thank you, Mom and Dad, December 29, 2000
About 30 years ago, my parents , who sadly are both gone now, recommended Otto Preminger's "Laura" to me. At that time, I had only seen the notoriously bad made-for-TV version starring Lee Radziwill(!) and George Sanders. When I saw the 1944 version, I was hooked. "Laura" is one of those perfect films that draws you in every time. Now when I mean "perfect", that doesn't necessarily mean believable. "Laura" is an elegant, film noir fairy tale. I'm not really sure that Laura would end up with a rough-edged detective, but who cares? That's the magic of movies! The fact that you believe it while you're watching it is what counts. If you DON'T believe it WHILE you're watching it, that's when the trouble starts! But back to "Laura". The film is elegantly photographed, with sets that I wish I could live in. Then take a top-notch cast that features a drop-dead beautiful Gene Tierney, the acidic Clifton Webb (in an incredible screen debut), the tough/sexy Dana Andrews, and the elegant and deadly duo of Vincent Price and Judith Anderson, give them a sharp-as-a-poisoned stiletto script, and watch what happens! "Laura" is a tight, smart murder/mystery with some VERY dark undertones-the effects of beauty and desire on a frustrated and twisted psyche, the destructive and venal thoughts hidden behind a veneer of sophistication and wit, and a man's growing obsession with a (presumably) dead woman are just some of the dark forces at work here. The cherry on the sundae of this toxic dessert is David Raksin's score which, of course, introduced the world to the bittersweet theme song for "Laura." I was never a fan of the Johnny Mercer lyrics for this song-it was, to me, like tacking an instruction booklet onto the Mona Lisa. Some things are better left unspoken! I don't know how many times I've seen "Laura". I've lost count. My dear friend Susan and I could act it out in front of an audience like "The Rocky Horror Picture Show," we've seen it that often. If you've seen "Laura", see it again. If you haven't, rent it, or better still, buy it. It gets better the 50th viewing around.
|
|
|
155 of 166 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Five stars for the music alone!, August 26, 2003
The theme from "Laura" is one of the most haunting ever written, by David Raksin, relatively unknown, but forever memorialized through this melody. Gene Tierney is at her peak of beauty, and she really is breathtaking in the most literal sense of the word. When I grew up this was always one of my favorite movies, and then when I re-discovered this movie as an adult, I was always mesmerized by her and by the entire cast, the score and the story, all prime examples of how great film noir can be when it's done with this amount of style and class.SIDENOTE:
***I was not aware until recently of her tragic encounter with a female Marine at a Hollywood Canteen, during WW2. Apparently this Marine was hospitalized for German Measles, and she sneaked out of the hospital to meet her favorite movie star. She had her picture taken with GT, who was pregnant at the time, and also KISSED her, which resulted in her baby daughter being born with severe mental retardation. When Daria (the daughter) was four years old she was insititutionalized. GT met the woman one year later and found out how she had contracted German Measles, but did not mention the tragic consequences of the woman's actions for reasons unknown.*** What sets this particular movie apart from the rest of the genre, is it's cast and it's tasteful telling of the story, which includes the creme de la creme of New York society, played to the hilt by the cast. One of my chief joys in watching this movie, is the scene of Clifton Webb (as the acerbic critic, Waldo Lydecker) sitting in his enormous black bathtub(!) typing furiously, and relishing the power he has by virtue of his position as a critic. He takes savage pleasure in denigrating anyone who displeases him, either by their lack of talent or because of his own personal dislike.
There is not one moment of slack; all is interesting, relevant and suspenseful; you will NOT be able to figure it out until the end. On DVD, especially, this movie guarantees suspense and a fascinating glimpse into what the "Golden Age of Hollywood" was capable of...Excellent performances also by Vincent Price as the ne'er do well playboy, man about town, and Judith Anderson, a far cry from her portrayal of the redoubtable Mrs. Danvers in "Rebecca." If you have never seen this, get it; you will not be sorry, and if you have seen it, you should get it for the quality of the DVD...
|
|
|
49 of 51 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Classic film noir comes to DVD in deluxe edition, March 2, 2005
A film noir classic comes to DVD for the first time packed full of more extras than expected, "Laura" tells the story of a society beauty (Gene Tierney in a career defining performance) murdered for no apparent reason. Detective Mark McPherson (Dana Andrews in a hardboiled strong performance) investigates her murder questioning the men in her life beginning with a witty critic Waldo Lydecker (Clifton Webb in a deliciously droll performance and in a major come back) and playboy Shelby Carpenter (Vincent Price). Seen in flashback, we discover Laura's background and how she rises from the middle class to world class society beauty with the assistance of those men in her life. Things take a surprising twist when McPherson meets the very woman who was murdered as the audience must figure out what's really going on. A marvelous suspense thriller with elements of film noir, "Laura" continues to be haunting sixty years on.
A nicely detailed transfer with rich blacks and a nicely detailed picture, Fox has done a very good of job transferring this classic to DVD. The DVD has some minor analog blemishes in the form of dirt and there's noticeable grain due to the stock of the film used to shoot the movie and how far removed the film is from the original nitrate negative (like most films from the era, the negative probably doesn't exist any longer although there's no information on the restoration here). The mono sound has nice presence with slight problems with hiss and other analog imperfections but, on the whole, it sounds superior to the previous releases on VHS and laserdisc.
We get the A&E Biography programs on Price featuring interviews with Price biographer Lucy Price Williams, Price's daughter, friends and film co-workers. Price initially joined Orson Welles' Mercury Theater in New York. The droll comments by actor/writer Norman Lloyd about their experience together in the Mercury Theater alone makes this biography worth watching. Price had an easy going and natural style that still seems contemporary and when seeing his performance with other more affected performers of the time. His debut in a 1933 Constance Bennet comedy more demonstrated his flair and versatility. Over the course of seven years Price played everything from Brigham Young to the King of France. One of the cinema's most underrated performers, Price's performances particularly here continue to sparkle with wit and power.
Gene Tierney's A&E Biography is a marvelous biography every bit the equal of the Price biography. Tierney began smoking to lower the pitch of her voice (at the advice of a studio executive) because she didn't like her voice thinking that she sounded like Minnie Mouse in her first film (she died of emphysema as a result of her life long addiction). Tierney's life had its tragic turns comparable to that of other beautiful stars of the day. She tumbled into depression after a failed marriage to costume designer Oleg Cassini and the birth of her mentally handicapped daughter resulting in her absence from the screen for nearly seven years. Tierney discovered that all the money she earned as an actress during the 40's was squandered by her father to support his failing business without her consent.
We also get a deleted scene (a rarity for films from this time) consisting of a montage sequence detailing how Lydecker taught her about the finer things in life. It was feared that the "decadence" on display would offend troops fighting overseas. We also get a theatrical trailer which demonstrates how bad this fine film might have looked like without the fine restoration seen here. This alternate opening deleted after the first screening has been integrated back into the movie so you may watch either the original version or the edited version that's been seen by millions over the years.
Historian Rudy Behlmer's commentary track tends to be the drier of the two tracks. He provides extensive background on the performers, the novel, director Otto Preminger. His comments on how Preminger had to fight for actor Clifton Webb to play Lydecker because of his well known homosexuality are particularly enlightening. Behlmer reads excerpts from Preminger's autobiography giving us insights from the director and writers of the project. Initially the writers wanted "Laura" to be a Broadway play before a film. Derailed; by politics and other issues, the script became a film instead despite lukewarm interest from MGM. MGM wanted to do the film as a "B" movie mystery while Fox had higher aspirations for the project. Preminger convinced the studio to buy the book. Initially working only as a producer on the project (his film failures had damaged his aspirations as a film director), Preminger took over direction from Rueben Mamoulian ("Dr. Jekell and Mr. Hyde") early on during the shooting of the film replacing the director after he butted heads with Preminger.
Film composer David Raskin's commentary track is absolutely charming, involving and although his memories of the film have been colored by time, it's also a lot more inviting. Raskin's haunting, wistful romantic score acts as a perfect counterpoint to the action and, at other times, underlining the emotional core of the moment.
A classic finally comes to DVD with plenty of bells and whistles. With an extremely good transfer, great commentary tracks featuring original film composer David Raskin and two excellent A&E Biography episodes on stars Gene Tierney and Vincent Price, "Laura" was worth the wait. The inclusion of a deleted scene and a version of the movie with and without the scene will delight long time fans of this terrific movie.
|
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
Video On Demand ~ Richard Basehart
Video On Demand ~ Billy Wilder
Video On Demand ~ Joan Crawford
Video On Demand ~ Orson Welles
Video On Demand ~ Lana Turner
Video On Demand ~ Robert Young
Video On Demand ~ Charles Boyer
Video On Demand ~ Wes Bentley
Video On Demand ~ Colin Hanks
