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Gene Tierney, Dana Andrews, Clifton Webb, Vincent Price, Judith Anderson ... see more see more... , Dorothy Adams , James Flavin , Clyde Fillmore , Ralph Dunn , Grant Mitchell , Kathleen Howard , Dutch Schlickenmeyer , Harry Strang , Lane Chandler , Terry Adams , Dorothy Christy , Jean Fenwick , Lee Tung Foo , William Forrest , Frances Gladwin , Beatrice Gray , Cy Kendall , Frank LaRue , Yolanda Lacca , Kay Linaker , Forbes Murray , Jane Nigh , Aileen Pringle , Cyril Ring , Cara Williams , John Dexter , Buster Miles , Kay Connors , Nestor Eristoff

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 f... read more read more...ilm 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, Rovi

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8,520 ratings

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56 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 30 min.

Directed by: Otto Preminger

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DVD Release Date: March 15, 2005

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Flixster Reviews (731)

  • stevenecarrier
    June 13, 2011
    stevenecarrier
    Otto Preminger's zippy little noir is a really engaging film. It probably features the best examples of the film noir sensibility, yes, even more so than "The Maltese Falcon" or "Double Indemnity." The entire narrative is so alive and so 'new' that the film feels like it could be... read more released today. The acting is first rate and the directing and writing is stylish and sparkling. This is a very interesting film about the politics and hate between men and women. If you are any real fan of 1940s cinema, "Laura" is an absolute must.
  • bottcorecords1
    May 18, 2011
    bottcorecords1
    Director Otto Preminger weaves quite a spell in the 90 minutes it takes to tell the story of Laura, a murder mystery of the classic forties "noir" variety. The film follows Detective Mark McPherson as he goes about questioning the suspects in the murder of Laura Hunt, an upwardl... read morey mobile business woman who ran around with snotty socialites and the intellectually elite. McPherson leaves no stone unturned, going down through the list of parasites in her life. No one has any reason for killing Laura, and yet everyone seems guilty of something, especially her overly sensitive, leading man-type fiance, Shelby (Vincent Price). Leading the charge against Shelby is Laura's friend and patron Waldo Lydecker (Clifton Webb), a columnist laboring under the notion that his words are mighty enough to make or break anyone. He's a viciously clever intellectual whose only soft spot is his affection for Laura. As McPherson uncovers more and more facts, he develops feelings for the dead woman, fueling his desire to discover the truth. It's getting to that truth that makes "Laura" so fun to watch: the story is so deftly told it's never obvious what the solution to the mystery is. Following detective McPherson around as he pieces together the crime, we form our own deductions, and those deductions speak volumes about the kinds of people we are.
  • JonathanHutchings
    February 20, 2011
    JonathanHutchings
    Laura is a film that exists in a class by itself. A genuine classic -- not only of Film Noir, but of film, period. Otto Preminger, who took over directorial duties after Rouben Mamoulian left the project (possibly signifying the luckiest day of his life), directs this adaptation ... read moreof Vera Caspary's novel with a lathering of murder-mystery and a heavy dollop of kinkiness, beginning with the fact that its hero may well be a necrophiliac. Detective Mark McPherson (Dana Andrews) is sent to investigate when a beautiful woman named Laura (Gene Tierney) appears to have been brutally murdered, the victim of a shotgun blast to the face. As McPherson rounds up the unusual suspects -- Laura's cynical mentor (a MASTERFUL Clifton Webb), her leechlike fiancé (a young Vincent Price, also excellent) and her duplicitous aunt (Judith Anderson) -- he discovers that he's slowly falling in love with a corpse. Channeling Hitchcock's Vertigo as a study of unhealthy obsession and the male desire to harness the feminine mystique -- and throwing in a measure of class warfare to boot -- Laura owes a sizable debt to both cinematographer Joseph LaShelle, whose black-and-white lensing earned him an Oscar, and composer David Raksin, whose score still reigns as one of cinema's finest. In fact, the music very much suits the occasion: Like the film itself, it's lush, dreamy and an invitation to wallow in the decadence. Nothing is as it appears, no one is normal. Do yourself a favor: sit back and enjoy the acerbic wit of Webb and Price, wonder at the necrophiliac mooning of Andrews and revel in Tierney's beauty -- all swooningly accompanied by Raksin's great score. It is the sleekest of murder mysteries, and ahead of its time in many ways.
  • axadntpron
    February 20, 2011
    axadntpron
    I was apprehensive to watch this film at first. Noir, a subject I am no expert in, is a sacred cow for many students of film. This film in particular, a holy grail to those students. While I love the morally ambiguous characters, the brilliant shadow play, and the sinister nature... read more of humanity that these films display, I feared that maybe I would not understand all that this film has meant to it's many fanatical fans.
    I however, was so very wrong.
    From the moment Dana Andrews appears on the screen the film was absolutely engrossing. Not only does Preminger cull incredible performances out of these actors whom I had never seen before, save Price, the way he crafts a scene is mesmerizing. This murder mystery touches on obsession & class warfare and features a cast of unforgettable characters who spend their time casting shadows on one another other, literally and metaphorically. This film deserves every bit of praise that it receives and I am very excited about the subsequent viewings that are sure to come.
  • webalina
    January 8, 2011
    webalina
    What is wrong with me!?!? The more films I see the more disappointed I am when I get around to seeing a "classic". They almost never live up to their reputation. This one is no exception. I've tried for years to see this, and now that I have....eh.

    Not that it isn't a good mo... read morevie. It is. It's jjust not what I expected, which was a psychological story of the obsession of a man with a portrait of a dead woman. Yeah, that's technically part of the plot line, but it was so subtle that I wouldn't have known it existed if one of the characters hadn't pointed it out. And then the story took a completely different direction. That was not necessarily a bad thing, but even then the twist wasn't resolved to my satisfaction.

    I have been known to turn my nose up at a classic, only for it to grow on me as the years pass. (Shadow of a Doubt being a good example). Maybe this will do the same. But for now I have to class this an OK murder mystery, nothing more.
  • imrealgod
    December 19, 2010
    imrealgod
    This was a let down for me. I was expecting it to be a masterpiece considering its rating 8.2/10 on IMDb. I don't mind minor plot-holes, but this one includes a plot-hole so big that a giant can walk through it. However, I enjoyed the witty dialogues in the movie.
  • ajv2688
    October 15, 2010
    ajv2688
    This is a really cool movie with a very interesting mystery, a really good film noir. Plus, the actors are great: Tiereny, Andrews, and Price too.
  • flixsterman
    November 15, 2009
    flixsterman
    Plotted meticulously and by the numbers, Laura is a textbook example of classic 1940's film noir. This dialog driven murder mystery is more notable for its outstanding casting than its slightly formulaic script.

    I'm a tremendous fan of Gene Tierney, overbite and all, and... read more she's absolutely wonderful in the title role, but it's a little difficult to write about her performance without giving away elements of the plot that would spoil the ending for those who have not yet seen the film. Suffice it to say that the intangible darkness that one occasionally glimpses behind those beautiful eyes plays perfectly into the psyche of her character.

    Was there ever a role that Vincent Price could not master? He has played everything from villainous heavies to reluctant heroes. Here in Laura he is Tierney's love interest and a prime suspect in her murder. Even though his part is one of an unscrupulous, unsympathetic leech, he still carries an aura of utter likability that is crucial to making Laura's attraction believable. There just aren't a great many actors who could have pulled that off and yet Vincent does it with ease.

    And how about the talented Clifton Webb as the snobbish and possessive columnist Waldo Lydecker? His character reminds me of the cantankerous Dr. Smith from the old TV series "Lost in Space". He's rude, condescending, and spends a considerable amount of his screen time sitting in the bathtub. It is hard to imagine this role being played by anyone else.

    Combine the aforementioned with genre staples like Dana Andrews and Judith Anderson and the result is a film worthy of its stature as a noir classic.
  • thefog1331
    October 12, 2008
    thefog1331
    This may have been called 'Laura' but Clifton Webb steals every scene he's in.

    "I should be sincerely sorry to see my neighbor's children devoured by wolves."
  • pier007
    June 25, 2008
    pier007
    Gene Tierney is Laura, an angel immortalized in a portrait, who enthralled the soul of three men, and my humble self as well. David Raksin's beautiful and haunting score and the utmost exactness of skill, both in screenplay and direction take this film up high as an enchanting lo... read moreve story and as a dark and complex mystery. Now I know why Otto Preminger, allegedly, destroyed all of the original director Rouben Mamoulian's footage. Another pinnacle of noir, and an obvious precursor, along with Luis Buñuel's Él, of my favorite film, Vertigo.

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Critic Reviews

April 20, 2009
TIME Magazine

A highly polished and debonair whodunit. Full Review

Dave Kehr
October 23, 2007
Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader

Less a crime film than a study in levels of obsession, Laura is one of those classic works that leave their subject matter behind and live on the strength of their seductive style. Full Review

Michael Atkinson
October 23, 2007
Michael Atkinson, Village Voice

A hypnotic and deathlessly interpretable experience. Full Review

Variety Staff
October 23, 2007
Variety Staff, Variety

Gene Tierney makes an appealing figure as the art executive and Vincent Price is convincing as a weak-willed ne'er-do-well. Full Review

Thomas M. Pryor
May 20, 2003
Thomas M. Pryor, New York Times

The picture on the whole is close to being a top-drawer mystery. Full Review

Roger Ebert
January 26, 2002
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

The materials of a B-grade crime potboiler are redeemed by Waldo Lydecker, walking through every scene as if afraid to step in something. Full Review

Emanuel Levy
April 25, 2012
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

Masterpiece: with time, Preminger's second film has become richer in texture and deeper, more ambiguous in meaning than most noirs of the 1940s. Full Review

Philip French
February 25, 2012
Philip French, Observer [UK]

Preminger made darker, more characteristically noir films than this, but his only movie that's as good, or perhaps better, is Anatomy of a Murder. Full Review

February 24, 2012
This is London

Will leave you drunk with delight. Full Review

Allan Hunter
February 23, 2012
Allan Hunter, Daily Express

The dialogue is stinging and the performances to be savoured in a haunting study of romantic obsession that deserves its return to the big screen. Full Review

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    • Waldo Lydecker: Haven't you heard of science's newest triumph, the doorbell?
    • Waldo Lydecker: "I'm not kind. I'm vicious. It's the secret of my charm."
    • Waldo Lydecker: In my case, self-absorption is completely justified. I have never discovered any other subject so worthy of my attention.
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Laura Trivia

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  • We all starred or co-starred in this series of movies: Robert Duvall Al Pacino Andy Garcia Laura San Giacomo Robert DeNiro Talia Shire James Caan What movie series was this?  Answer »
  • Who was considered for a biopic about Mexican artist Frida Khalo before Salma Hayek eventually made a film about her?  Answer »
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