Laura (Otto Preminger, 1944)

I have to say, the noir genre is starting to really appeal to me. I like the settings, the main characters, the film craft and cinematography, as well as the plot twists. I don’t know exactly what it is specifically, but it is a genre I will like to explore much more. Laura is a noir film from the classic period, and one can see all the elements that made the noir genre in this film. This is probably also one of the most well cast noir films I’ve seen, with great performances across the board.

Laura is murdered in her apartment, and there are several suspects. It is up to Lieutenant McPherson to solve the murder, and go through all the suspects. There are two men that were intimate with Laura, that are suspects. One is Shelby, played by the creepy Vincent Price. The other is Waldo, and intellectual journalist, played by probably the best actor in the film, Clifton Webb. He is wonderful as the sharp-witted journalist with a poisonous tongue. The film is full of twists and turns, but surprisingly it never gets too complicated. The film is at such straightforward, but it is always focused and has a specific path it goes. Some noir films seem to move about quite randomly, but not this one, which was nice. The directing is top notch from Otto Preminger, the way he moves his camera is at time amazing, not because it is extremely technically complicated, but because he makes the movement so beautiful. There are also small clues laid out throughout the film, so audiences who keep focused can to some degree see what is going to happen and what will have importance later on, which does feel quite rewarding. It isn’t that often that noir films do this, but I was happy that it was done here, because it gives a bit of re-watch value, as well as makes the film a richer experience.

The score for this film is beautiful, and goes a long way to add to the atmosphere of the film. The cinematography is moody and also helps create the pressing atmosphere. The film uses some flashback techniques that I wasn’t too happy about, but then again, this is Hollywood, and I guess they are part of it. They could have been used a little more cleverly though, there are many different examples of different clever ways to use flashbacks, such as Citizen Kane (Orson Welles, 1941) and It’s A Wonderful Life (Frank Capra, 1946). It is bit disappointing, but anyway, the film otherwise, and the flashbacks themselves, are good. The film is quite short, just over 80 minutes, but it works quite well, and makes the films structure more tight. This is also the kind of film that doesn’t hold up well if it is too long, due to losing the suspense when dragging on. For the most part it all works. The thing about Laura, though, is that it lacks that little extra something to make it a great film. It is good, very good in fact, but overall it doesn’t seem that impressive compared to all the other great classics of the era. But the film is unique in its own way, the cast is great, and it does offer something new to an audience who are already familiar with the noir genre.

I enjoyed watching Laura. Not the best of the classic Hollywood era I’ve seen, but also far from the worst. It was bit sad that I couldn’t get more out of it, but the film does deliver, and one can’t really want much more from this type of film. If you like noir, definitely check this one out. And get the excellent Cinema Reserve version.