Laura (1944)

I can't believe it took me 41 years to see this movie, 19 March 2005

Considering all of the movies I've watched in my life, it's amazing I had never seen Laura. The film mixes an interesting story, excellent cinematography, solid acting, and characters you're not likely to forget to create a bona fide classic. I'm not an expert, but Laura is certainly one of the best examples of the film noir that I've thus far seen. Most every character in the movie has some tragic flaw. As for the story, I found the mystery of who killed Laura to be secondary to the interaction between the characters. They speak to each other in that wonderful way that only characters in a film noir speak. This is a definite must see that I look forward to revisiting time and time again.

While I previously praised the characters in Laura, they also represent the only real weakness I see in the film that keeps me from rating it a 10/10. The characters are a little too exaggerated. Det. Lt. Mark McPherson (Dana Andrews) is a little to solemn and non-feeling. The gold-digging, but penniless, playboy Shelby Carpenter (Vincent Price) is a little too conniving. And, although certainly one of the most memorable characters I've ever seen, Waldo Lydecker (Clifton Webb) is a little too flamboyant (for lack of a better word). I don't know, but it's possible that these exaggerated characters were part of Preminger's plan. Regardless, the over-the-top characterizations can be a bit distracting.

9/10