Movie Night:"Laura". (Otto Preminger's, 1944)

[cubanmiamiboy]

To be fair, our very first movie night, before I started posting the picks, started with this film, which I had seen as a kid and never revisited until now. I should add that I remember an old LP back home that contained its famous tune. Furthermore, my interest was also about wanting to "discover" the enigmatic/astonishing Gene Tierney as I remember her name very well for being the poster child of the beginning of the ECT treatments, as I was explained back when I was doing my psych rotations.

I found this film to have an interesting twist. There is, of course, a murder, but here the real centerpiece of the trama has to do more with the victim instead of the murder. Mark McPherson (Dana Andrews) is investigating the murder of Laura Hunt, (the absolutely DROP DEAD GOOOOOOORGEOUS Tierney), a young advertising executive. It takes McPherson approximately one day to realize that Laura is the exact opposite of "just another dame"-(it took me a while to understand the "dame" thing...blame it to language barriers). Andrews' job is still to catch the murderer, but the investigation gives McPherson (and the viewer) a haunting image of Laura, via the famous oil painting, which captures his personal feelings. This image of Laura is very important because it is all what McPherson and the viewer have during the first half of the film. So what happens is that this dreamy image starts capturing McPherson's heart. Instead of falling in love with the real Laura, McPherson falls in love with a narrative portrait of her, "painted" by Lydecker-(Clifton Webb). Lovely stuff.

Now, as the film progressed, I started to catch some weird elements, which I'd like to share to see if this is just my head or someone else who remembers it also thought about. Although the journalist in the movie seems to be in love with Laura, Lydecker's interest actually seems to be more about the handsome McPherson!. I mean, when they first meet he gives him much more attention than he ever does to Laura. I even though that this was some sort of gay character that could be using Tierney to his own interests, very much a la "Suddenly Last Summer"...

About Tierney's character, I think hers is an interesting one, weak in some ways and powerful in others. The thing is that for all her sexy beauty, Laura-(or Tierney..?)- does not project very much heat, so I don't think she's a traditional femme fatale. She's clearly powerful enough to seduce all this men, and she certainly uses that powers at some point, but she's also a little bit mysterious, elusive, somewhat aloof...and her behavior is suspicious from time to time. Still, at the end, she looked to me as just a girl with low self-esteem who allows herself to be manipulated by the more powerful Lydecker.

Even at some points being a little confusing, I loved the film, particularly because of its dream-like feeling . This was mostly due to the camera work and the beautiful black/white treatment.

Ah...lots of smoking too, of course...the ever omnipresent cigarrete...!!

"Everybody's talking about Laura. Who is Laura...? What is Laura...? The strangest, most dangerous experience in love and murder"

[dirac]

Thanks for posting, cubanmiamiboy. "Laura" is good fun and endlessly rewatchable. I have a soft spot for Dana Andrews, a somewhat underrated performer, and I like Bonnie Cashin's career-girl outfits for Tierney. The supporting cast are terrific. I'm not sure how long Laura's and McPherson's "disgustingly earthy" relationship lasted after the end titles, though.

The thing is that for all her sexy beauty, Laura-(or Tierney..?)- does not project very much heat, so I don't think she's a traditional femme fatale.

Tierney never did really project much of anything that I could see. Lovely, an agreeable presence, but not capable of much beyond that, even in more hotblooded pieces like Leave Her to Heaven and The Shanghai Gesture.

I always liked her for her refusal to fix her overbite despite studio entreaties. She developed a nice line in Mona Lisa smiles.

[cubanmiamiboy]

Thanks for posting, cubanmiamiboy. "Laura" is good fun and endlessly rewatchable. I have a soft spot for Dana Andrews, a somewhat underrated performer, and I like Bonnie Cashin's career-girl outfits for Tierney. The supporting cast are terrific. I'm not sure how long Laura's and McPherson's "disgustingly earthy" relationship lasted after the end titles, though.

The thing is that for all her sexy beauty, Laura-(or Tierney..?)- does not project very much heat, so I don't think she's a traditional femme fatale.

Tierney never did really project much of anything that I could see. Lovely, an agreeable presence, but not capable of much beyond that, even in more hotblooded pieces like Leave Her to Heaven and The Shanghai Gesture.

I always liked her for her refusal to fix her overbite despite studio entreaties. She developed a nice line in Mona Lisa smiles.

dirac, I agree that Tierney wouldn't be well suited for the more vulgar, steamy vamps like some of her contemporaries-(I always play to place certain actresses in totally opposite roles and genres to see how do they do in my mind, and so far very few I think could make the final cut...the "Streep" cut... ). Still, I feel that Laura's leading character makes Tierney's distant, somehow aloof projection-(probably due to her real turbulent,suffering personality)-a perfect match. And as I said earlier, there's definitely a mysterious, dreamy quality on the film that I believe is the perfect frame for Tierney's natural demeanor.

On the other hand, I don't think Hollywood has had many female faces who can match Tierney's natural, perfect beauty. Maybe Liz Taylor.

[papeetepatrick]

I agree that Tierney wouldn't be well suited for the more vulgar, steamy vamps like some of her contemporaries[...] Still, I feel that Laura's leading character makes Tierney's distant, somehow aloof projection-(probably due to her real turbulent,suffering personality)-a perfect match. And as I said earlier, there's definitely a mysterious, dreamy quality on the film that I believe is the perfect frame for Tierney's natural demeanor.

On the other hand, I don't think Hollywood has had many female faces who can match Tierney's natural, perfect beauty. Maybe Liz Taylor.

I didn't initially remark on this, because I didn't get around to ever seeing it till the 00's, and I couldn't believe how disappointed I was with it. I think I had expected it to be much more hypnotic and haunting, like 'Rebecca' maybe. I like Dana Andrews a lot myself, but much more in Lang's 'Beyond a Reasonable Doubt', also with Joan Fontaine, one of my favourite actresses (much prefer to her sister Olivia). I've never found Tierney quite as beautiful as others do, I can think of several I find much more naturally beautiful and who also have more Star Quality, but I have friends who feel that way about her. The music is the best part for me, I guess.

-(I always play to place certain actresses in totally opposite roles and genres to see how do they do in my mind, and so far very few I think could make the final cut...the "Streep" cut... )

That's a well-worn topic in movie discussion everywhere, but fwiw, I'd hate 99% of the actress roles I've seen if I thought of Streep in them. She's good in some things, but just like all the others, she's not suited for nearly everything, she's just got this 'chameleon' thing. I don't even think it necessarily gives her the biggest range, just that her acting style is a strange amalgam of flashiness and refined detail, which is a fairly unusual combination. But, even to keep it non-controversial, she could have never done what Geraldine Page did (whom Streep admires, by the way); all you have to do is see her maudlin tears in 'Prairie Home Companion' to know how really awful she is capable of being.

[cubanmiamiboy]

all you have to do is see her maudlin tears in 'Prairie Home Companion' to know how really awful she is capable of being.

Oh, I refused to see the film once I found out that Lindsay Lohan would have a part on it...

[papeetepatrick]

Oh, I refused to see the film once I found out that Lindsay Lohan would have a part on it...

I'm so glad you said that. Lohan's mostly dreadful, but incredibly, I thought she was the only good thing in it, I think that was before she started really doing the drugs 'n' psycho numbers.

[cubanmiamiboy]

The music is the best part for me, I guess.

[papeetepatrick]

From wiki:

Once principal photography was completed, Preminger hired David Raksin to score the film. The director wanted to use "Sophisticated Lady" by Duke Ellington for the main theme, but Raksin objected to the choice. Alfred Newman, music director for Fox, convinced Preminger to give Raksin a weekend to compose an original tune. Inspired by a Dear John letter he had received from his girlfriend, Raksin wrote the haunting theme[7] for which Johnny Mercer later wrote lyrics. It eventually became a jazz standard recorded by more than four hundred artists, including Stan Kenton, Dick Haymes, Woody Herman, Nat King Cole, The Four Freshmen, and Frank Sinatra.[8] Preminger was so pleased with Raksin's score the two collaborated on four additional films.[9]

LOVE the Bird version, Cristian, thanks! There's that weird little half-faux-orientalism of an intro, then all of sudden without warning, you're into that SONG. Oh yeah, that song is one of the great ones, and this is a really pretty and delicious version.

[cubanmiamiboy]

LOVE the Bird version, Cristian, thanks! There's that weird little half-faux-orientalism of an intro, then all of sudden without warning, you're into that SONG. Oh yeah, that song is one of the great ones, and this is a really pretty and delicious version.

Glad you liked it, Patrick!

And also glad to read the names of some of the artists who worked the tune. As I said earlier, there used to be an old LP back home with the song, which I listened a lot as a kid. I can't really remember who sang it-(it was a version with lyrics)-but it could have been very well Nat King Cole, whom my mom still adores as her all-time favorite singer. She used to sing the song a lot along with the record, so here it is...the King's rendition, dedicated to my mom.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yMOgXGywY8

[dirac]

dirac, I agree that Tierney wouldn't be well suited for the more vulgar, steamy vamps like some of her contemporaries-(I always play to place certain actresses in totally opposite roles and genres to see how do they do in my mind, and so far very few I think could make the final cut...the "Streep" cut... ). Still, I feel that Laura's leading character makes Tierney's distant, somehow aloof projection-(probably due to her real turbulent,suffering personality)-a perfect match. And as I said earlier, there's definitely a mysterious, dreamy quality on the film that I believe is the perfect frame for Tierney's natural demeanor.

True,cubanmiamiboy, she’s very effective in Laura (although unconvincing as a career woman IMO, and she doesn’t show the kind of intellectual spark that might draw a man like Lydecker). I’m not talking about steaminess, but “projection” is close to what I mean; Tierney never shows me much. I would never expect the range of a Streep or a Davis, but I’d like more fire and conviction. She’s certainly beautiful, particularly in black and white. And in the mid forties she had a great run, making a number of movies worth checking out.

As for the title tune, you can't beat Spike Jones' version.