Laura (1944)
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The story
New York City Police Department Detective Mark McPherson investigates the murder of Laura Hunt, a successful advertising executive killed by a shotgun blast. To solve the crime, Mark interviews Laura's inner circle, including her mentor Waldo Lydecker, her playboy fiancé Shelby Carpenter, and her loyal housekeeper Bessie Clary. By examining Laura's letters, diary, and the testimonies of her friends, Mark begins to develop an intense obsession with the victim. As he delves deeper into her private life, he finds himself increasingly captivated by the woman he is trying to solve the mystery of.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Detective Mark McPherson investigates the murder of advertising executive Laura Hunt. He interviews her mentor Waldo Lydecker, her fiancé Shelby Carpenter, and her housekeeper Bessie Clary. While investigating, Mark becomes obsessed with Laura. One night, he falls asleep in her apartment and is shocked to discover Laura is actually alive. He realizes the woman killed was actually her model, Diane Redfern, whom Shelby had lured there. Mark follows Laura to a meeting with Shelby and discovers Shelby has a shotgun. After testing the ballistics and finding they don't match, Mark arrests Laura for Diane's murder but realizes she is innocent. He discovers a secret compartment in a clock in Laura's apartment and finds the murder weapon. He eventually learns that Waldo Lydecker is the killer. Mark confronts Waldo, who attempts to kill Laura. Mark's sergeant arrives and shoots Waldo, who dies while confessing his love for Laura. Mark then locks Laura in her apartment for her safety.
- First release year
- 1944
- Runtime (minutes)
- 88
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Otto Preminger
- Cast and characters
- Gene Tierney · Laura Hunt; Dana Andrews · Mark McPherson; Clifton Webb · Waldo Lydecker; Vincent Price · Shelby Carpenter; Judith Anderson · Ann Treadwell
- Genres
- film noir; mystery; crime drama; psychological thriller
- Themes
- obsession; identity; masculine gaze; socialite life
- Tone and mood
- suspenseful; sophisticated; erotic; polished
- Premise and plot tags
- murder mystery; noir; psychological thriller
- Source material / true-story basis
- Laura by Vera Caspary (1943 novel)
- Reception
- The film received positive reviews for its suspense, acting, and dialogue. It is considered a classic of film noir and was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry. It is also recognized as one of the best mystery films of all time.
- Production trivia
- The film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry in 1999.; The film's haunting theme, 'Laura', became a jazz standard recorded by over 400 artists.; The film inspired the plot and character names of David Lynch's mystery series Twin Peaks.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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