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Film noir is a sub-genre of film which is defined by
moral ambiguity, disillusionment, and hopelessness. After producing a slew of
comedies and family films, Hollywood began to take a walk on the darker side in
the late 1930’s by producing complicated stories that acknowledged the gritty
reality of Depression-era America. The combined devastation of the Great
Depression and horrors of the Second World War brought the American psyche to a
dark place by the 1940’s, creating a jaded movie-going public. Film studios
responded by producing an increasing number of films that borrowed the
techniques and cynicism of European cinema and combined them with an
all-American rebelliousness; thus film noir was born.
The theme song turned popular standard goes, “Laura is
the face in the misty light…but she’s only a dream”, an idea reiterated by
acerbic columnist Waldo Lydecker (Clifton Webb) when he says “I, Waldo Lydecker
was the only one who really knew her” when discussing his murdered protégé. In
many ways, the 1944 film Laura is as
enigmatic as its protagonist; at once a murder mystery, love story, and
psychological drama, the film defies classification. In many ways, this classic
film noir does not even seem to fit within the confines of the flexible genre.
For instance, the action takes place in the luxurious apartments of Manhattan
society rather than the back alley’s of the city’s slums, and the heroine
enchants those around her but does not have any malicious intent. Closer
observation of the characters’ self-serving motives and amoral behavior,
however, reveals a grim picture of the low-lifes who often make up “high
society”.
The film begins as Waldo writes a column dedicated
to Laura following her brutal murder the day before. He is interrupted by the
arrival of detective Mark McPherson (Dana Andrews), who proceeds to conduct a
half-hearted interrogation of Waldo. The interrogation reveals that successful
career-woman Laura Hunt (Gene Tierney) was
murdered by a shot gun blast to her face just days before her planned wedding date.
Following the interrogation, Waldo accompanies McPherson to the homes of
Laura’s various associates as part of the murder investigation. During
McPherson’s conversations with Laura’s loved ones, the audience is introduced
to the dead woman through a series of flashbacks. Each flashback must be taken
with a grain of salt, however, as they are all clearly told from the other
characters’ points of view. As a result, the audience is able to form an image
of Laura, without actually gaining any objective insight into her motives or
personality. McPherson is fascinated by the various accounts of Laura despite
his better judgment, and soon finds himself falling in love with the idealized
memory of her. Just as the detective seems to be closing in on a solution,
however, the case takes a drastic turn that proves that nothing in his
investigation is what it seems.
Laura’s
rise
to the silver screen was almost as convoluted as it’s plot. The tale originally
began as a play which was later rewritten as a serialized novel. The novel was
an instant hit, and author Vera Caspary was given numerous offers to bring the
story to the stage. Caspary then re-adpated the novel back into a play, only to
find that she was not able to get a full production for it. Exasperated, she
gave up on pursuing a stage production and sold the rights to the story to 20th
Century Fox. Initially regarded as a routine “B-picture” by the studio, the
film then underwent a series of changes under director Rouben Mamoulian, including
a temporary ending in which the whole film was revealed to have been a dream.
Eventually, Mamoulian was dismissed and Otto Preminger was assigned to direct,
and although Caspary was displeased with certain elements of the film, he
remained largely faithful to the original plot.
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In keeping with the expectations and budget
requirements of a B-picture, Fox comprised a case of character actors and
virtual unknowns. As a result, the film propelled newcomers Gene Tierney and
Dana Andrews to stardom and revived the fading (film, Webb was a success on
Broadway at this time) career of former silent actor Clifton Webb. All of the
films’ players are in top form and create complicated characters that leave
audiences guessing until the film’s finish. Webb’s performance is particularly
memorable as he dominates the screen with a sly gesture or sarcastic comment
each time he appears. Gene Tierney also provides an exemplary performance,
especially considering the fact that she plays several variations of Laura in
each flashback. Similarly, Judith Anderson provides just the right touch of
bitterness in her cool portrayal of Laura’s jealous aunt. Vincent Price is
equally entertaining in his portrayal of Laura’s charmingly duplicitous fiancé . Finally, Dana Andrews rounds out the
cast in a superb performance as the hard-boiled detective trying to make sense
of Laura’s world of half-truths and hypocrisy.
One of the most interesting elements of the film is its
atmosphere. While most detective stories of this period have a straight forward
tone, Laura’s charm lies in its dream
like atmosphere. Throughout the film, characters relate accounts of not what
actually occurred so much as what they believe or wish had occurred. As a result,
each of the film’s flashbacks contains an element of nostalgia and an idealized
view of the past. This atmosphere in turn leads the audience into a world of ‘should
have’ or ‘what might have been’ scenarios that keep reality at bay. It is this
sense of unreality that enables the film to not only keep the viewer guessing
as to ‘who done it’, but also leads them to question the how’s and why’s that
the central twist hinges upon. Through this enhanced view of the characters and
their world, the viewer is able to empathize with McPherson in his pursuit of a
memory and the secrets she holds.
Laura,
like
its title heroine, is a masterpiece that truly defies both summation and
classification. Through its combination of lavish settings and sparkling wit
set against a back drop of violent action and sordid motives, the film remains
a classic noir of the highest order.
Though numerous subsequent films and television shows have tried to emulate
its atmosphere of mystery and illusion, none have been able to mesmerize quite
like Laura. Just as Laura herself effortlessly charmed those around
her to the point of obsession, the film has continued to bewitch audiences for
nearly seventy years. It is little wonder that when Fox asked Caspary to write “another
warm, wonderful, sexy girl like Laura” she could only reply, “I wish I could”
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If you enjoyed the twists and turns of Laura, be sure to take a look at my murder mystery All in the Past http://offthewallplays.com/2014/11/19/past-murder-mystery-play-scripts/
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