A police detective falls in love with the woman whose murder he is investigating.A police detective falls in love with the woman whose murder he is investigating.A police detective falls in love with the woman whose murder he is investigating.
- Won 1 Oscar
- 5 wins & 4 nominations total
Grant Mitchell
- Lancaster Corey
- (scenes deleted)
Dorothy Adams
- Bessie Clary, Laura's Maid
- (uncredited)
Terry Adams
- Woman
- (uncredited)
John Alban
- Executive
- (uncredited)
Wally Albright
- Newsboy
- (uncredited)
Bobby Barber
- Newsboy
- (uncredited)
Edward Biby
- Party Guest
- (uncredited)
Gary Breckner
- Narrator
- (uncredited)
James Carlisle
- Party Guest
- (uncredited)
Harry Carter
- Party Guest
- (uncredited)
Lane Chandler
- Detective
- (uncredited)
Bill Chaney
- Newsboy
- (uncredited)
Dorothy Christy
- Woman
- (uncredited)
- Directors
- Otto Preminger
- Rouben Mamoulian(fired afer a few days work due to creative differences) (uncredited)
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaArtist Azadia Newman, Rouben Mamoulian's wife, was commissioned to paint the portrait of Laura, with which Detective Lieutenant McPherson becomes entranced, but it was not used in the final movie. In his autobiography, Otto Preminger wrote, "When I scrapped Mamoulian's sets, the portrait of Laura went with them. Portraits rarely photograph well, so I devised a compromise. We had a photograph of Gene Tierney enlarged and smeared with oil paint to soften the outlines. It looked like a painting, but was unmistakably Gene Tierney."
- GoofsWhen Lydecker recognizes McPherson's name, one can see part of the waist-band of a bathing suit worn by Lydecker in the bath tub.
- Quotes
Waldo Lydecker: I don't use a pen. I write with a goose quill dipped in venom.
- Alternate versionsA scene cut from the theatrical version after its initial release was restored to the film in 1990. In it, Waldo Lydecker described how he transformed Laura's appearance and introduced her to high society. The studio worried that this obsession with decadent luxury would be offensive to WWII soldiers serving overseas, so the scene was deleted.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Vicki (1953)
Featured review
Classic Mystery With Wit & Style
"Laura" is a classic murder mystery and more. The main characters make for a fascinating psychological study, and the movie is also filled with wit and style, in addition to a murder mystery that holds plenty of interest in its own right.
The story opens with a detective (Dana Andrews) questioning suspects in the murder of popular, beautiful, and successful Laura Hunt. As he does, we learn not only about the suspects but about Laura herself, through flashbacks. We see Laura (Gene Tierney) develop the career and relationships that eventually led to danger, and we also learn that Laura meant something very different to each of the suspects: the snobbish, venomous writer who launched her career (Clifton Webb), the worthless playboy whom Laura was going to marry (Vincent Price, in a role quite different for him) and her rather desperate aunt (Judith Anderson). Even the detective quickly becomes obsessed with Laura's memory. The psychological overtones of all this add considerably to the mystery plot.
The mystery story itself is quite good, with interesting details and at least one major surprise along the way. The climax is tense and exciting, a fitting conclusion to both the mystery plot and the complex relationships among the characters. The acting and direction are all very good, and make the most of the story's possibilities.
"Laura" is a must-see not only for those who like mysteries, but for anyone who likes classic cinema made with style.
The story opens with a detective (Dana Andrews) questioning suspects in the murder of popular, beautiful, and successful Laura Hunt. As he does, we learn not only about the suspects but about Laura herself, through flashbacks. We see Laura (Gene Tierney) develop the career and relationships that eventually led to danger, and we also learn that Laura meant something very different to each of the suspects: the snobbish, venomous writer who launched her career (Clifton Webb), the worthless playboy whom Laura was going to marry (Vincent Price, in a role quite different for him) and her rather desperate aunt (Judith Anderson). Even the detective quickly becomes obsessed with Laura's memory. The psychological overtones of all this add considerably to the mystery plot.
The mystery story itself is quite good, with interesting details and at least one major surprise along the way. The climax is tense and exciting, a fitting conclusion to both the mystery plot and the complex relationships among the characters. The acting and direction are all very good, and make the most of the story's possibilities.
"Laura" is a must-see not only for those who like mysteries, but for anyone who likes classic cinema made with style.
helpful•5110
- Snow Leopard
- Jun 14, 2001
Details
Box office
- Budget
- $1,020,000 (estimated)
- Gross worldwide
- $151
- Runtime1 hour 28 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content