Laura (1944)

Laura is one of the most interesting of the 1940s film noirs. The great genre films, the ones that stand the test of time, are those that are remarkable for both how they adhere to and break from generic conventions. Although this film is titled by the lead female character’s name, the focus isn’t really on her, but on a painting of her. This highlights one of the undercurrents of film noir — representations of gender, and the ideas we project on to others. Laura is really a symbol, rather than a person; she is ascribed with certain traits (the foremost of which is her beauty), but ultimately stays a mystery because those attributes are only how others see her. The film never truly tells you who she is, merely points out the construction of women based on men’s opinions, and that is what makes it great.

Laura begins with homicide detective Mark McPherson (Dana Andrews) questioning Laura’s closest friend, society column writer Waldo Lydecker (Clifton Webb). Although Lydecker is indeed one of the suspects in Laura’s murder, McPherson allows him to accompany him as he investigates and questions the others. Those suspects include Laura’s aunt, maid, and fiancée, all outlandish and interesting character “types.” Her aunt falls under suspicion because her fiancée Shelby Carpenter (Vincent Price) is a hired gentlemen companion for the older woman, and it is possible she resents the affect that is bestowed upon Laura. Laura is only ever shown in flashbacks from Lydecker’s memory, and we lean she was a career woman in advertising and Lydecker was her mentor. The two had a purely platonic affair, and her romantic needs were satisfied elsewhere.

The film observes noir conventions through basic stylistic and narrative elements: rain, murder, investigator/detective, voice-over narration, a potentially dangerous woman, plot twists, warped romantic entanglements, and sexual issues (repression, “perversion,” etc.). One of the staples of the genre, the shadows which typically dominate these movies (hence, noir), is surprisingly absent. The majority of the scenes are well-lit, making this almost a day-noir. So, in this case, it is really the unusual narrative and characters which mark it as a member of the genre.

Like others in this category, this is a mystery, so there is an emphasis on knowledge; in this case, it is mainly knowledge of a woman. Who really knew her; who knew her best? Lydecker makes this claim, but his knowing revolves around his “creation” of her; like the painter Jacoby creating the picture of Laura, Lydecker buys her clothes, tells her how to style her hair, chooses her friends, and promotes her in his gossip column (yet another twisted Pygmalion tale). He is more focused on possessing her rather than being her friend or lover; in fact, she seems more attractive to him dead. The film’s opening sequence is telling of Laura’s function in the lives of these men; the camera slowly moves throughout the expensive apartment, showing all the paraphernalia of high society (crystal, statues, grandfather clocks, vases, chandeliers, art, etc.) while Lydecker’s voice over talks about Laura. She is one of his objects, just another pretty thing that was added to his collection.

SaveSave