Laura

1944 was a vintage year for film noir, producing two of the genre's undisputed classics, Billy Wilder's Double Indemnity and Otto Preminger's Laura. Investigating the apparent murder of a beautiful socialite, hardboiled police detective Mark McPherson (Dana Andrews) is a sharp contrast to the effete intellectuals and snobs that comprise his list of suspects (including columnist Clifton Webb and ladies man[!] Vincent Price). Only there was nothing delicate or high class about the modus operandi: the victim had her face blown off by a shotgun, and in the early part of the film, we only know what she looks like because of a portrait hanging in her apartment. McPherson becomes infatuated by the dead woman in the picture, and is understandably stunned when Laura (Gene Tierney) walks in the front door, explaining that she'd been away on a vacation, sending the investigation in an entirely different direction. Maintaining a level of icy tension that has rarely been equaled in the history of crime films, Laura snagged an Oscar for Joseph LaShelle's atmospheric cinematography, and picked up nominations for Director, Supporting Actor (Webb), Screenplay, and Art Direction. Presented with a sharp-looking transfer, DVD extras include two audio commentaries (a very informative track by film historian Rudy Behlmer, and another with composer David Raksin and Wesleyan University film professor Jeanine Basinger), two episodes from A&E's Biography series ("Gene Tierney: A Shattered Portrait" and "Vincent Price: The Versatile Villain"), and a deleted scene. Highly recommended. Editor's Choice. [Note: five other titles are also newly available in the Fox Film Noir collection: Call Northside 777, House of Bamboo, Nightmare Alley, Panic in the Streets, and The Street With No Name.] (R. Pitman)[Blu-ray Review—Feb. 26, 2013—Fox, 87 min., not rated, $24.99—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 1944's Laura sports a fine transfer and a DTS-HD monaural soundtrack. Blu-ray extras are nearly identical to the DVD release, including an extended version with alternate opening, two audio commentaries (the first with composer David Raksin and film professor Jeanine Basinger; the second by film historian Rudy Behlmer), the A&E Biography episodes “Gene Tierney: A Shattered Portrait” (44 min.) and “Vincent Price: A Versatile Villain” (44 min.), a deleted scene (3 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is “The Obsession,” featuring interviews with fans of the film (12 min.). Bottom line: a classic noir makes a welcome debut on Blu-ray.]