One of my favorite hidden gems among Agatha Christie’s catalog is “Cards on the Table” (1936), because she establishes that only four people are in a room at the time a man is murdered, yet she keeps the mystery compelling even though we have a 25 percent chance of guessing right.
The film noir classic “Laura” (1944) does a similar thing, not with a closed-room murder, but instead by focusing on only five characters besides Laura (Gene Tierney), who we learn has been murdered in an opening voiceover by one of her admirers, Lydecker (Clifton Webb).
Along with Lydecker, the other players are police detective McPherson (Dana Andrews); would-be fiancé Carpenter (Vincent Price); Carpenter’s hanger-on Ann Treadwell (Judith Anderson); and Diane, who works under Laura at the advertising agency and is yet another a rival for Carpenter’s affections.
“Laura” (1944)
Director: Otto Preminger
Writers: Jay Dratler, Samuel Hoffenstein, Elizabeth Reinhardt (screenplay); Vera Caspary (novel)
Stars: Gene Tierney, Dana Andrews, Clifton Webb
Character-driven whodunit
Director Otto Preminger – working from a three-writer screenplay drawn from Vera Caspary’s novel from a year prior – keeps this luxury car of a noir moving steadily in second gear, jumping to third with a legendary mid-film twist, then gaining speed at the end.
“Laura” is impressive for being character-driven in a way that enhances rather than detracts from the mystery. In a story told via short jumps back in time, we learn socialite Carpenter is jovial but also a womanizer; although, to his credit, he tells Ann that he intends to marry Laura. Newspaper columnist Lydecker is self-absorbed by his own admission, but upon meeting Laura, he gets addicted to his one-woman audience.
The above-the-marquee stars give neutral noir performances. McPherson almost goes down a “Vertigo”-like path of obsession, staying in the apartment of the deceased Laura and putting in a bid for the portrait of her that hangs above the mantle.
Andrews delivers “A dame got a fox fur out of me once” (illustrating how the detective is generally not swayed by women) and “I’ll make us some bacon and eggs” in the same neutral tone. Noir dialog is generally neutral, but maybe shouldn’t be this neutral.
Tierney is a cypher – a classic noir trait for the female lead. But I wish there was more to her. The actress is of course attractive, but what is it about Laura that draws the obsession of three very different men? (A montage in the extended cut shows Lydecker remaking Laura into a society woman – another “Vertigo”/obsession parallel – and this helps expand her characterization, if artificially.)
Film plays its story cards right
“Laura” falls short with its two top-billed actors as they play it straight down the middle. This allows the flawless plotting to dominate the study of human emotions that doesn’t rise to the surface like it should.
The film is not interested in being a groundbreaking style piece, and that’s OK because it’s fast-paced and engaging. One interesting shot finds cinematographer Joseph LaShelle taking the camera around the edge of a set wall as Lydecker goes from one room to another at the ad agency.
The slickness of the narrative is such that one could underrate it, and fortunately that’s not the case, as “Laura” ranks high on many noir lists, including Rotten Tomatoes, where it is No. 1. It lacks the depth and layers to truly be the best noir ever, but a 100 percent RT rating simply means every critic gave it a thumbs-up rather than a thumbs-down, so that percentage is earned.
“Laura” is not noir done with next-level, thought-provoking mastery of style or themes, which is perhaps why it doesn’t crack the IMDb top 250 despite being well-known. But it’s certainly noir that plays its mystery-crafting cards right.