Laura (1944) Audio Commentary

Rob Caravaggio Commentaries

Gene Tierney was so hot that she could make a frumpy rain hat look sexy

RC-2013-112: The Film Noir Series — Laura (1944)
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Otto Preminger's Laura is beloved by many a noir aficionado, and I'm out to figure out why. (Could it have something to do with Gene Tierney being nuclear hot? Hells yeah.) I have fun with the movie, lamenting the fact that the opening titles sequence wasn't created by Saul Bass and declaring that Preminger's directorial style is "slick." Listeners might begin to suspect that there isn't an actor from the 30s and 40s that I don't adore as I swoon over the verbal acuity of Clifton Webb, the implacable demeanor of Dana Andrews, and the radioactive...uh, talent of Tierney. Along the way, I analyze the bizarro story story structure, discuss Daryl F. Zanuck's alleged homophobia, and examine the lapels on Vinny Price's double-breasted suits. Due to the Rank Speculation software I have running on my brain, I also speak about how Laura may have weighed heavy on the mind of David Lynch when he made Mulholland Dr. and how Preminger's picture also has similarities to Gilda, Vertigo, and a couple other classics the posters for which are hanging in my bathroom.
Show Notes

• The late Roger Ebert's "Great Movies" essay on the picture
• Some insight into David Raskin's score
• Clifton Webb's unofficial, posthumous web presence (!)
• Richard Shickel's review of that Preminger biography I mention
• A tumblr dedicated to sexy-ass Gene Tierney

Listen to the mp3, or kick it iTunes style.