tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185294584889963228.post8263003884484939077..comments2024-02-22T17:59:50.213-05:00Comments on in so many words...: A Favorite Film: LAURA (1944) starring Dana Andrews, Gene Tierney and Clifton WebbYvettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08919246184376538331noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185294584889963228.post-54465368240816827032014-06-21T05:59:18.840-04:002014-06-21T05:59:18.840-04:00Great review. The Laura-Waldo relationship has alw...Great review. The Laura-Waldo relationship has always puzzled me. Maybe she's like the daughter he never had and feels the need to protect her like any caring parent would? But then at the end when he dies he calls her "my love." Huh? <br /><br />Then again, maybe the guy got "friend-zoned." I mean, if you're going to have a private dinner with a woman, make a move. Point is, every time I watch this film I can't help feeling sorry for Waldo.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14909887376739311522noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185294584889963228.post-14322057529047017212011-07-20T17:15:32.406-04:002011-07-20T17:15:32.406-04:00Excellent! We newbies have to stick together.:) I ...Excellent! We newbies have to stick together.:) I liked your blog very much.Yvettehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08919246184376538331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185294584889963228.post-42990522081577045762011-07-20T17:11:58.914-04:002011-07-20T17:11:58.914-04:00Thanks, fellow newbie! I've added you to my re...Thanks, fellow newbie! I've added you to my reader :)theoncominghopehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03471519506797609837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185294584889963228.post-25818521436176019582011-07-20T10:28:48.684-04:002011-07-20T10:28:48.684-04:00oncoming hope: Wow. For the first time. Glad you e...oncoming hope: Wow. For the first time. Glad you enjoyed it. It's definitely a noir classic. Yes, the script is problematic. I'll check your blog to see what else you have to say. I'm kind of a newbie myself, you know. A year isn't that old. :)Yvettehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08919246184376538331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185294584889963228.post-69785301927449160042011-06-02T15:41:15.263-04:002011-06-02T15:41:15.263-04:00Oh, for sure, Dorian. I wouldn't bother with a...Oh, for sure, Dorian. I wouldn't bother with a movie I didn't like. Where's the fun in that?Yvettehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08919246184376538331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185294584889963228.post-16940680918274320312011-06-02T15:28:15.651-04:002011-06-02T15:28:15.651-04:00Hey, Yvette, we kid movies BECAUSE we love them! G...Hey, Yvette, we kid movies BECAUSE we love them! Good-natured ribbing, don'cha know! :-)DorianTBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01357778472575080022noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185294584889963228.post-3042055017154282192011-06-02T13:36:38.854-04:002011-06-02T13:36:38.854-04:00Hey, Yvette, we kid our favorite films because we ...Hey, Yvette, we kid our favorite films because we love them!DorianTBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01357778472575080022noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185294584889963228.post-40034637496103619102011-06-02T12:41:42.020-04:002011-06-02T12:41:42.020-04:00Thanks so much, Dorian. Praise from Team B means a...Thanks so much, Dorian. Praise from Team B means a lot to me. :)<br /><br />Yes, I had fun with this one. But much as I might make fun, I still love the movie. Go figure.Yvettehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08919246184376538331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185294584889963228.post-21765360327557929292011-06-02T11:05:33.935-04:002011-06-02T11:05:33.935-04:00Yvette, one of the things I enjoy most about your ...Yvette, one of the things I enjoy most about your reviews is your tart, tell-it-like-it-is sense of humor! Much as I adore LAURA (both the book and the film), I'll agree that there are elements in the film that modern audiences might find hard to swallow, even with a slug of Black Pony! :-) However, mood, style, and a cast you can't take your eyes off of can count for a lot in a film like LAURA. Atmosphere goes a long way in LAURA, and I'm at peace with that. :-) I'll be interested in seeing what you think of my LAURA review tomorrow (barring unforeseen circumstances). Isn't it great that so many of us classic movie fans can have so many different takes on the same film? Great post, Yvette; I hope your Blogger problems will be resolved soon so you can blog with carefree abandon again!DorianTBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01357778472575080022noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185294584889963228.post-78450671567474400192011-05-07T11:52:19.523-04:002011-05-07T11:52:19.523-04:00Nicolas: I like the way you've put it. Yes, I ...Nicolas: I like the way you've put it. Yes, I think you may be very right. 'Dream logic...'<br /><br />Oh, Dana Andrews is wonderful in this AND in BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES. Alcohol is a great destroyer. Too bad.<br /><br />Even the name, 'Shelby' is oily and snakey. Ha!Yvettehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08919246184376538331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185294584889963228.post-59768598466308473152011-05-07T04:58:12.870-04:002011-05-07T04:58:12.870-04:00Great account of a fun movie. You're quite rig...Great account of a fun movie. You're quite right, there is something strange about the tone of this film, something hard and polished, perhaps brittle. I think there is a kind of dream logic at work in the film, where plausibility is subservient to compulsion.<br /><br />For the record: I love Dana Andrews in this and especially in 'Best Years'. Still, there was always a stiffness to him, and his alcoholism coarsened his performances as time went on. I watched 'Night of the Demon' (1957) and he's pretty bad in that.<br /><br />Shelby Carpenter is one of my favourite Vincent Price roles. What a snake!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185294584889963228.post-50419720106864418782011-05-06T09:56:16.609-04:002011-05-06T09:56:16.609-04:00John: Yes he's brilliant, but he's just no...John: Yes he's brilliant, but he's just not 'real.' For me, it's almost like a stage performance. Although I know there are people like this - I've met one or two - I always looked at them with a jaundiced eye. I can't imagine that anyone in his circle would have taken him seriously and yet obviously, they did. The difference between him and the Dana Andrews character is SO exactingly clear cut - they might be inhabiting different planets. The scene when they have dinner together and Waldo goes on and on about how wonderful Laura was is kind of odd, I think. When they leave the restaurant you almost feel as if McPherson ought to go home with Waldo. At least I always did. :)<br /><br />After all these many years, it's hard for me to be TOO serious about the film. <br /><br />And yes, when you first see the film, you realize that Tierney CAN'T be REALLY REALLY dead. <br /><br />But the whole shotgun in the clock thing, I'm sorry, it's laughable the way McPherson handles it and the denouement.<br /><br />But maybe when you've only seen the film once or twice, it makes some sort of bizzaro sense. <br /><br />Despite all this, I still LOVE the film and watch it whenever I get the chance. Go figure.Yvettehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08919246184376538331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185294584889963228.post-84683541422200012142011-05-06T08:51:17.879-04:002011-05-06T08:51:17.879-04:00For years I used "waldolydecker"on an on...For years I used "waldolydecker"on an on-line movie forum. Clifton Webb is brilliant in this movie. His dialog is so nastily quotable, too. I think this is the ultimate movie mystery about obsessive love. I always refer to it when ever anyone asks "What's your favorite...?" The book is just as brilliant in the way it's constructed with multiple viewpoints and how the story slowly evolves.<br /><br />And come on with a beauty like Gene Tierney you know she's not just going to appear in flashbacks. I thought this was odd the first time I saw it - a star and she's playing a dead woman? Something twisted is going to happen. And it does.J F Norrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06473487417479127354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185294584889963228.post-42233057872464827642011-05-05T09:13:07.604-04:002011-05-05T09:13:07.604-04:00Kathy: Well, if your child is ill, it's bound ...Kathy: Well, if your child is ill, it's bound to affect your outlook on life. She was such a beautiful woman. Happiness and beauty don't often go hand in hand, I'm afraid.Yvettehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08919246184376538331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185294584889963228.post-32118342689968759482011-05-05T09:11:23.139-04:002011-05-05T09:11:23.139-04:00Ryan: Oh, you must see this, for sure. You'll ...Ryan: Oh, you must see this, for sure. You'll probably recognize it once you begin viewing it, I'm thinking. But if not, you're in for a treat. Netflix has it. (Not sure if it's on Instant View, it may be.)Yvettehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08919246184376538331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185294584889963228.post-27345076804098332642011-05-05T06:40:40.786-04:002011-05-05T06:40:40.786-04:00Gene Tierney suffered from depression, but also sh...Gene Tierney suffered from depression, but also she contracted rubella while pregnant, and one of her children was born with severe birth defects and health problems, which affected her greatly.<br /><br />Anyway, on a lighter note, I am putting this film back on my movie list to rewatch, with these points in mind. (Oh, how these lists mushroom!)kathy d.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185294584889963228.post-49318737869717895812011-05-04T23:59:40.693-04:002011-05-04T23:59:40.693-04:00Ummmmm....I think I'm one of those 3 or 4 peop...Ummmmm....I think I'm one of those 3 or 4 people who have not seen this. For some reason I thought I had, but after reading your review it doesn't sound familiar. I guess I'm going to have to catch up.Ryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17786139533776263328noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185294584889963228.post-23499436696742238182011-05-04T09:29:42.302-04:002011-05-04T09:29:42.302-04:00Kathy: Ha! Thanks! Isn't if funny how we all r...Kathy: Ha! Thanks! Isn't if funny how we all remember movies and books in our own way? You probably never saw what I saw. We each bring outselves to whatever movies we watch and what books we read - that's for dead sure. :)<br /><br />You're perfectly right about today's movies. It is a rare thing to feel the sort of affection - the savoring of the moment - for today's films. <br />I really do believe it's because people think differently today - the young people making films that is - they look at the world from another viewpoint, see things differently. And of course this is reflected in their movie work. But luckily for us we still have the good stuff on dvd. :)Yvettehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08919246184376538331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185294584889963228.post-73120719812463507052011-05-04T09:25:18.297-04:002011-05-04T09:25:18.297-04:00Yvonne: Yes, she had a sad life. I think she suffe...Yvonne: Yes, she had a sad life. I think she suffered from depression which can be debilitating in and of itself. But she also - in an eerie similarity to her film role - did not have the best choice in men. Sometimes beautiful women are their own worst enemy.Yvettehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08919246184376538331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185294584889963228.post-37868335709150149592011-05-03T23:17:40.478-04:002011-05-03T23:17:40.478-04:00Ha! Ha! Ha! Who knew I could read a review of th...Ha! Ha! Ha! Who knew I could read a review of the fantastic film classic "Laura," and laugh my head off. Your comments about the actors and the setting are hilarious.<br /><br />Of course Clifton Webb and Vincent Price are creepy. Dana Andrews is perfect in this role.<br /><br />And Gene Tierney, well, she was one of the most beautiful and stunning Hollywood actresses ever to have graced a movie set. I'm amazed anyone could remember their lines or set direction or anything; they would all be so mesmerized by her. (And, yes, she did have a very hard life.)<br /><br />I have seen this movie several times but don't remember all of this, as you do. <br /><br />I must see it again. It is one of the best thrillers ever made, a real classic in the history of filmmaking. One feels like one is savoring something delicious in every minute of this film. (And that's the problem with most movies today; a viewer doesn't have the feeling of savoring every minute, every scene, every line.)kathy d.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185294584889963228.post-41790854310355161162011-05-03T20:10:34.370-04:002011-05-03T20:10:34.370-04:00That is a good film, love that song.
Jean Tierney ...That is a good film, love that song.<br />Jean Tierney was so beautiful. I understand she had a sad life.<br /><br />yvonneLa Petite Galleryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09553902574516930172noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185294584889963228.post-29126447249373304052011-05-03T19:49:02.390-04:002011-05-03T19:49:02.390-04:00Jacqueline: Dana Andrews in BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVE...Jacqueline: Dana Andrews in BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES is one of the few roles I like him in. He looks so wonderful next to Theresa Wright's young and naive girl. Virginia Mayo is great in this too, by the way. <br /><br />Andrews could act, with the right director. He's pretty damn good in BYOOL. Remember the scene in the gutted airplane? Wohderful. He's able, too, to project yearning in a very nice way. I don't know what the hell happened to him later.<br /><br />"Off-kilter" - yes, exactly. I wonder sometimes what that was all about. I think, really, it was the script and, obviously, the direction. It's amazing to me that film still works.<br /><br />I don't remember the Carol Burnett spoof though I MUST have seen it sometime. Maybe I'll find it on youtube. :)Yvettehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08919246184376538331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185294584889963228.post-79224554473023883482011-05-03T19:38:39.012-04:002011-05-03T19:38:39.012-04:00Fun review of a movie in which I think just about ...Fun review of a movie in which I think just about every character, like Clifton Webb's, is disconcerting. They're all a little off kilter. I have to guess it's intended. By the way, as regards your aversion to Dana Andrews, have you ever seen "Best Years of our Lives" and how would you rate his screen presence/acting in that one?<br /><br />I confess, "Laura" is one of those movies I have a hard time seeing for what it is because I can't get the Carol Burnett parody out of my head. Every time they show Gene Tierney's portrait on the wall, I think of the Burnett cheesy copy, and I bust a gut.Jacqueline T. Lynchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11047941886908178350noreply@blogger.com