Laura (1944)

A police detective (Dana Andrews) is investigating the murder of a beautiful advertising executive (Gene Tierney). As he begins to probe into the life of the dead woman by interviewing her mentor (Clifton Webb), her fiance (Vincent Price), her Aunt (Judith Anderson) and her maid (Dorothy Adams); he finds himself drawn to her and her lovely portrait which hangs in her living room. One of the quintessential film noirs, LAURA is elegant, stylish and bolstered by a witty screenplay which is what makes it so different than the tougher grittier noirs like DOUBLE INDEMNITY or OUT OF THE PAST. Based on the novel by Vera Caspary, Otto Preminger keeps a firm grip on the proceedings and displaying a talent for the genre that he would return to for the next ten years. Clifton Webb walks off with the film with his acidic line readings and pretty much established his persona for the rest of his career. Of course, mention must be made of David Raksin's seductive theme that permeates the film and became a classic in its own right.