Laura (1944)
Viewers are shocked to see 'Laura' interrogated with HUGE Blinding lights in this movie Laura (1944.) Escobedo v. Illinois, 378 U.S. 478 (1964) made it ILLEGAL to torture a suspect with such light in the face to coerce a confession. Yes, it took another 20-YEARS to make that sadistic cop technique illegal in the U.S.
Laura (1944)
Laura (1944) is one of the most stylish, elegant, moody, and witty classic film noirs ever made with an ensemble cast of characters. Producer Otto Preminger ultimately ended up directing the film, after filming was begun by Rouben Mamoulian and his cinematographer Lucien Ballard. Preminger's film falls under the category of romantic, melodramatic mystery/detective thriller. It might also be called a psychological study of deviant, kinky obsession, because almost everyone in the cast loves the title character - Laura. One lobby poster dramatically declared:
Trailers for the compelling film promised: "Never has a woman been so beautiful, so exotic, so dangerous to know!", and Gene Tierney (in her signature film role as Laura) delivered with exquisite elegance and sublime, breathtaking beauty the role of the untouchable 'work of art'. [Note: Both Jennifer Jones and Hedy Lamarr had turned down the title role.] A film with the similar theme of a man bewitched with a woman's portrait was Fritz Lang's sad and nightmarish film noir The Woman in the Window (1944). 041b061a72