Ep 46: Gene Tierney in Laura (1944)

If we look at Otto Preminger's adaptation of Vera Caspary's novel as a woman's picture, instead of film noir, we gain insight about the obstacles in store for a professional woman. Laura Hunt rose from a 17 year-old girl in the steno pool to an advertising executive in only five years. She earned a plum office, stylish New York flat, a home in the country, a glamorous wardrobe, and her own portrait over the mantle. And yet men either want to own her or see her dead. They traipse about her flat like they own the joint. The characters, dialogue, setting, props and the standout score all contribute to an exquisite production