Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.0

Eyes of Laura Mars Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov October 18, 2022

Irvin Kershner's "Eyes of Laura Mars" (1978) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber The supplemental features on the release include archival audio commentary by director Irvin Kershner; archival promotional documentary; vintage publicity materials; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

In the hands of Brian De Palma, this film undoubtedly would have turned out a lot better. Its narrative seems perfect for the type of ambience that De Palma loves to build up in his films and there is an element of it that would have allowed him to deliver a ton of sleaze with it. It is very possible that he would not have been able to retain some of the leads, but a few fresh faces actually would have further strengthened the film.

The prominent fashion photographer Laura Mars (Faye Dunaway) is finalizing an important shoot. She is a bit tense but knows exactly what she has to do so that the shoot is yet another resounding success that would further separate her from her competitors. Though not yet established stars, the girls she works with are already some of the best in the business.

Around the same time her ex-husband, R.J. (Raul Julia), reappears and attempts to reclaim his past role in her personal life, Laura undergoes a bizarre transformation that allows her to begin seeing through the eyes of an unknown serial killer. She would abruptly plug into the killer’s mind before he attacks his victims and witnesses their final moments, but she can never see his face. The ‘connection’ instantly affects the quality of her work and eventually nearly collapses the important shoot. Detective John Neville (Tommy Lee Jones) becomes interested in Laura’s experiences and begins spending time with her so that he can gain a better understanding of the killer’s thought process, but she quickly becomes deeply frustrated with his conventional working methods. Against all odds, the detective and Laura then fall madly in love, and when the killer accidentally discovers the nature of their relationship, Laura suddenly becomes his primary target.

The most obvious problem with this film is that it does not appear comfortable in its own skin. One possible reason for this could be director Irvin Kershner s’ desire to give it a more trendy appearance that does not jibe well with the darker edge of John Carpenter and David Zelag Goodman’s screenplay. The awkward balance quickly becomes obvious because each time it feels like the film is about to enter a more risqué territory Kersnher instantly pushes it in a different direction where he has more authority over its characters and the ways in which they behave. The end product is a conventional thriller that pulls off a few minor surprises but remains disappointingly well-mannered.

Dunaway does some very interesting things to make her nightmare look legit, but once the connection with the killer is established the film runs out of ideas on how to ramp up the tension. After that, it is more of the same until the inevitable confrontation that exposes the identity of the killer.

The bits from the film that look great are the ones where the models are seen working or later on having a good time with Dunaway and the rest of the people from her team. There is a great retro vibe there. Instead of using their energy and allowing them to have more fun in front of the camera, however, the film always rushes back to the more conventional material.

Barbara Streisand sings the theme song, "Prisoner", which became quite popular after the film’s theatrical run ended.

Eyes of Laura Mars Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Eyes of Laura Mars arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The release is sourced from an old and quite average master that was supplied by Sony Pictures. In case you are wondering, this is the same master British label Indicator/Powerhouse Films used to produce this release in 2017.

The limitations of the master are very easy to identify during daylight and darker/nighttime footage. For example, there are entire ranges of fine details and nuances that are either barely noticeable or lost. Select close-ups can look decent, but the surface of the visuals is very inconsistent and as a result wider shots struggle to convey proper depth. Various highlights and background shadows are problematic as well. Grain isn't healthy and does not appear evenly distributed. In many areas, but typically darker areas, it turns into noisy mush. Color balance is decent. However, it is very easy to tell that saturation should be better and entire ranges of supporting nuances ought to be expanded. (You can see that the green lights in the upper corners of screencapture #15 are essentially lost). Image stability is good. All in all, while occasionally looking decent, this film could and should be far more attractive when viewed in 1080p. A proper new 4K master will ensure precisely that kind of healthy and attractive appearance. My score is 3.25/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

Eyes of Laura Mars Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

Unlike the video, the audio is very strong. If the folks at Sony Pictures fully restore Eyes of Laura Mars in the future and redo the audio, I would be very surprised if the new track is substantially better. There might be some room for minor cosmetic improvements, particularly in the mid-/upper register where in a few scenes the audio feels a bit thin, but I don't think that there are any areas where dramatic positive changes could be made. So, I think that the current lossless track is very good.

Eyes of Laura Mars Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary - this archival audio commentary by director Irvin Kershner initially appeared on the North American DVD release of the film that Sony Pictures produced. There is plenty of detailed information in it about the framing of key sequences -- such as the view of the killer -- the tone and atmosphere of the film, the original story that inspired the film, the character developments, the on-location shooting in New York City, etc.

• Visions: Original Making of Documentary - presented here is an original promotional studio documentary featuring clips from archival interviews with some of the stars as well as raw footage from the shooting of the film in New York City. In English, not subtitled. (8 min).

• Eyes of Laura Mars Photography with Commentary - in this archival featurette, the producer of the Special Edition DVD release of Eyes of Laura Mars discusses some interesting concepts that appeared in different drafts of the script for the film but never made it into the final cut. In English, not subtitled. (9 min).

• Promotional Materials -
  
  1. Original trailer (4 min).
  2. TV Spots (2 min).
  3. Radio Spot (1 min).

• Cover - reversible cover with vintage poster art.

Eyes of Laura Mars Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I think that in the hands of Brian De Palma Eyes of Laura Mars would have turned out a vastly superior film. I feel that there is an element of its narrative that De Palma would have loved to exploit and then transform the final version of the film into a sleazy American giallo with a distinctive retro vibe. In its current form, Eyes of Laura Mars is something of a missed opportunity -- it has a few interesting twists and a bit of the right flavor that I think it needs to be different and memorable, but it very quickly loses steam and ends up rehashing a lot of the same cliches that conventional thrillers do. Kino Lorber's Blu-ray release is sourced from a dated and rather weak remaster with some very obvious limitations of the kind that masters from the DVD era typically exhibit, so the film needs a serious makeover so that it looks as it should.