Laura Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		3.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Laura Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 3, 2019

Otto Preminger's "Laura" (1944) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; audio commentary by composer David Raksin and film professor Jeanine Basinger; second audio commentary by film historian Rudy Behlmer; archival radio adaptations; deleted scenes; and more. The release also arrives with a collector's booklet featuring a new essay by Phil Hoad, alongside a selection of rare archival imagery. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main features. Region-B "locked".

Otto Preminger's classic film noir Laura made its high-definition debut via Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment in 2013. For an in-depth analysis of the film, please see my colleague Casey Broadwater's review of the North American release here.

Laura Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.33:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Laura arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka Entertainment.

The release is sourced from the same older remaster that five years ago Twentieth Century Fox worked with when it prepared the North American release of the film. I think that it is a pretty decent remaster that holds up rather well even when projected, but it also has some noticeable limitations. For example, there are parts of the film where density clearly isn't optimal and as a result some of the visuals become uncharacteristically flat. The element that was used to produce the remaster certainly introduces some of the unevenness, but there are also traces of digital work that must have been done to rebalance the film as best as possible. In the areas where the effects are most obvious nuances typically suffer the most, though at times even the overall dynamic range of the film becomes shaky (see examples in screencaptures #4 and 9). Fortunately, there are no traces of sharpening adjustments, so even with the unevenness the overall look of the film remains rather satisfying. It is just that the closer one examines the remaster, the more obvious it becomes that it has the type of quality that the DVD era promoted, not the all-around strong organic appearance that recent proper 4K/2K remasters of older films boast. Image stability is very good. Lastly, there are no distracting debris, scratches, damage marks, burns, warped or torn frames. My score is 3.75./5.00. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Laura Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this release -- for both versions of the film -- which is English DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The original audio was obviously remixed when the remaster was prepared because stability and balance are very nice. Obviously, the overall dynamic range of the original soundtrack is quite modest, but this is a production limitation, not a flaw of the remaster. There is no distracting background hiss, pops, hum, or digital distortions to report.

Laura Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary One - this archival audio commentary features composer David Raksin and film professor Jeanine Basinger. The bulk of the information that is shared in the commentary addresses the development of Laura, from the casting to the shooting process, as well as the structure of its narrative and themes, and David O. Selznick's legacy. The commentary can be accessed only with the Theatrical Version.

• Commentary Two - this archival audio commentary features film historian Rudy Behlmer, who also addresses the production history of Laura but also spends a great deal of time on the film's style, tone, and music. The commentary can be accessed only with the Theatrical Version.

• Laura - the Radio Adaptations - presented here are four vintage radio adaptations that were made for the film.
  
  1. Lux Radio Theater, Episode 469 (February 5, 1945).
  2. Lux Radio Theater, Episode 866 (February 1, 1954).
  3. Screen Guild Theater (August 20, 1945).
  4. Ford Theater (May 30, 1948).

• A Tune for Laura: David Raksin Remembers - in this archival program, composer David Raksin discusses his career in the film industry -- with some very interesting recollections about his work with Charlie Chaplin and Arnold Schoenberg -- and the five film scores he did for Otto Preminger, including the one he created for Laura. The program was created by Robert Fischer for Fiction Factory. In English, not subtitled. (11 min).

• The Obsession - this archival program features comments focuses on the stylistic characteristics of film noir and Laura. Included in it are clips from interviews with writer/director Carl Franklin, film professor Dr. Drew Casper, and composer John Morgan, amongst others. In English, not subtitled. (13 min).

• The Obsession - a vintage trailer for Laura. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• Deleted Scene - it can be viewed with an audio commentary by Rudy Behlmer. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Booklet - a collector's booklet featuring a new essay by Phil Hoad, alongside a selection of rare archival imagery.

Laura Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Eureka Entertainment's upcoming release of Laura is sourced from the same remaster that Twentieth Century Fox used a few years ago for the North American release of the film and retains most of the bonus features that were found on it. I personally think that Laura could look better in high-definition, but if you do not yet have a copy of it in your collection you should consider picking one up. It is a genuine film noir masterpiece that features a number of stars at the top of their game. RECOMMENDED.