Laura [DVD] [1944]

Otto Preminger's Laura (1944) was originally promised on DVD in 2003, and was then delayed for two years. In the interim, the proposed disc got loaded up with special features, and the wait was worth it, to judge not only from the viewing but also the listening of this disc. Between the two commentary tracks involving three people, and the pair of Biography specials appended, there is plenty to enjoy here beyond the movie itself. And as to the movie, the full-screen (1.33-to-1) transfer here makes the old laserdisc (which looked pretty good in its time) obsolete. The clarity and sharpness are as close a match, in tone and richness, to a proper theatrical showing as this viewer has seen from a classic black-and-white movie on DVD. Additionally, both the standard and the extended versions of the movie (the latter containing footage that was removed when the movie was sent overseas) are included on the disc. There are two commentary tracks as well, both for the slightly shorter standard version, one by Rudy Behlmer and the other by Jeanine Basinger and composer David Raksin. Behlmer's work mostly consists of tying together the nuts and bolts of the production and the evolution of the original story with the decisions made by the studio; Basinger covers some of the same material but concentrates much more on actors, characters, and themes; and Raksin, who passed away soon after recording his portion of the commentary, talks about the movie's music, which he composed (it's just a pity they didn't get to him five or ten years earlier, when he would have remembered more about the film). Those commentary tracks are rewarding and worthwhile and, coupled with the presence of the Biography shows from the 1980s devoted to Gene Tierney and Vincent Price, make this a near total-immersion experience of the movie -- the only thing missing that would have made this release perfect is a similar portrait of director/producer Otto Preminger. Both edits of the movie (and this reviewer recommends the slightly longer extended version over the standard version) have been given a generous 20 chapters. The disc opens on a multi-layered menu that's easy to maneuver around, and which allows one to bounce between (or out of) the two commentary tracks without losing one's place in the film.