Faye Dunaway (The Thomas Crown Affair) stars in this deviously original supernatural thriller from acclaimed director Irvin Kershner (The Empire Strikes Back). World-renowned for her sensational, erotic portraits of models in settings of glorified urban violence, Laura Mars (Dunaway) exhibits a mystifying psychic ability. In her mind’s eye, she “witnesses” a series of bizarre murders with terrifying clarity. All of the victims are people Laura has known. Homicide detective John Neville (Tommy Lee Jones, Black Moon Rising) attempts to unravel the mystery…and makes a bloodcurdling discovery. The chilling Eyes of Laura Mars was scripted by masters of suspense John Carpenter (Halloween) and David Zelag Goodman (Straw Dogs), with a crackerjack cast that includes Brad Dourif (One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest), Rene Auberjonois (M*A*S*H) and Raul Julia (The Addams Family).
For thoughts on Eyes Of Laura Mars, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:
[youtube https://youtu.be/o54I9R54yQg?t=2745]
Video Quality
Eyes Of Laura Mars comes to Blu-Ray from Kino Classics with a 1080p transfer in its original 1.85:1 that is passable, but could be much improved. This film previously made its debut on the format a few years ago from Mill Creek. While I have never seen that particular disc, history would have us believe that it is likely derived from the same older master, only presented with a better encode with less compression artifacts. The source is in pretty good condition when it comes to nicks and scratches, but most other elements seem to be coming up short in one respect or another.
The transfer exhibits density fluctuations in the grain field along with an uneven distribution throughout the feature. Image quality is overall stable while lacking crisp detail in the production design or distinct texture of clothing. Colors could be a bit more robust in terms of saturations, but they mostly look natural. Black levels are acceptable in their depth, although it is not uncommon to lose some detail in shadows. The transfer mostly avoids unsightly instances of compression artifacts and other digital anomalies. This is a film which could use a fresh master to fully capture the nuances of the photography.
Audio Quality
Kino Classics brings us this new Blu-Ray with a lossless DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio mix that is much more impressive than the video side of things. One of the elements that this film takes from classic giallo is the need for a good soundtrack, and the haunting score proves to be one of the highlights of the experience. This presentation avoids any weakness in the upper registers or anywhere else when it comes to fidelity. Dialogue holds up very well, coming through clearly without being stepped on by the music or sound effects. The environmental effects are not going to shake up your world, but are delineated nicely within the speakers. The sounds of certain struggles and other exaggerated sounds bring some weight to the mix. Kino Classics has delivered a good track here. There are optional English subtitles provided.
Special Features
- Audio Commentary: Director Irvin Kershner provides an informative commentary track in which he discusses the background of the film, the challenges of making it, the visual motifs, the casting of the film, working with Dunaway, the shooting locations, the tone of the film and more.
- Visions – 1978 Making-Of Featurette: A nearly eight-minute vintage piece which takes you behind the scenes of the production while giving a broad overview of the narrative.
- Eyes Of Laura Mars Photography with Commentary: A nearly nine-minute montage of photos from the film with a commentary in which you learn about some scenes that were in the script but not in the film.
- Radio Spot: A 31-second radio spot is provided here.
- TV Spots: A minute-and-a-half collection of TV spots are provided here.
- Trailers: The three-and-a-half minute trailer for Eyes Of Laura Mars is provided here.. There are also trailers provided for The Thomas Crown Affair, Puzzle Of A Downfall Child, Black Moon Rising, Sudden Terror, Someone Behind The Door, Play Misty For Me and The Reincarnation Of Peter Proud.
Final Thoughts
Eyes Of Laura Mars is far from a trainwreck, but it lacks the execution to make it a memorable experience. You can see the influences of classic Italian giallo films on the narrative, yet it does not know how to wrangle all of these elements into an effective thriller. You do get some effective performances, especially Faye Dunaway in the titular role, so the film has that going for it. Kino Classics has brought this film to Blu-Ray with a fine A/V presentation and a nice selection of special features.
Eyes Of Laura Mars is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Kino Classics has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
