Eyes of Laura Mars (1978)

User Rating:

6.0/10   

Director:

Irvin Kershner

Writers:

John Carpenter (screenplay) and
David Zelag Goodman (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

2 August 1978 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Plot:

Suddenly Laura Mars can see through the eyes of a serial killer as he commits his crimes. She contacts...

Plot Keywords:

Police | Serial Killer | Model | Fashion | Disco Music

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Faye Dunaway	...	Laura Mars
Tommy Lee Jones	...	John Neville
Brad Dourif	...	Tommy Ludlow
Rene Auberjonois	...	Donald Phelps
Raul Julia	...	Michael Reisler (as R.J.)
Frank Adonis	...	Sal Volpe
Lisa Taylor	...	Michele
Darlanne Fluegel	...	Lulu
Rose Gregorio	...	Elaine Cassel
Bill Boggs	...	Himself
Steve Marachuk	...	Robert
Meg Mundy	...	Doris Spenser
Marilyn Meyers	...	Sheila Weissman
Gary Bayer	...	Reporter
Mitchell Edmonds	...	Reporter

Also Known As:

Eyes (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

104 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Netherlands:12 (original rating) | Netherlands:16 (re-rating) | South Africa:16LV | Australia:M | Finland:K-18 | Norway:15 | Sweden:15 | UK:AA (original rating) | USA:R | West Germany:16 | UK:15 (video rating)

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

Michael Miller was hired by Jon Peters to direct this film in 1976, but was replaced in 1977 by Irvin Kershner because of "creative differences".

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Laura sees an especially frightening vision the camera cuts to her eyes in close-up. Her pupils are not maximally dilated as they would normally be by extreme emotion, but are pinpoints. This would likely have been a technical difficulty as the bright lights in the C/U would shrink her pupils.

Quotes:

Laura: I can't understand... how it's possible... to live your whole life... without someone... and be doing more or less OK. And then suddenly you find them.
John Neville: You recognize them.
Laura: You recognize them. And... you know without them...
John Neville: [whispered] It's terrifying.
Laura: Yes.
John Neville: [whispered] It's beautiful.
Laura: Yes.

Movie Connections:

References Capricorn One (1978)

Soundtrack:

Burn

Better Than It Had To Be

Jon Peters' first production as he transformed himself (with girlfriend Barbra Streisand's help) from hairdresser to movie producer, the movie is a gem of Seventies style at it's finest. The clothes, the hair, makeup, music, attitude, interiors and locations ride the crest of the high-style wave that flooded the world through the Eighties. Combining the improbable worlds of violence and fashion, with a story that centers on a famous photographer (Dunaway) and her ability to *see* her friends and colleagues being stalked and murdered, *Eyes* has moments of serious suspense, but that's hardly the reason to see this movie. Utilizing the actual photography of fashion god Helmut Newton, the film maker has exquisitely captured the 1978 New York fashion and disco scene in a way that none of the recent looks at the Seventies has been able to, but then, again, this movie was *made* in 1978, not 27 years later. The scenes of photo shoots are particularly fun to watch, with one scene portraying a burning car crash in Columbus Circle in which the models, clad in garter belts and fur coats cat-fight before the camera. The ingenuous use of *real* models add the precise amount of vacuity necessary to make the surreal shot work. Another photo shoot involves a model dead from a gunshot to his heart lying in a pool surrounded by exotically dressed disco-dancing models and a throbbing disco beat. The plot is secondary to style in this movie, and style is the only reason this movie should be remembered. Favorite moment: Darlanne Fluegel as the model Lulu haplessly trying to explain to the press *why* violence is important in fashion photos.