Eyes of Laura Mars (1978)

A famous fashion photographer develops a disturbing ability to see through the eyes of a killer.

Director:

Irvin Kershner

Writers:

John Carpenter (screenplay), David Zelag Goodman (screenplay)

Stars:

Faye Dunaway, Tommy Lee Jones, Brad Dourif

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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 Cassell
Bill Boggs	...	Himself
Steve Marachuk	...	Robert
Meg Mundy	...	Doris Spenser
Marilyn Meyers	...	Sheila Weissman
Gary Bayer	...	Reporter
Mitchell Edmonds	...	Reporter

Storyline

Suddenly Laura Mars can see through the eyes of a serial killer as he commits his crimes. She contacts the police and with the aid of a police detective, tries to stop the killer. But first, they have to figure out who it is.

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Plot Keywords:

giallo | psychopath | serial killer | vision | fashion photographer | 

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Genres:

Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

Sony Movie Channel [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 August 1978 (USA)

Also Known As:

Eyes

Filming Locations:

Columbus Circle, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$7,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$20,000,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures, Major Studio Partners

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film cast includes two Oscar winners: Faye Dunaway and Tommy Lee Jones and one Oscar nominee: Brad Dourif.

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Goofs

When the killer kicks in the metallic door to Laura's bedroom, dents/footprints in the door from previous takes of this shot are clearly visible.

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Quotes

Answering machine: [Recorded greeting on Michele and Lulu's answering machine] This is Lulu and Michele. We're not here, so go to hell! But if you're not a horny creep, leave a message at the beep!

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Crazy Credits

Raul Julia is billed simply as R.J. in the opening credits, but by his full name in the cast crawl at the end.

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Connections

Remade as Nazar (2005)

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Soundtracks

Love Theme (Prisoner)
Sung by Barbra Streisand
Words and Music by Karen Lawrence & John Desautels
Produced by Gary Klein

User Reviews

Close but no cigar

I saw Eyes of Laura Mars a few years ago and just watched it again very recently. I remembered it as being fantastic but upon watching it again I was a little disappointed. It's a solid film, by no means bad, it's just nothing all that special.

For the past 3 years or so I've been totally hooked on giallo's and this film plays in a lot of ways like an homage to those Italian thrillers. Touches here and there remind you of Dario Argento (obsessive mirror imagery, Laura's visions etc.), Lucio Fulci, Sergio Martino and Mario Bava, such as the model settings and murder scenarios. While this film scores heavy on style (and music, though I find this soundtrack a bit hokey, but generally OK) it just lacks the magic that the best giallo's seem to have. The plot, while intriguing enough, is not nearly played out to it's full potential. There are gripping scenes here to be sure, but the film drags quite a bit and nothing virtually happens for a long period of time.

For seasoned giallo fans, we know the killer is most definitely gonna be the most unlikely one, and for a lack of suspects, I didn't find it hard to figure out who was guilty, but there's pretty much no logic to support it (but that's a giallo trademark, a pro rather than a con actually). For me, the problem is that this film doesn't have the same trashy feel and atmosphere as the best Italian thrillers it seems to be imitating. In a lot of ways I like this film, certain scenes are truly gripping but there's simply something lacking. Being a huge fan of John Carpenter, I can't help but think what he could have done had he directed this. He came up with the story and shares the credits as the writer of the screenplay and what's more, he loves the Italian giallo films as well. His own homage to the genre; Someone's Watching Me, the little known TV film was terrific and you could see that he definitely had the feel for the genre and could easily translate it to American settings. I don't feel that Kershner, as good a director as he is, has the same love for the genre as Carpenter.

I recommend watching it, it scores on a number of levels.