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 & 2 nominations.

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	...	Self
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:

new york city | psychopath | serial killer | vision | photographer | 

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Genres:

Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Laura Mars character is mentioned in Tori Amos' song 'Gold Dust' released on the 2002 album "Scarlet's Walk".

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Goofs

When the staged car wreck for the photo shoot is being set up, the camera, camera crew and boom operator can all be seen in the chrome bumper of the car that is rolled over.

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Quotes

Lulu: Laura I don't like pink.
Laura: Lulu it likes you.

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Crazy Credits

The film's closing credits roll over the first image of the movie, a black and white image of Laura's eyes as a negative.

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Connections

References Capricorn One (1977)

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Soundtracks

Boogie Nights
Performed by Heatwave
Written by Rod Temperton (uncredited)
Produced by Bobby Bland (as Bobby Blue)
Courtesy of EPIC Records

User Reviews

nice middling thriller

Laura Mars (Faye Dunaway) is a celebrated fashion photographer. She is haunted by visions from a killer's eyesight. At her gala, she encounters police detective John Neville (Tommy Lee Jones) who hates the photos of violence against semi-nude women without knowing it's her. Those around her are killed and Neville investigates. Her pictures seem to mimic real crime scenes. Tommy Ludlow (Brad Dourif) is her driver. Donald Phelps (René Auberjonois) is her manager. Michael Reisler (Raul Julia) is her possessive ex-husband.

The killer's vision needs better consistency. It's mostly first person POV except sometimes it goes up to the murder weapon. It becomes more traditional but it needs to stay with the first person POV. Otherwise, it's a nice premise and the visual mostly works. It has blood and gore but like the photos, they are too stagey. The first thing that caught my eye is the writing credit for John Carpenter. This is pre-Halloween by a couple of months. If it somehow got released after Halloween, I'm sure they would have promoted Carpenter's script to death and it would be an even bigger hit. The great cast is doing good work. There is a twist that seems more for twist's sake. This is a nice middling mystery thriller although the pacing is not always that thrilling.

Details

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

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$20,000,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures, Major Studio Partners

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1