“Laura” Casts a Spell Over “Oscar® Noir”

Beverly Hills, CA — “Laura” (1944), the tale of a police detective who falls in love with the woman whose murder he's investigating, will be screened as the next feature in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' series “Oscar® Noir: 1940s Writing Nominees from Hollywood's Dark Side” on Monday, May 24, at 7:30 p.m. at the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater. The film will be introduced by Oscar-nominated screenwriter Scott Frank (“Out of Sight,” “Minority Report”).

Based on the novel by Vera Caspary, “Laura” earned five Academy Award® nominations, including one for the screenplay written by Jay Dratler, Samuel Hoffenstein and Betty Reinhardt. The film also received nominations for Actor in a Supporting Role (Clifton Webb), Black-and-White Art Direction (Lyle Wheeler, Leland Fuller; Interior Decoration: Thomas Little) and Directing (Otto Preminger), and took home the Oscar for Black-and-White Cinematography (Joseph LaShelle).

At 7 p.m. the noir cartoon short “Flora” (1948) and the episode “The Guillotine” from the 1941 serial “Adventures of Captain Marvel” will be screened as part of the evening's pre-feature program.

“Oscar Noir” is a summer-long series featuring 15 film noir classics from the 1940s, all of which were nominated in writing categories. Including “Laura,” there are 13 screenings remaining in the series. A complete list of films can be found at http://www.oscars.org/events-exhibitions/events/2010/noir.html.

Tickets to individual evenings, if still available, are $5 for the general public and $3 for Academy members and students with a valid ID. They may be purchased online at www.oscars.org, by mail, in person at the Academy during regular business hours or, depending on availability, on the night of the screening when the doors open at 6:30 p.m. The Samuel Goldwyn Theater is located at 8949 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills. For more information, call (310) 247-3600 or visit www.oscars.org.

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