Laura (1979)

memory and possible salvation rolled into one. Then a fire at an exhibition leaves him blind before the statue is finished, turning his artistic fixation into desperation: photographs are now useless, and completing the work would require direct physical contact with Laura. David Hamilton shoots the whole business in his unmistakable misty, soft-focus style, favouring dreamy tableaux and languid silences over psychological depth or sharp dialogue. It is visually polished and sometimes genuinely hypnotic, but its beauty cannot disguise the troubling nature of Paul’s desire—or the film’s reluctance to question that desire seriously. What might have been a dark examination of projection, ageing and exploitation instead plays largely as a melancholy romantic fantasy, leaving the viewer caught between admiring the images and wanting to challenge the man behind the camera.

This is late-1970s French art-house eroticism at its most recognisable: affluent people, ballet lessons, artists’ studios, gallery parties, gauzy windows and enough tasteful white fabric to stock a small Parisian boutique. Filmed in France, it inhabits an elegant, insulated world where nobody seems burdened by ordinary employment, bad weather or fluorescent lighting. Hamilton and cinematographer Bernard Daillencourt turn the ballet school and studio interiors into living photographs, even arranging some dance-school imagery in poses recalling Degas. Patrick Juvet’s lush blend of electronic pop, disco, balladry and easy listening adds to the period flavour. The resulting vibe is slow, wistful and highly manufactured—a perfume commercial stretched into an erotic melodrama, beautiful on the surface but increasingly uncomfortable underneath.

Maud Adams supplies the grown-up glamour as Sarah: tall, poised, coolly beautiful and far more emotionally readable than the screenplay deserves. She makes the mother’s jealousy feel like more than simple vanity; Sarah recognises Paul’s appetite, understands the danger and is also wounded that his gaze has moved past her. Dawn Dunlap gives Laura a soft, unguarded quality, though the role asks more of her physical presence than her acting, and that is where the film becomes impossible to discuss as harmless eye candy. The picture contains extensive nudity and develops toward explicit sexual intimacy involving a fifteen-year-old character; Dunlap herself was underage during production. So yes, it is sexually frank by 1979 standards, but not in a carefree, saucy way—the soft lighting may whisper “romance,” while the circumstances shout something considerably more disturbing.

A Visual Treat by the Master Weaver of Dreamy Softcore Erotica, David Hamilton, starring American actress Dawn Dunlop as Laura.

When a French sculptor Paul meets his now-married, ex-girlfriend after a long time, he becomes instantly enamoured by her young daughter Laura, because she look exactly like her mother when he was in love with her.

He asks if she would pose for him, but her mother, who still likes him, does everything to prevent Her from even meeting him, which intrigues the young girl even more and she starts obsessing over him, eventually getting him as an act of teenage rebellion.

British writer, photographer, film-maker and director David Hamilton was the quintessential Dirty Old Man famous for his Beautiful Erotic Movies known for their Soft-focussed Aesthetics, Great country sides, and Amazing, mostly Young & Nubile Nymphets, like Dawn Dunlop.

He was the Softcore Tinto Brass of England.

This is a 48 minutes Juiced collection of the Best scenes from the movie, to be enjoyed when Not Sober and when you don’t want to think too much, just sit back and enjoy some Innocent Beauty… 🔥🔥❤️❤️💕💕