Laura (1979 film)


Laura: Shadows of a Summer or is a 1979 French romantic and erotic drama film directed by photographer David Hamilton. Hamilton himself made a cameo appearance in the film. It stars a then sixteen-year-old Dawn Dunlap at the time of release, as the title character.

Plot

James Mitchell plays Paul Wyler, a successful sculptor best known for sculpting nude young girls. When he encounters an old flame, Sarah, he is so smitten by her beautiful daughter Laura that he asks Sarah if she will pose for him. Sarah, married but still jealous of the fact that her former lover is more attracted to her daughter, tells Paul that Laura is not interested, even though she is actually quite enthusiastic about doing it. As an alternative to live posing, Sarah takes photos of Laura posing nude and gives them to Paul so that he can sculpt Laura. After a fire at an art exhibit, Paul goes blind and cannot complete the sculpture. In the end, Laura, when going to say goodbye to Paul, allows him to finish his work by feeling her body and sculpting by feeling. This leads to a sexual encounter between the two, and the next morning Laura's mother comes to take her away.

Production

The film is shot in the same soft focus style that is common of David Hamilton's photography and his other films.

Cast

In 1979, Hamilton released a portfolio tie-in with the film, entitled Shadows of a Summer.