Simply... BRILLIANT!!! (nm)
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-Mae West-
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I agree a brilliant film.
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MovieChat Forums > The Letter (1940) Discussion > Simply... BRILLIANT!!! (nm)
I couldn't agree with you more. This is a brilliant film. All the actors/actresses were great! Bette Davis was super, as was Herbert Marshall as the kind, caring husband, willing to, as he said, "forgive anything" because he deeply loved her. The actor, James Stephenson (the defense attorney/friend), was perfect for the part. Actually, I think his strong performance helped elevate this movie to the classic it is.
shareYes I agree as well. I love ths film. I have seen this movie over and over and every time it come on I watch it again.
shareI really appreciate your nice comments, luverofmovies. I really can't understand why this wonderful movie is not between the AFI's 100 best movies of all time.
Thanks for writing.
Fran.-
Come up and see me sometime...
-Mae West-
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I just watched The Letter, I love it.
It's my favorite film of Bettes!
I love the score too.
I just heard Robert Osborne say, that Bette didn't like the ending
because in the book Leslie lives, and has to live with a husband she doesn't love and pining over a man she killed.
But Hollywood at at the time, couldn't allow an "unpunished" ending.
So Leslie had to die.
either way, I think it's wonderful.
GREAT FILM WITH GREAT ACTING AND GREAT DIRECTING!!
shareOh yeah. This has always been among my top five favorite movies. It's so well done that it still plays 67 years later without seeming dated. Bette's wonderful, and so is everyone else. James Stephenson was superb in this.
The W.S. Maugham novelette that it's based on is such a good story, too. To me, this is a nearly perfect film: perfect story, perfect cast, perfect directing, perfect acting.
My favorite scene is the one where Bette has fainted while being held in the jail, and starts playing Stephenson. Just the way her hand starts creeping up the wall. All due to Wyler's controlled direction, of course. Love that Bette, but she could easily have marred this performance without Wyler's masterful hand. No wonder she slept with him. A director she respected!
I also love when she says "Ive always wanted to see Chinatown. I hear it's a bit creepy."
Despite the compromised ending (due to censorship requirements at the time), this is one of the 100 greatest American films. Davis is brilliant (deserved the Oscar, can anyone really believe Ginger Rogers was better?), Stephenson deserved the best supporting actor Oscar, and Wyler confirms his position of one of the greatest directors in Hollywood history. This was all shot on the backlot at Warner's, but you would swear it was done on location.
shareI agree. The film was flawless. There wasn't an unnecessary line or gesture,
not a dull moment. The acting and direction was perfection.
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The Letter is an excellent film, there's really very little that could be criticized, and James Stephenson is especially convincing. Perhaps not so much commented on is the look of the picture. Almost every scene is beautifully composed, lit and photographed.
Director: William Wyler
Director of photography: Tony Gaudio
"I beseech ye in the bowels of Christ, think that ye may be mistaken."
Pretty good - 7.5
"She let me go."
~White Oleander