The Letter
Starring Bette Davis, Herbert Marshall, and James Stephenson
Written by Howard Koch
Directed by William Wyler
Starring Bette Davis, Herbert Marshall, and James Stephenson
Written by Howard Koch
Directed by William Wyler
"If you love a person, you can forgive anything"
This movie has been on my Netflix queue for a long time (how I found out about it, I have no clue), so when I saw it was showing on Turner Classic Movies, I jumped at the chance to finally watch it. I was not disappointed.
Bette Davis gives a powerhouse performance here. I tend to think of Davis as a great actress, but rather harsh in her delivery. Here, she's quite subdued, while still maintaining that hint of sharpness in her character. Davis is Leslie Crosbie and when we first see her, she has a gun in her hand and is shooting a man outside of her cottage in Malaya (now Mayalasia...a little Wikipedia search told me that this was a British colony at the time). Why she did it is unknown and is only gradually revealed, and the director and writer both did wonderful jobs of maintaining suspense and tension.
With her husband by her side, Leslie must face trial for her crime, but has assured everyone that she killed in self-defense. While initially believed to be telling the truth, her lawyer becomes aware of a letter Leslie wrote (hence the movie title) that shines a new light on the crime...one that may prove Leslie is not as innocent as once expected.
The movie is a thriller, but in an old school sense. Tension arises from the actors, their line readings, and their facial expressions. Helped by a beautiful Asian-tinged melodramatic (not in a bad way) 40s style musical score by Max Steiner, director William Wyler has crafted a great looking movie. His use of shadows, lingering shots, and the way he frames scenes is certainly admirable.
With a brisk 90-minute running time, this is a perfect starting movie for those interested in discovering what classic 40s melodrama is all about.
The RyMickey Rating: A-
I honestly can't say anything about the movie itself, but I feel the need to contend that Casablanca is probably a better jumping off point for 40's melodrama, given how it hasn't aged at all. :-D
ReplyDeleteBut I could be wrong. :)
Casablanca is an excellent film...but I think part of the fun of 40s melodrama is that it is a genre that has aged. There's nothing like that swelling music mixed with the actress putting her hand up to her mouth all aghast with disbelief at what is going on.
ReplyDeleteCasablanca is almost too good to be called a melodrama.