The Letter

This is an excellent adaptation of Somerset Maugham's play about the wife of a Malaysian plantation owner who kills her lover and claims it was self defense. However, there exists an incriminating letter... The role of Leslie Crosbie was previously performed on stage by Katherine Cornell and Gladys Cooper and filmed in 1929 with Jeanne Eagles. Davis gives one of her greatest performances in a carefully nuanced orchestration of pent-up sexual frustration. Equally good is Herbert Marshall as her suffering husband and James Stephenson as the lawyer who reluctantly defends her. Tragically, Stephenson would die of a heart attack the following year at the age of 52. Both Stephenson and Davis would receive Oscar nominations for their work here. Another unforgettable performance comes from Gale Sondergaard who plays the Eurasian wife of the victim and possessor of the incriminating document. Her chalky face and garish jewelry will give you up the creeps as will the looks of death she gives to Davis. She has very few lines (and they are in Mandarin) but what an entrance she makes! The confrontation scene between Davis and Sondergaard, eerily played with no music aside from wind chimes, has to be one of most tense and memorable scenes ever filmed. Speaking of music, the score by Max Steiner is one of his best. Other great elements of "The Letter" are the atmospheric photography and sets which perfectelly set the mood of the hot and humid nights on a rubber plantation and the ever present full moon, appearing and disappearing behind clouds and casting shadows (and an accusing glance) on the face of the guilty heroine. The dvd looks great (on a 36" tv at least) with the wonderful black and white photography sharpy rendered and no notices of nicks or scratches. An alternate ending is featured which basically excerpts a scene in which Davis tells Marshall that she still loves the man she killed. Davis did not want the scene included because she felt that her character could not be so callous to her husband! Director William Wyler wisely included it! Two radio versions (in 1941 and 1944) are also included with both Davis and Marshall reprising their roles. Vincent Price plays the lawyer role in the 1944 version. Read more

Love this movie! My husband and I are absolute movie fanatics with an extensive collection. We're extremely happy to add this movie to our library! HUGE fans of Bette Davis... Read more

The best version of this book. I’m sure the ending in the book is different. The Hayes code was in effect when this movie was made. Haunting opening music. Quick, no nonsense dialogue and delivery. All the main actors shine. Bette Davis is excellent as is Gale Sondergaard playing Mrs. Geoff Hammond. My favorite character is Ong Che Sing. A must see many times. Read more

One of the great Davis films Read more

Times have changed and "The Letter", based on a short story and play by W Somerset Maugham, suffers in 2005 from its stagebound roots. The film focuses on dialogue and atmosphere with little action. The modern equivalent would be English TV series such as "The Forsyte Saga" or "Pride and Prejudice". The plot involves the deception of an unfaithful wife who kills her lover, stands trial but is pronounced innocent of murder but only because an incriminating letter is suppressed. The resolution of the film is compromised from the play by the constraints of the Production Code but it is still harrowing. The film accurately captures the atmosphere and location of Maugham's short story, the narrow and provincial world of the English in Malaya. William Wyler's direction is very tight. His skill with the actors, the sets, establishing a mood etc is outstanding but every moment feels as if it was drawn up with a slide rule. The same applies to Bette Davis's legendary performance as the hypocritical Leslie Crosbie. Davis is riveting but as precise as her diction. Every move she makes feels as if it was carefully choreographed. She is like a coiled spring, ready to explode. Of course, this reflects the knots of her web of deceit hidden beneath the controlled exterior, but at all times, you are aware of "great acting". James Stephenson plays her lawyer and his performance is as good as Davis's. Their scenes together are the best in the film as you sit on the edge of your seat watching them play cat and mouse. Stephenson nearly walked off the set from the pressure brought by Wyler but Davis urged him to hang in there because of the great performance Wyler would get and she was right. Herbert Marshall plays Davis's husband very well too. His realisation that he does not know the woman with whom he has been sharing his life is moving. Gail Sondergaard plays the murdered man's Eurasian wife and creates a menacing figure with almost no dialogue. The DVD print is excellent and the package contains an alternate ending which eliminates the fireworks of the released ending but in someways offers a more subtle resolution - interesting to see. One of the fascinations of seeing these alternate scenes is you get an unusual insight into the thought process of the director. The radio transcripts are a waste of time. The plot is compressed and the actors rush through the scripts without any of the pregnant pauses which are so important in the film. Also, why listen to a second rate condensed version of the script when you can watch the real thing? Trivia Note - Cecil Kellaway gets billing, but he is barely in the film. Other prints, but not this one, show him in other scenes. Read more