The Letter
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Movie Reviews of The Letter
Movie Review: Unforgettable!
Summary: 5 Stars
"The Letter" is one of the great mood films ever made. Many praises have gone deservedly to the cast and to the director, but certainly the cinematography and the sound contribute significantly to the success of the film. Without any special computer effects, the camera makes the viewer feel the stifling heat of pre-war British Maylay and perceive the ambiguous emotions of the characters, cast into patterned shadow as the white-hot moon penetrates the bamboo blinds. When the barrister (James Stephenson) takes Leslie (Bette Davis) to purchase the incriminating letter from the malevolent widow (Gail Sondergaard), the uncanny wind-bells seem to have been conjured up from the opium pipe that is being smoked by one of the blackmailers.
Actually, I prefer the alternative ending, which is less melodramatic. It is also the one I recall seeing as a child. The dropped lace-work, the moon slipping behind the clouds and the shadowed hand drawing the glinting dagger are vivid images that have remained etched on my memory for longer than I care to remember.
Movie Review: A Young, Beautiful, Talented Bette Davis
Summary: 5 Stars
THE LETTER, after all these years (it was made in 1940), continues to mesmerize. A very young, thin, Bette Davis is a revelation. The black and white format gives the film the mystique and the photography is wonderful. The lighting is superb throughout the film. The story line is difficult to imagine, but she pulls it off. When she says, "Is it because I'm evil?" you find it difficult to accept. The widow of the man she murdered is chilling. When she is on the screen you forget about Ms. Davis and everyone else in the frame. No doubt this happened somewhere in Malaysia at one time. I watched it again last night and the chills are still there after all these years. It is difficult to accept Ms. Davis was born 100 years ago. Her work is as fresh as yesterday. She was in her early 30's when she made this. She could not have fantasized in her wildest dreams what was in store for her in the future. Awards, heartbreak, illness. There was only one Bette Davis. There will never be another actress who will come close to her genius. Ever.Movie Review: indictment of infidelity
Summary: 5 Stars
though not a big Bette Davis fan, there are several films that were absolute masterpieces. Davis seemes to deliver one of her greatest performances when assuming the role of the quintessential 'bitch'. among these are: "The Little Foxes", "Mr. Skeffington" and this one (The Letter).
"The Letter" is an absolute masterpiece in cinema. the film boasts a rare shocking opening scene. this is the first pairing of Bette Davis and Herbert Marshall, a great actor in his own merit. this film will not disappoint. from the opener to the conclusion, it keeps one fully engrossed. a true masterpiece in the indictment of infidelity and murder.
as for the DVD, the transfer is excellent along with the sound. one complaint, however: the alleged alternate conclusion in the Special Features isn't really an alternate conclusion, but an edited version of the original ending.
Movie Review: Bette at her scheming best
Summary: 5 Stars
This film is a fantastic adaptation of a very popular book and play from its era.
Bette Davis plays Leslie Crosbie, the wife of an English rubber plantation owner (Herbert Marshall) in the steamy Malay tropics.
The action starts with Leslie shooting dead her lover outside the house she shares with her husband.
On her husband's return, Leslie attempts to explain that the man tried to rape her and spends most of the movie concocting a phony alibi with which to aquit herself of the crime.
Gale Sondergaard plays the icy Chinese wife of the man she shoots dead and as usual steals the show.
I would count this among Davis' five greatest films and it seems to get better and more intriguing with each viewing.
Highly recommended viewing.
Movie Review: wow.. what a movie
Summary: 5 Stars
bueno .. la primera vez que vi the letter.. me sorprendio mucho la direccion.. cada detalle fue mostrado a la perfeccion.. si bien no tuvo el final de la obra en la cual es basada... me impresiono muchisimo ..la actuacion de Bette Davis.,.. como la Sra Crosbie... su mirada implacable...sus gestos..su voz.. todo es fascinante en ella.. el inicio espectacular.. y un final al estilo hollywood... hay que darle merito al reparto a Gale Sodergaard... Herbert Marshall, etc..
Buena pelicula...entretenida..con un toque histrionico excepcional
saludos