The Letter

1940 "Fascinating, Tantalizing and DANGEROUS!"
7.5| 1h35m| NR| en| More Info
Released: 23 November 1940 Released
Producted By: Warner Bros. Pictures
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Synopsis

After a woman shoots a man to death, a damning letter she wrote raises suspicions.

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Reviews

Interesteg What makes it different from others?
TrueJoshNight Truly Dreadful Film
Dotbankey A lot of fun.
Staci Frederick Blistering performances.
Richie-67-485852 Bette Davis was known at some point to never let her audience down when it came to her movie roles and this movie supports that. Powerful in its story-telling and slow to reel you in and then hook, The Letter gets better as it unfolds but not to disappoint those that like to get right to it, this movie also hits the ground running right at the start. Every viewer gains as this movie is played. Good cast and crew to not mention memorable scenes that make one want to see the movie again despite knowing the ending. Excellent character and ethics being acted out and how quick they can all come to risk should the right circumstances prevail. This movie presents those ducks all lined up and ready to quack away. What fascinates us is when a fellow human being bets all they have on a thing, outcome or want. Not one but three people succumb making us see that dark forces if given an inch will take a mile if we blink. We blink and the rest is good entertainment. Ask yourself if this could have happened to you and if so, what would you do? Play the different characters and keep asking. In the end, all we say or do comes down to truth or whatever topples us. In this case, its in writing and peoples life's
joshuanicholls-11150 The letter directed by William Wyler starred Bette Davis, Herbert Marshall and James Stephenson. the setting was in Singapore. the letter is a crime drama.the film starts with Leslie Crosbie(Bette Davis) emptying a clip on a man who she claimed assaulted her. The authorities take Leslie to jail until the trial. Howard Joyce(James Stephenson) Leslie's lawyer gets a hold of a letter that says she called for Mr. Hammond to her house saying that her husband was away and that she wanted him to come over. When Leslie is told of this she said that she never wrote that and that it was a fraud. She later admits to writing the letter. The filming in this movie has lots of movement unlike other films with set stages. The Letter begins with this aspect from the very beginning. in this specific shot in which the camera is moving left to right and moving up and down giving a broad visual for the set. this continues through out the movie. for example when they enter Chinatown the camera is moving with the car and changing perspective so you can see what the characters see.the acting was very well done. Herbert Marshall and James Stephenson were amazing. The extras and side characters did just as good. Bette Davis over did it. Her acting was fine she was just over dramatic. My overall reaction to the film was an 8/10. i gave it an 8/10 because like i said earlier how Bette Davis was over dramatic. if it wasn't for that i would've given it an 10/10.
deschreiber This is one of my favourite movies. The gripping narrative, the acting, all the riveting scenes of high drama -- great stuff.But I wonder why we give a pass to its racism? We speak out against the racism of Westerns and their portrayal of indigenous peoples, and it's with a sense of embarrassment that we watch those old movies. Similarly we recognize the stereotypes and racism of the Charlie Chan movies. But I think we still need to acknowledge quite clearly how racist The Letter is. I am tempted to list some of the outrageous examples from the movie, but there are so many at every level that it would be a dreary task.Hollywood, of course, was dealing with a story set in a racist society, written by an English author. Yet Hollywood did nothing to undercut the racism, there is no distancing from the contempt the whites have for others, the language they use about them. Without exception the Asians are crafty, untrustworthy, degraded, living in the shadows, prowling by night, and ultimately murderous.Enjoy The Letter, by all means. But let's not overlook the ugliness of the milieu. Let's not accept such rank injustice as normal and dull our eyes until we barely notice it.
Dunham16 The famous premise though not edited intact into this otherwise enticing, thought provoking and superb entertainment film is if you are believed to be a murderer yet determinedly deny your complicity in the crime when later tried in the public eye and in the public courts how far can this charade go IF it is truly a charade? The original had a superb premise and a definitive response in the author's mind. This otherwise superb film brilliantly editing black and white photographed light and shadow on a mysterious southeast Asian rubber plant estate gives wonderful opportunities for Bette Davis, Gale Sondergaard, Herbert Marshall and James Stephenson to thrill audiences with their acting chops.Evryerything untiling which should be what the audience individually believes in their hearts weighed against what the director and editor show as the ending which is NOT faithfully followed in this otherwise pure Hollywood Gold melodrama.