THE LETTER (1940)
Directed by: William Wyler.
Written by: Howard Koch, based upon the play by W. Somerset Maugham.
Director of Photography: Tony Gaudio.
Edited by: George Amy & Warren Low.
Music by: Max Steiner.
Released by: Warner Home Video.
Country of Origin: USA. 95 min. Not Rated.
With: Bette Davis, Herbert Marshall, James Stephenson, Frieda Inescort & Gale Sondergaard.
DVD Features: Alternate Ending. Audio only of 1941 Lux Radio Theater adaptation starring Davis, Marshall and Stephenson. Audio only of 1944 Lux Radio Theater adaptation starring Davis and Marshall. English, French & Spanish subtitles. Trailer.

This 1940 Best Picture Academy Award nominee features Bette Davis as Leslie Crosbie who, in the film's riveting opening sequence, shoots and kills Geoffery Hammond on her husband's Malayan rubber plantation. Having fired six bullets, she tells her husband (Herbert Marshall) she was defending herself - Hammond tried to "make love" to her. As Leslie prepares to go to trial for murder, a letter appears in the hands of Hammond's widow (Gale Sondergaard). Its contents could alter Leslie's trail drastically.

The Letter is an intriguing and suspenseful film noir. Davis and Marshall each justly received Oscar nominations for their roles. Marshall is great as the faithful husband of Davis' complex and contradictory murderess. It's great viewing for anyone who enjoys classic melodramas or is a fan of the gifted Bette Davis.

DVD Extras: Other than the omission of a scene between Leslie Crosbie and her husband that appears in the original film, the alternate ending is almost exactly the same as the final cut. (There is only one minor stylistic difference concerning where Leslie drops her lacework.) In losing the scene between the Crosbie couple, the movie’s best line, "With all my heart, I still love the man I killed," is missing. The two radio broadcasts are very similar except the 1944 edition features Vincent Price instead of James Stephenson as Leslie’s shrewd lawyer. The radio advertisements for Lux soap flakes and the tribute to the "fighting forces overseas" provide an insightful look at the era. Lauren Hines
March 11, 2005