{"id":30881,"date":"2013-04-16T16:54:58","date_gmt":"2013-04-16T23:54:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=30881"},"modified":"2020-12-13T11:04:52","modified_gmt":"2020-12-13T18:04:52","slug":"letter-the-1940","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=30881","title":{"rendered":"Letter, The (1940)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;This letter places an entirely different complexion on the whole case.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Letter-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Letter-Poster-203x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"203\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-30883\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Letter-Poster-203x300.jpg 203w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Letter-Poster-86x128.jpg 86w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Letter-Poster.jpg 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 203px) 100vw, 203px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nWhen the wife (Bette Davis) of a plantation manager (Herbert Marshall) is accused of murdering a man (David Newell) who tried to rape her, a family-friend lawyer (Joseph Stephenson) is determined to get her acquitted; but when he learns from an envoy (Victor Sen Yung) about a letter possessed by Newell&#8217;s wife (Gale Sondergaard) &#8212; supposedly sent to Newell by Davis on the day he was murdered &#8212; circumstances suddenly become much more challenging.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Bette Davis Films<\/li>\n<li>Blackmail<\/li>\n<li>Cecil Kellaway Films<\/li>\n<li>Herbert Marshall Films<\/li>\n<li>Lawyers<\/li>\n<li>Plantations<\/li>\n<li>Play Adaptation<\/li>\n<li>William Wyler Films<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Response to Peary\u2019s Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nPeary writes that this &#8220;second film adaptation of Somerset Maugham&#8217;s play&#8221; &#8212; originally starring Oscar-nominated Jeanne Eagels in <a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0020092\/\">a 1929 silent version<\/a> &#8212; features a &#8220;fine performance by Davis&#8221;, who he argues is better than all other actresses &#8220;at playing characters who act their way through life&#8221;; indeed, thanks to superb direction by Wyler (with whom she had a close romantic and professional connection), Davis never hits a false note in her portrayal as an endlessly deceptive woman whose true motivations and loyalties we&#8217;re kept guessing about until the very end. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Letter-Davis3.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Letter-Davis3.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"512\" height=\"384\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-57543\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Letter-Davis3.png 512w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Letter-Davis3-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Letter-Davis3-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Letter-Davis3-360x270.png 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>However, Peary accurately points out that &#8220;perhaps the most interesting character is Stephenson, who despises Davis yet commits a crime for her&#8230; that could ruin his career&#8221;. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Letter-Stephenson-2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Letter-Stephenson-2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"512\" height=\"384\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-57544\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Letter-Stephenson-2.png 512w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Letter-Stephenson-2-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Letter-Stephenson-2-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Letter-Stephenson-2-360x270.png 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Peary argues that &#8220;obviously, [Stephenson] finds himself intrigued by [Davis&#8217;s] wicked nature because that&#8217;s what makes her special and excitingly different from his conventional wife&#8221;; however, it&#8217;s equally plausible that Stephenson merely feels loyalty to his long-time friends, and dedicated to carrying out his promise of acquittal.  <\/p>\n<p>Character motivations aside, the film itself remains a wonderfully produced and directed piece of exotic <em>noir<\/em>. As Peary writes, &#8220;Wyler&#8217;s direction is moody&#8221; (I would use the word &#8220;atmospheric&#8221; instead), and &#8220;there are long passages in which dialogue is sparse or nonexistent and the erotic tension is built through Max Steiner&#8217;s music, shadows, sounds (wind, wind chimes), the moon floating through the clouds, character movements and expressions&#8221;; Tony Gaudio&#8217;s stark cinematography contributes as well to the film&#8217;s sense of mystery and menace. However, while Peary argues that &#8220;the worst aspect of the film is the embarrassingly invidious portrayal of the non-white characters, which almost justifies the colonialists&#8217; matter-of-fact racism&#8221;, I can&#8217;t really agree with this assessment. True, it would have been better to cast an Asian (or Eurasian) actress in Sondergaard&#8217;s role:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Letter-Sondergaard.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Letter-Sondergaard.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"512\" height=\"384\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-57541\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Letter-Sondergaard.png 512w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Letter-Sondergaard-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Letter-Sondergaard-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Letter-Sondergaard-360x270.png 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8230; but her performance as a bitter woman grieving her murdered husband isn&#8217;t particularly offensive (I don&#8217;t blame her for feeling vindictive!); and Victor Sen Yung&#8217;s portrayal as her deceptively obsequious courier is far from dumb or demeaning, instead effectively demonstrating alternate forms of power played out by savvy non-Europeans in a neo-colonial arena.  <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Letter-Seng2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Letter-Seng2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"512\" height=\"384\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-57545\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Letter-Seng2.png 512w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Letter-Seng2-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Letter-Seng2-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Letter-Seng2-360x270.png 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Bette Davis as Leslie (nominated by Peary as one of the Best Actresses of the Year in his <em>Alternate Oscars<\/em>)<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Letter-Davis.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Letter-Davis.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"512\" height=\"384\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-30888\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Letter-Davis.png 512w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Letter-Davis-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Letter-Davis-300x225.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>James Stephenson as Howard<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Letter-Stephenson.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Letter-Stephenson.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"512\" height=\"384\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-30884\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Letter-Stephenson.png 512w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Letter-Stephenson-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Letter-Stephenson-300x225.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Victor Sen Yung as Ong<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Letter-Seng.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Letter-Seng.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"512\" height=\"384\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-30890\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Letter-Seng.png 512w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Letter-Seng-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Letter-Seng-300x225.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Tony Gaudio&#8217;s cinematography<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Letter-Cinematography.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Letter-Cinematography.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"512\" height=\"384\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-30885\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Letter-Cinematography.png 512w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Letter-Cinematography-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Letter-Cinematography-300x225.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Letter-Cinematography3.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Letter-Cinematography3.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"512\" height=\"384\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-30887\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Letter-Cinematography3.png 512w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Letter-Cinematography3-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Letter-Cinematography3-300x225.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Wyler&#8217;s confident direction<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Letter-Direction.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Letter-Direction.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"512\" height=\"384\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-30889\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Letter-Direction.png 512w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Letter-Direction-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Letter-Direction-300x225.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Letter-Direction2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Letter-Direction2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"512\" height=\"384\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-30895\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Letter-Direction2.png 512w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Letter-Direction2-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Letter-Direction2-300x225.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Evocative sets<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Letter-Sets.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Letter-Sets.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"512\" height=\"384\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-30894\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Letter-Sets.png 512w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Letter-Sets-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Letter-Sets-300x225.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Max Steiner&#8217;s score<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, as a genuine classic. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Genuine Classic<\/li>\n<li>Oscar Winner or Nominee<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0032701\/?ref_=sr_3\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1940\/11\/23\/archives\/the-screen-the-letter-with-bette-davis-and-james-stephenson-a.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.dvdtalk.com\/dvdsavant\/s1639davi.html\">DVD Savant Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.filmsite.org\/lett.html\">FilmSite Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/2024\/the-letter#articles-reviews\">TCM Articles<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/IhUVWZs5IgQ\">Tired Old Queen at the Movies Video Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;This letter places an entirely different complexion on the whole case.&#8221; Synopsis: When the wife (Bette Davis) of a plantation manager (Herbert Marshall) is accused of murdering a man (David Newell) who tried to rape her, a family-friend lawyer (Joseph Stephenson) is determined to get her acquitted; but when he learns from an envoy (Victor Sen Yung) about a letter possessed by Newell&#8217;s wife (Gale Sondergaard) &#8212; supposedly sent to Newell by Davis on the day he was murdered &#8212;&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=30881\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30881","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-responses-to-peary"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30881","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=30881"}],"version-history":[{"count":26,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30881\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":57546,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30881\/revisions\/57546"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=30881"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=30881"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=30881"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}