IMDb > The Letter (1940)
The Letter
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The Letter (1940) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
7.8/10   3,472 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 1% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers:
W. Somerset Maugham (play)
Howard Koch (screenplay)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Letter on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
23 November 1940 (USA) more
Tagline:
With all my heart I still love the man I killed more
Plot:
The wife of a rubber plantation administrator shoots a man to death and claims it was self-defense; a letter in her own hand may prove her undoing. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Awards:
Nominated for 7 Oscars. more
NewsDesk:
User Comments:
A price to pay as Fate steps in more (77 total)

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)

Bette Davis ... Leslie Crosbie
Herbert Marshall ... Robert Crosbie
James Stephenson ... Howard Joyce
Frieda Inescort ... Dorothy Joyce
Gale Sondergaard ... Mrs. Hammond
Bruce Lester ... John Withers
Elizabeth Inglis ... Adele Ainsworth (as Elizabeth Earl)
Cecil Kellaway ... Prescott
Victor Sen Yung ... Ong Chi Seng (as Sen Yung)
Doris Lloyd ... Mrs. Cooper
Willie Fung ... Chung Hi
Tetsu Komai ... Head Boy
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Additional Details

Runtime:
95 min
Country:
Language:
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (RCA Sound System)
Certification:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Previously filmed as an early talkie in 1929 starring Jeanne Eagels, The Letter (1929). Herbert Marshall, who plays the husband in this film, portrayed the lover in that version. more
Goofs:
Continuity: When Leslie enters her bedroom for the last time, she locks the door behind her. Later, the door is unlocked when Robert enters. more
Quotes:
Howard Joyce: Strange that a man can live with a woman for ten years and not know the first thing about her. more
Movie Connections:
Featured in Stardust: The Bette Davis Story (2006) (TV) more

FAQ

What's notable about Herbert Marshall playing Robert Crosbie?
Where can I hear radio adaptations of this film?
more
14 out of 18 people found the following comment useful.
A price to pay as Fate steps in, 1 September 2001
10/10
Author: lora64 from Canada

I can't help comparing "Witness for the Prosecution (1957)" with this one "The Letter," as they represent a good study in contrast. The former I recall has many bouts of loud dialogue, in particular the courtroom scenes of constant shouting which reach fever pitch at times. Whereas in this "Letter" movie the atmosphere is ever so subtle, very subdued dialogue, and far more impressive because of it. I rather liken it to a warrior noisily clashing by day on the battlefield contrasted by another kind of warfare, that of stealth night fighting in shadows and lit only by moonlight. Both these movies deal with the guilt or innocence of the main character.

Bette Davis gives one of her great portrayals, and Herbert Marshall as the sympathetic husband is well suited to the role, with that wonderful voice of his too, what more could one ask! I don't really know James Stephenson in many roles but here he makes us feel how difficult the situation was for him to deal with -- truly a razor's edge for each and every one of the characters involved. I've seen this movie many times and it just gets better at each viewing, always most intriguing.

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