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Letter from an Unknown Woman (1948)
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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writers:
Release Date:
13 September 1948 (Sweden)
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Plot:
In Vienna, about 1900, a dashing man arrives at his flat, instructing his manservant that he will leave before morning: the man is Stefan Brand...
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Awards:
1 win
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User Comments:
Max Ophulus' American Masterpiece
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Cast
(Complete credited cast) | Joan Fontaine | ... | Lisa Berndle |
 | Louis Jourdan | ... | Stefan Brand |
| Mady Christians | ... | Frau Berndle |
| Marcel Journet | ... | Johann Stauffer |
| Art Smith | ... | John |
| Carol Yorke | ... | Marie |
| Howard Freeman | ... | Herr Kastner |
| John Good | ... | Lt. Leopold von Kaltnegger |
| Leo B. Pessin | ... | Stefan Jr. |
| Erskine Sanford | ... | Porter |
| Otto Waldis | ... | Concierge |
| Sonja Bryden | ... | Frau Spitzer |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
86 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Recording)
Certification:
USA:Approved (MPAA rating: #12855) |
UK:U |
West Germany:12 |
Argentina:Atp |
Finland:K-16 |
Sweden:Btl
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
Joan Fontaine's favorite movie.
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Quotes:
1st Man on Balcony:
[Speaking of Stefan] He returned last week.
2nd Man on Balcony: A concert tour?
Woman on Balcony: Pleasure trip most likely.
1st Man on Balcony: The way he's burning himself up, it's a wonder he's still alive.
2nd Man on Balcony: Ten years ago, he showed great promise. Too bad. With that talent, he could have been a great pianist.
1st Man on Balcony: Perhaps talent is not enough.
Woman on Balcony: Perhaps he has too many talents.
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2nd Man on Balcony: A concert tour?
Woman on Balcony: Pleasure trip most likely.
1st Man on Balcony: The way he's burning himself up, it's a wonder he's still alive.
2nd Man on Balcony: Ten years ago, he showed great promise. Too bad. With that talent, he could have been a great pianist.
1st Man on Balcony: Perhaps talent is not enough.
Woman on Balcony: Perhaps he has too many talents.
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Movie Connections:
Referenced in La science des rêves (2006)
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Soundtrack:
Un sospiro
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FAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (32 total)
Message Boards
Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Letter from an Unknown Woman (1948)| Recent Posts (updated daily) | User |
|---|---|
| Release date for DVD? | mookiemeister |
| great movie | threeone |
| song played by female band? | icblue02 |
| Carol Yorke the unknown woman. | bobjacqs |
| Rating... | ainfean |
| son's name | kspilman |
Recommendations
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Related Links
| Full cast and crew | Company credits | External reviews |
| IMDb Drama section | IMDb USA section | Add this title to MyMovies |
All of Ophulus films are remarkable achievements of content and form, but, this film is certainly his greatest contribution to cinema in the USA, and arguably his greatest film of any period. It is the intoxicatingly bittersweet tale of the obsessive love a young girl (Joan Fontaine) develops for a rougish pianist (Louis Jordan) that remains throughout each charcters life, long after most school-girl crushes have faded away. Fontaine charcter is so convincingly and sympathetically drawn that we are pulled into her desire for this rather self-possessed artist against our own rational thoughts. And as the film progresses Fontaine's attraction to the artist begins to deepen and humanize the audiences response to him. This film is deeply concerned with a woman's role under patriarchy and the limitations of "romantic" love as a form of fulfillment. It is also a well thought out examination of the idea of the "artistic" life as offering the possibilities of either liberation or entrapment.