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The Letter

  • 19291929
  • PassedPassed
  • 1h 5m
IMDb RATING
6.7/10
709
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Jeanne Eagels in The Letter (1929)
  • Drama
Jeanne Eagels plays the bored and restless Leslie Crosbie who turns to another man, Geoffrey Hammond (Herbert Marshall) for attention when neglected by her husband Robert (Reginald Owen). Ro... Read allJeanne Eagels plays the bored and restless Leslie Crosbie who turns to another man, Geoffrey Hammond (Herbert Marshall) for attention when neglected by her husband Robert (Reginald Owen). Robert decides to go out for the evening to pick up a new rifle. Leslie's calm vanishes as s... Read allJeanne Eagels plays the bored and restless Leslie Crosbie who turns to another man, Geoffrey Hammond (Herbert Marshall) for attention when neglected by her husband Robert (Reginald Owen). Robert decides to go out for the evening to pick up a new rifle. Leslie's calm vanishes as she awaits an answer to a letter she has written Hammond. He has found a new love - a beaut... Read all
IMDb RATING
6.7/10
709
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Jean de Limur
  • Writers
    • W. Somerset Maugham(stage play)
    • Monta Bell(adaptation)
    • Jean de Limur(dialogue)
  • Stars
    • Jeanne Eagels
    • Reginald Owen
    • Herbert Marshall
Top credits
  • Director
    • Jean de Limur
  • Writers
    • W. Somerset Maugham(stage play)
    • Monta Bell(adaptation)
    • Jean de Limur(dialogue)
  • Stars
    • Jeanne Eagels
    • Reginald Owen
    • Herbert Marshall
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 31User reviews
    • 20Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 Oscar
      • 1 win & 1 nomination total

    Photos13

    Jeanne Eagels in The Letter (1929)
    Jeanne Eagels and Lady Tsen Mei in The Letter (1929)
    Lady Tsen Mei in The Letter (1929)
    Lady Tsen Mei in The Letter (1929)
    Herbert Marshall and Lady Tsen Mei in The Letter (1929)
    The Letter (1929)
    Jeanne Eagels in The Letter (1929)
    Herbert Marshall and Jeanne Eagels in The Letter (1929)
    Jeanne Eagels and Reginald Owen in The Letter (1929)
    Jeanne Eagels and O.P. Heggie in The Letter (1929)
    Jeanne Eagels in The Letter (1929)
    Jeanne Eagels in The Letter (1929)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Jeanne Eagels
    Jeanne Eagels
    • Leslie Crosbieas Leslie Crosbie
    Reginald Owen
    Reginald Owen
    • Robert Crosbieas Robert Crosbie
    Herbert Marshall
    Herbert Marshall
    • Geoffrey Hammondas Geoffrey Hammond
    Irene Browne
    Irene Browne
    • Mrs. Joyceas Mrs. Joyce
    O.P. Heggie
    O.P. Heggie
    • Mr. Joyceas Mr. Joyce
    Lady Tsen Mei
    Lady Tsen Mei
    • Li-Tias Li-Ti
    Tamaki Yoshiwara
    • Ong Chi Sengas Ong Chi Seng
    Peter Chong
    • Servantas Servant
    • (uncredited)
    Fredi Washington
    Fredi Washington
    • Opium Den Danceras Opium Den Dancer
    • (uncredited)
    Isabel Washington
    • Opium Den Danceras Opium Den Dancer
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Jean de Limur
    • Writers
      • W. Somerset Maugham(stage play)
      • Monta Bell(adaptation)
      • Jean de Limur(dialogue)
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit
    Jeanne Eagels plays the bored and restless Leslie Crosbie who turns to another man, Geoffrey Hammond (Herbert Marshall) for attention when neglected by her husband Robert (Reginald Owen). Robert decides to go out for the evening to pick up a new rifle. Leslie's calm vanishes as she awaits an answer to a letter she has written Hammond. He has found a new love - a beautiful unscrupulous native woman Li Ti (Lady Tsei Mei) and has discarded Leslie. —Cheepnis
    • lawyer
    • woman in a cage
    • Plot summary
    • Add synopsis
    • Taglines
      • Blinded by the fury of passion - by the despair of a lost love -- she had not reckoned with
    • Genre
      • Drama
    • Certificate
      • Passed
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      First American film of Herbert Marshall, who plays Leslie Crosbie's murdered lover, Geoffrey Hammond. In the 1940 remake starring Bette Davis, he plays her husband, Robert Crosbie. Also, Herbert Marshall played author W. Somerset Maugham in The Razor's Edge (1946), and Geoffrey Wolfe in Maugham's The Moon and Sixpence (1942). Additionally, Marshall's daughter, Sarah Marshall, plays Mrs. Joyce in the 1982 made-for-television version of The Letter (1982).
    • Quotes

      [last lines]

      Leslie Crosbie: I'll give you something to remember! I, with all my heart and soul, still love the man I killed! Ha-ha. Take that, will you! With all my heart and all my soul, I still love the man I killed!

    • Connections
      Alternate-language version of Weib im Dschungel (1931)

    User reviews31

    Review
    Top review
    7/10
    Jeanne Eagels Is Fired Up
    Left alone on her husband's rubber plantation, four miles from Singapore, neglected Jeanne Eagels (as Leslie Crosbie) sends a letter to handsome Herbert Marshall (as Geoffrey Hammond), hoping for a romantic evening. Desperate for attention, Ms. Eagels is instead told, "All good things must come to an end," as Mr. Marshall tells her their affair is over. Eagels is told she disgusts Marshall, who has replaced his blonde English mistress with a Chinese woman. Eagels thinks the native woman is "common" and "vulgar." Declaring she still loves Marshall, Eagels decides to take matters into her own hands. This gets her in trouble with the law. Covering herself, Eagels convincingly hides her secret – but her Asian rival "Lady" Tsen Mei holds "The Letter"...

    For her first "talking" motion picture, Eagels wisely agreed to star in W. Somerset Maugham's "The Letter" for producer Monta Bell and debuting director Jean de Limur. Eagels' greatest Broadway success had been in Maugham's steaming "Rain" (1922-26), which was filmed with Gloria Swanson as the hit silent "Sadie Thompson" (1928). Considering her success with this film, Eagels would have likely been considered for the sound version of "Rain" (the part went to Joan Crawford) and further acclaim. However, she had addictions and overdosed after one more film (the presently unavailable "Jealousy"). Notably, Marshall appeared in both the 1929 and 1940 versions, but as different characters...

    As many have noted, Eagels shows the effects of drug use in her final films, but it works for the character she plays in "The Letter" – she is desperate and wasting away in a remote location. While employing some stage overplaying at times, Eagels still delivers an electrifying performance. She certainly earned her "Academy Award" consideration, and had the skills to continue into the sound era. This film was famously re-made in 1940 with William Wyler directing and Bette Davis starring. That version is much more polished, and Ms. Davis is likewise stunning. This 1929 version is incomplete and rough in spots, but still enjoyable. The racism is much less confusing, herein; there are scenes and situations which seem to be white-washed for the 1940 version.

    ******* The Letter (3/17/29) Jean de Limur ~ Jeanne Eagels, O.P. Heggie, Reginald Owen, Herbert Marshall
    helpful•6
    2
    • wes-connors
    • Aug 22, 2014

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 7, 1929 (Argentina)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • La carta
    • Filming locations
      • Kaufman Astoria Studios - 3412 36th Street, Astoria, Queens, New York City, New York, USA
    • Production company
      • Paramount Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 5 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.20 : 1

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