Love Letters (1945) User Reviews

Love letters straight from your heart

[jotix100 · 8/10 · 19 December 2007]

"Love Letters" is one of the most interesting films of 1945, yet it's seldom seen these days. We watched an excellent copy of it courtesy of a cable channel. The picture has kept well throughout the years. Directed by an old pro of that period, William Dieterle, and with an excellent cinematography by Lee Garmes, it was a joy to watch again. Victor Young's haunting musical score plays softly in the background.

Some comments seem to indicate that Ayn Rand wrote the original work in which the movie is based. Contrary to those opinions, the fact is it was based on a Christopher Massie's novel, "Pity my Simplicity", and adapted by the author and Ms. Rand into the finished product. Ms. Rand was an obvious admirer of the French playwright Edmund Rostand's Cyrano de Bergerac, which plays in the action without making it too obvious.

The best thing in "Love Letters" was the casting of the main roles. Jennifer Jones and Joseph Cotten played with their characters with conviction. Ms. Jones was at a great moment of her movie career; her dual role of Victoria Morland/Singleton proved she was the right choice for it. Mr. Cotten was an actor that always delivered, as it's the case with his character, Allen Quinton, the man who has loved Victoria from a distance.

The marvelous cast is enhanced by Gladys Cooper, who is seen as Beatrice Remington, the woman who brought up Victoria as her own daughter and who holds the key to solving the mystery of the tragedy that involves Victoria. Ann Richards and Cecil Kellaway are also seen in minor roles.

"Love Letters" will delight fans of the genre as it is one of the better exponent of the Hollywood of the 40s.

sweet film with screenplay by no less than Ayn Rand

[blanche-2 · 8/10 · 20 February 2007]

"Love Letters" is a 1945 film starring Joseph Cotten and Jennifer Jones. It's a mystery/romance that also is a spin on "Cyrano de Bergerac." As a favor to a buddy, British soldier Allen Quinten writes letters to his friend Roger's girlfriend Victoria while they are serving together, though Allen's conscience begins to bother him. He has also fallen in love with Victoria, and he believes that Victoria has fallen in love with a "man who doesn't exist." Once discharged and back in the London area, he learns that Roger married Victoria and later was killed. As it turns out, Roger was murdered by Victoria, who served a year in prison for manslaughter. Allen blames himself, feeling that the murder happened because Victoria was disillusioned when she realized she married a man who was not the person she fell in love with. When by coincidence he meets Victoria, she has amnesia. Once he finds out who she is, it's too late - they're in love, and he wants to marry her.

This is a really lovely film, based on a novel and adapted for the screen by Ayn Rand. Though it may not seem a likely subject for Rand, her personal philosophy is in play. "Cyrano de Bergerac" was one of her favorite stories, and she believed, as she shows in "Atlas Shrugged," that any deception in love can only lead to disaster.

There's not much mystery to the story - you know what happened from the very beginning - but the romance is good, as is the acting. Gladys Cooper plays Victoria's aunt, who suffered a stroke after the murder. She's very good. Cotten and Jones make a great team as always, Cotten strong, sensitive, pensive and handsome, and Jones stunningly beautiful and fragile with that dreamy quality that made her so good in the later "Portrait of Jennie." "Portrait of Jennie" is more interesting and a better film overall, but both benefit from an ethereal performance by Jones and nice chemistry with Cotten.

The song "Love Letters" comes from this film. It is played throughout and adds to the lovely British country atmosphere. Highly recommended.

Modern Cyrano de Bergerac

[m0rphy · 7/10 · 27 June 2002]

I have seen this video many times mainly because I absolutely adore Jennifer Jones.She is an awesome beauty and I must be honest, a sexual fantasy of mine.The fact she is playing a Canadian orphan in the film at least explains her accent.The story of an amnesiac who gradually becomes her true self is OK but why oh why does Hollywood insist on producing "twee" versions of "little 'ole England" in California complete with "gargoyles"? Surely English actors playing English characters in England would have been more authentic.Just to throw in a few English actors (Gladys Cooper and a boy in the London Journal reading room plus stock film company footage of London England, is not convincing enough to the film connoisseur).Also how could a private home have a view overlooking Trafalgar Square!This is unsubtle image - fixing on innocent susceptible eyes.I am sure Americans cringe just as much when they hear unconvincing American accents from non-U.S. nationals.Jo Cotten had the great good fortune to appear to my knowledge with Ms Jones also in Duel in the Sun (1946)/Portrait of Jennie (1948) and Since you went away (1944).Therefore they had already done a film together and their scenes worked well and I almost found myself forgetting his "English" accent! JJ never looked more lovely than in this 1945 picture and there is a very memorable scene when Alan (Jo Cotton) comes back to his house in Essex and receives a call from Dilly Carson (Ann Richards) that "Singleton" appears to have gone missing.Suddenly there is a giggle and the lovely "Singleton" a.k.a.Victoria Moreland, (JJ), pops up from the sofa to surprise Alan- JJ looks absolutely stunning!

Romantic drama with excellent performances by Jones and Cotten...

[Doylenf · 6 May 2001]

Jennifer Jones and Joseph Cotten are at their best in this absorbing romantic drama with a screenplay by (of all people) Ayn Rand. How the author of "Atlas Shrugged" and "The Fountainhead" got talked into writing this sort of fragile romance is something I'm still puzzled over--doesn't seem like her cup of tea nor does it bear the stamp of her writing in any way whatsoever.

Anyway, the story concerns letters that one soldier (Joseph Cotten) writes for another and what happens when the truth is revealed to the man's sweetheart (Jennifer Jones), who has of course fallen in love with the wrong man. The plot is too intricate to divulge here and doing so would be a spoiler anyway--suffice it to say that it all ends with a startling revelation involving another player in the cast. Lending solid support in minor roles are Gladys Cooper, Cecil Kellaway, Anita Louise and the charming Ann Richards who does splendidly in a key role. Jennifer Jones deserved her Oscar nomination as the bewildered girl who develops amnesia to forget a nasty incident involving the letters. Cotten is his usual charming self as the soldier who finds himself falling in love with the disturbed girl.

While the plot makes absolutely no sense, it does have a great mood and atmosphere.

[planktonrules · 6/10 · 18 January 2010]

Hmmm...this is a rather hard film to rate. On one hand, it has a wonderful and romantic feel to it and the actors do a great job. But, on the other, the plot strains credibility WAAAAAY beyond the breaking point.

The film begins with two soldiers. One (Joseph Cotten) is writing a love letter for his buddy. It seems that the buddy has a female pen pal and he does not have a knack for words--so Cotten writes for him--much like the story of Cyrano. Now this is hard to believe, but I could suspend disbelief.

Cotten is injured in the war and sent home. However, he's depressed and out of sorts and his life is a mess. Eventually, out of desperation, he seeks out the women to whom he wrote earlier in the film (Jennifer Jones). However, he has a lot of trouble finding her and even hears she might be dead! However, he eventually DOES find her--only to find that she has complete amnesia and has no idea who she is or her past or his letters. The amnesia ploy is very hard to believe, but I could still suspend disbelief.

Next, Cotten is told some disturbing things about Jones. First, the "buddy" from earlier in the film married her--without telling her he really didn't write any of the letters. Second, and no one seems sure why, she was then convicted of killing him! So, in such a situation as this what would you do? Yep, you'd marry Jones and never tell her about the letters and begin a life based only on the present!! At this point, my sense of disbelief was screaming in my ear!! I could not possibly accept what was happening--even if Cotten and Jones made a nice romantic pair (just like they did in "Portrait of Jenny").

While I've revealed a lot about the film, I can't really say much more about the plot, as there are some nice (though hardly believable) twists at the end. It's all rather enjoyable and glossy but the writing is hopelessly bad---very, very silly in fact. However, I do think many could look past the plot holes--I just know I could not.

Good Love Story

[utgard14 · 7/10 · 20 January 2014]

Allen Quinton (Joseph Cotten) is a soldier in World War II who has been writing love letters for fellow soldier Robert Morland to his girl back home. Morland's kind of a jerk but the letters written is his name make him appear to be a kind, romantic soul and the girl they are written to falls in love with him. When Allen returns home from the war he discovers Morland married the girl but it ended in tragedy. Allen is intent upon finding out what happened. This leads him to a number of twists and a meeting with an amnesiac girl named Singleton (Jennifer Jones).

Joseph Cotten's performance is great. Cotten, one of the great actors of his day, is sadly underrated today. Ann Richards gives a natural, sympathetic turn as Singleton's friend Dilly. Jennifer Jones is not up to Cotten's level. Her performance is OK but a little too manufactured. Still, she's competent here but outshined by Cotten, as well as supporting player Richards and vets Cecil Kellaway and Gladys Cooper.

William Dieterle creates a lovely, atmospheric picture. I love the sets, the houses, the matte painting backgrounds. Victor Young's music is evocative and romantic. The script is by Ayn Rand (!) from a novel by Christopher Massie. My one real gripe is that I hated the name Singleton for this girl and every time they said it, it was like nails on a chalkboard for me. Hearing Joseph Cotten say "I love you Singleton" sounds like some secret joke forgotten decades ago. Whether it was Rand's idea or Massie's, I don't know. But it was stupid and provides clunky hiccups in the dialogue. Despite a few quibbles, it's hard to dislike. Interesting, romantic, effective mystery film that should entertain all but the stone-hearted among us.

ROMANCE, MYSTERY AND MURDER.....WELL DONE!

[renfield54 · 10/10 · 29 July 1999]

This is one of the 4 (successful) pairings of Joseph Cotten and Jennifer Jones. The latter receiving 3 Oscar nominations for her (their?) efforts (including this one). The debonair Cotten and the delightful Jones are perfectly cast. The title of the film provides the "connecting thread" for our seemingly doomed lovers. This mystery/love story is a "grabber" beginning to end. The film is a cornucopia of actions and emotions. The English countryside is very effective for this tale. The inevitability of their fates is obvious, but it's a very long and twisted road to get there....... and a very enjoyable road too...

Joseph Cotten at his best, Jennifer Jones at her best, and a fine supporting cast... A MUST SEE...

Nice little effort from Dieterle/Cotten/Jones team

[andrewsarchus · 6/10 · 23 August 2006]

Although it doesn't really come close to 1949's "Portrait of Jennie" this is a nice little psychological thriller from the same director and the same Cotten/Jones team. It lacks Portrait's timeless theme of "love transcendent" but there is a good taut script by Ayn Rand (one of her few Hollywood efforts) and a wonderful score (later song) by Victor Young. Cotten is good and Jones may be more goody-goody than usual (despite portraying a supposed 'free spirit') but it is Dieterle's direction that makes the whole thing watchable, bringing the same sort of haunting atmosphere to this film as he brings to "Portrait", the final denouement being realized with great cinematic economy and style.

A Top-Ten Grossing Film in WWII---It Celebrates Life, Risk and Love

[silverscreen888 · 9/10 · 13 June 2005]

In the midst of WWII, Ayn Rand was asked by producer Hal Walllis to adapt an intelligent but flawed novel by Chris Massie which concerned a girl who develops amnesia due to a sort of battleshock when she is convicted of murdering her husband, over love letters of hers he tried to burn--letters from him. What we learn in the movie is that another man had actually written them. So this story is a mystery, a romance, and a psychological study at the same time. Allan Quinton, played by Joseph Cotten, becomes a badly-wounded war hero and has to fight back from the brink of despair. Before he nearly dies and is shipped home, he has written the love letters in question to a girl he met once and doesn't even know--because he wanted to say the things that are important to him to a girl he didn't know, to make the expressing easier. But the girl, Victoria Remington, beautifully played by Jennifer Jones, understands. She too speaks of the beautiful hopes of life, the shining dream of one's hopes to be made real by giving up the inconsequential and by risking to attain them. He writes them for his friend who is a man without conscience out to grab whatever he can. The friend Roger Moreland, played by Robert Sully, ignores his warning and married Victoria on the strength of the letters. The tragedy that follows results in his death, and Victoria's being tried and sent to prison and then released to her guardian, played by Gladys Cooper. The theme of risk is played out a second time when Allan learns what has happened, that he in effect was the murderer in the case, and falls in love with Victoria--now suffering amnesia and calling herself Singleton--all over again. They take the risk that she will regain her memory and hate him and marry. Then gradually, haunted by terrible memories, she does "wake up"--leading to a bang-up revelation about the murder which Victoria did not commit and one of the most beautiful and memorable endings in film history. The cast is very good, especially Cecil Kellaway and Jennifer Jones; but the other bright stars of the film are William Dieterle's direction, the lighting, set, music and dialogue. Only a handful of sensitive films in cinema history have maintained context/mood and still expressed ideas as expertly as "Love Letters" does. One of the greatest and best-loved films of all time. And the most beautiful.

Classic melodramatic romance

[HotToastyRag · 7/10 · 27 June 2023]

In another pairing of costars Jennifer Jones and Joseph Cotten, Love Letters takes a dark turn from the classic Cyrano de Bergerac tale. Joe is a soldier in WWII who writes love letters for his friend to woo a woman. She falls in love with the letters and marries his friend. The darker turn comes when the war is over and he wants to visit his friend and meet his bride; Joe learns he's been killed under mysterious circumstances.

Now a civilian, Joe wanders into a small town and meets a stunningly beautiful woman (Jonesy, of course) who has amnesia. He's drawn to her (obviously) but whenever he gets close, she has a strange, dramatic fit and runs away. This is a Jennifer Jones movie, after all. Jonesy's guardian is Gladys Cooper, who also seems to be hiding something.

Part mystery, part romance, part veteran's plight, Love Letters is a total classic. If you like either of the leads, add it to your list. It has melodrama, love, and beautiful black and white images to look at. In the background, you'll hear the lovely wartime title song that tugs at your heartstrings.

**

[edwagreen · 4/10 · 23 January 2016]

A soldier writes letter on behalf of another soldier to a lady. The latter marries her and dies soon afterward, allegedly killed by his wife.

How convenient for Jennifer Jones, who uses her simplistic approach to acting as she did two years before this in "The Song of Bernadette," to have amnesia and not not remember what had occurred.

Of course, Jones, with an entirely new name meets the man who originally wrote the letters-Joseph Cotten.

They wed and slowly but surely Jones realizes what has occurred. Of course, the only difference here is the real killer emerges and wait until you see who this is.

Too coincidental, highly uninteresting and an Oscar nomination for Jones as best actress here? No way. Especially, in the year that the winner was Joan Crawford for Mildred Pierce and fellow nominee Gene Tierney for Leave Her to Heaven, hot on her heels.

"Love Letters Straight From Your Heart."

[bkoganbing · 9/10 · 24 October 2005]

This modern re-working of the Cyrano De Bergerac tale has one interesting twist, the Christian character is killed off in the first reel and he's not a nice guy to begin with.

Joseph Cotten, a sensitive and romantic soul, is persuaded by an army buddy to write love letters in the friend's name to a girl he's trying to impress. It works real good, they get married.

But after Cotten is wounded and is invalided out of the British Army, he discovers that the man he wrote the letters for has been killed and his wife charged and convicted of the crime. The wife has also lost all memory of the event.

As fate would have it, Cotten and wife Jennifer Jones do meet and fall in love and they marry. That's how it's worked in these Hollywood romances. But you don't care when the players are as sophisticated as Joseph Cotten and as luminescently beautiful as Jennifer Jones. You don't even mind that these two American players don't even try to adopt British accents.

Love Letters was a great big hit for Paramount back then, helped no doubt by the title song which was also selling a lot of records. Dick Haymes had the big hit record of Love Letters. Perry Como and later Andy Williams did well by this most romantic of ballads. It's a personal favorite of mine.

If your taste is films about war time romances, this is the movie for you.

Recommended, but not a classic...close, very close

[vincentlynch-moonoi · 7/10 · 9 January 2014]

I have mixed feelings about this film.

On the positive side, Joseph Cotton turns in another outstanding performance. I almost always impressed with him, and while watching film I finally figured out why -- he acts real...natural; it doesn't seem as if he's acting.

But that brings out a negative for this film. Jennifer Jones is the very opposite...she looks like she's acting. Even her walk or run do not look natural.

The story here is interesting. Yes, amnesia, again...not that the topic is the focus of that many movies. 1942's "Random Harvest" starring Ronald Colman and Greer Garson handles the topic better, but this does fairly nicely, as well. The middle of the film drags a bit, but the beginning is very interesting, and there's a surprise twist in the conclusion that never occurred to me.

The cast here is inconsistent. Ann Richards as Jennifer Jones' friend is fine. Cecil Kellaway is always a treat (was he always old?). Anita Louise is dependable, as well. Gladys Cooper was one of the great character actresses, but here her talents as the adopted mother of Jones are wasted; perhaps the director thought people who had a stroke were rather dead humans; too bad...I usually enjoy her so much.

And then there's the song "Love Letters"...one of the finest love songs of the 1940s. Too bad it showed up a bit too often throughout the film.

While watching this film, I kept thinking how much better it would have been if Selznik had been producing it. But, it's a pretty decent film. Recommended, but it won't show up on my DVD shelf.

Gloopy Melodrama

[evanston_dad · 4/10 · 18 November 2019]

Gloopy melodrama starring the wildly overrated Jennifer Jones at the height of her screen popularity. She plays a woman who marries a man based on the romantic thoughts expressed in his letters to her from the battlefronts of WWII, but finds herself disappointed when the reality doesn't match the fantasy. It doesn't match, you see, because all of the letters were actually written by Joseph Cotten, a sensitive sad sack and friend to Jones's husband. But then the husband dies under mysterious circumstances, Jones develops amnesia because of said mysterious circumstances, and Jones's and Cotten's lives intersect without either knowing who the other is.

I hate the term "women's picture," because it's so condescending, but this movie is an example of what people mean when they use that phrase. This film, and many others like it, was made to capitalize on war sentiment and give ladies escapist romantic stories far removed from the actual horrible realities. I can understand in historical context why films like this were popular, but it doesn't make them enjoyable now. In fact, they're damn near intolerable -- there's not a sincere sentiment to be found.

I do not understand Jones's appeal at all. Cotten is good and probably the best thing about the film. Gladys Cooper is also always a welcome presence, and she's on hand to play a major role in unraveling the mystery at the film's center.

Jones received four Oscar nominations in a row between 1943 and 1946, and this was the third in the string. She had won the Best Actress award in 1943 for "The Song of Bernadette" and was then nominated in the supporting category the next year for "Since You Went Away." The year after "Love Letters" she would be nominated for the so-bad-it's good "Duel in the Sun," and then almost a decade later would receive her fifth and final nomination for the equally gloopy "Love Is a Many Splendored Thing."

"Love Letters" also received Oscar nominations for its black and white art direction (unremarkable), its dramatic score (there were a whopping twenty-one nominees that year, so it wasn't a huge honor to be nominated), and its title song, which I never even heard in the movie. Poor Victor Young received his sixteenth and seventeenth nominations for this film. He would eventually win an Oscar, but not until he was dead: he won posthumously in 1956 for scoring "Around the World in 80 Days."

Grade: C-

Worth while love story/mystery

[cglassey · 8 September 1999]

This is an early "end of world war II" movie. The war is over and now the returning soldiers are trying to put their lives in order again.

Mostly set in a very rural part of England (Devon perhaps?). Cotton plays an emotionally scared veteran who tries to make amends for the wrong he has done, though it is really just a coincidence that he runs into the woman he somewhat inadvertently deceived (by writing letters on behalf of another man).

Jennifer Jones is quite good in this role that demands a youthful innocence. It sure doesn't hurt that she is a very beautiful young woman.

Good scenery and a good early effort at showing the true emotional cost of war on the vets who survive it.

Write your own letters

[AAdaSC · 6/10 · 25 December 2016]

Soldier Joseph Cotten (Quinton) writes love letters to Jennifer Jones (Victoria) on behalf of his army buddy Robert Sully (Roger). Jones falls in love with Sully as a result of these letters and this deception leads to them marrying one another. Things don't go well for either of them after this. After all, their love is based on a deception. Joe Cotten arrives on the scene to sort things out. And things need sorting out as Jones has amnesia after a disturbing incident.

This film is a romance that keeps you watching thanks to the cast but I wanted it to be better. Housekeeper Cecil Kellaway (Mac), rather annoyingly puts on a terrible accent from nowhere. It's an inconsistent mix of Scottish and Northern English and is probably his attempt at Irish. He is the weak link in the cast as everyone else gives a good account of their roles and even though Jones has an unbelievable role in the first place, she does alright with it. At work, a Quentin refers to a homosexual so I was giggling to myself every time Cotton's character was name-checked. Turns out his name was Quinton, so elocution fell short at times in this film. The name "Singleton" also gets annoying. Why is it repeated so much?

In terms of the story, it could have been better if Jones had played things as an evil character. As it was, the story succeeds as an unbelievable romance but is nowhere near their other effort "Portrait of Jennie" (1948). I was able to guess the 'surprising' twist pretty much immediately. What is surprising is that this film got passed the Hayes Code. We get a man who gets murdered for doing absolutely nothing and the perpetrator literally gets away with murder. How did they miss that plot line?

And then, As I End The Refrain ...

[writers_reign · 7/10 · 7 August 2019]

Edmund Rostand rhymes with Ayn Rand and perhaps cognizant of this Rand has 'adapted' rather than ripped off Rostand's greatest work Cyrano de Bergerac, lost the nose and the rapier but kept the ghost writing. In 1945 with the war all but won there was room for a blend of whimsey and mystery, throw in a picture-book cottage in an English countryside that existed only in Hollywood imaginations and we're off to the races. I've never really cared for Jennifer Jones finding her overripe sensuality dull but very occasionally - Since You Went Away and here - she was not too hard to take. A half-decent effort that wears well

A Touching Love Story

[hjmsia49 · 10/10 · 9 June 2006]

Love Letters has always been one of my favorite films. Fine performances by a superb cast, a good script by Ayn Rand and a perfect score by Victor Young. Jennifer Jones and Joseph Cotten were always compatible in their four films together. The chemistry between them is obvious. I confess a bias for this film because the title song has always been special for my wife and I for over 50 years. It was nominated for an Oscar but did not win. Such was the fate of composer Victor Young who not only failed to win an Oscar for "Love Letters" but also such memorable film songs as "My Foolish Heart," "Stellar By Starlight" and his most popular song "When I Fall In Love" (which surprisingly was never nominated even though it was in two films?) He finally received an Oscar after his death for "Around The World In 80 Days." Speaking of Oscar, Joseph Cotten was one of Hollywood's best actors for many years but he was never nominated for the big prize. Evidently, he made it look so easy he was never noticed. Jennifer Jones was radiant in this film and well deserving of her Oscar nomination. If you are a true romantic, I think you will love this film.

Love Letters - Strait From The Heart?

[krocheav · 6/10 · 28 May 2021]

I had not seen this movie before but always liked the stars and the song (although in the movie, it's played and not sung). It's nicely directed by William dieterlie and well Photographed in impressive b/w by Lee Garmes, with a mysterious, visually effective production design. But, what happened to the script? Ayn Rand seemed a strange choice to adapt Christopher Massie's novel 'Pity My Simplicity'. Rand's version comes across with all the earmarks of a sentimental melodrama - nevertheless, the picture won Awards and was popular in its day - maybe it just hasn't aged all that gracefully? Those who enjoy Mills and Boon may still find it entertaining but it's a far cry from other famous romantic classics of this era.

When I saw that the DVD was from the Universal Vault series, had expected a re-mastered transfer on a dvd9 disc, this was not the case - here it's presented as a M. O. D. Copy taken from what looks like an OK, ex-theatrical print. The image is reasonable but the sound is often quite poor, with noise and some distortion. I've certainly seen worse but had expected better. Some may remember the superb rendition of the famous song by Ketty Lester in the 60s - still, it's good to hear Victor Young's lush orchestral version on the soundtrack.

A romantic mystery!

[Elizabeth-328 · 10/10 · 16 May 1999]

This is one of my favorite movies of all times. Jennifer Jones and Joseph Cotten once again create magic and enchantment together on the screen. It also features magnificent performances by Ann Richards, Gladys Cooper, and Cecil Kellaway. "Love Letters" has everything a true Hollywood classic needs: romance, suspense, a surprise ending and of course, wonderful actors. I give "Love Letters" a 10!~

Rostand Ripoff

[theognis-80821 · 6/10 · 22 April 2024]

A soldier (Joseph Cotten) writes love letters to another soldier's girl (Jennifer Jones) back home. Imagine her disappointment when she marries him; in the meantime, Cotten is beset with guilt when he learns of it. Conveniently, she soon becomes a widow and Cotten must find her. The search is stretched across 101 tiresome minutes, complicated by the weak plot device of amnesia and the necessity to keep the past from her to protect her sanity. Director William Dieterle and DP Lee Garmes are visually talented enough to keep us seated until we get The Big Message: 'No one can build happiness on a lie," from romance writer Ayn Rand.

That old amnesia plot surfaces again...

[moonspinner55 · 5/10 · 6 June 2015]

Beautiful young woman with amnesia may hold the key to the murder of a soldier; the victim was actually the woman's sweetheart, while her newly-acquired husband was the soldier's war-buddy who was enlisted by his friend to write love letters to the lass back home. Hoary Paramount melodrama with Gothic trimmings, adapted by Ayn Rand from Christopher Massie's book, is all dewy-eyed and fog-enshrouded...anything (one presumes) to deflect attention from the ridiculous plot-line. Jennifer Jones barely connects with the other actors on-screen; her main concern seems to be in projecting an other-worldly quality (this attained by staring heavenward and speaking haltingly in a breathy whisper). One never fears for Jones' character because she has removed herself intrinsically from the proceedings--all we have left to absorb is her affected (one might say, purposefully modulated) temperament and overtly-posed exterior, staged as if in a series of fashionable photographs. ** from ****

Fate and Love

[rsternesq · 10/10 · 21 January 2012]

I am very fond of the stars and many members of the supporting cast. I adore Portrait of Jennie. I think Ayn Rand was a prophet and wise beyond the ability of most people to even comprehend. Putting all of that aside. Even putting aside all of the music, the clothes, the atmosphere and the dialog. This is still wonderful. This is a story of fate, of love and how the two sometimes come together in an undeniable vision that, once seen is never forgotten. This is a wonderful movie and I enjoy it more with each viewing. Now that Ms. Jones is gone. she can always be as she was here and that is, she was loved by not just one man but by almost everyone who saw her back then when she and the world were so very much younger. Fate, not always so kind but somehow this movie makes one feel that there are worse things than to be fated to an inescapable love.

Effective Melodrama

[hughbetcha-25708 · 7/10 · 2 June 2021]

Fighting in World War Two, Captain Alan Quinton (Joseph Cotten) finds the time to write love letters for his fellow officer, Roger Morland (Robert Sully). The trouble with this Cyrano-like situation is that Morland is a cad, and Quinton has fallen in love with his correspondent, Victoria, a woman living in England. When the war ends, Quinton learns that Morland has died and Victoria has vanished. Quinton tries to forget both of them when he falls in love with a mysterious stranger (Jennifer Jones). But he discovers that no one can escape their past entirely, especially when they didn't know they had one.

Despite the title, which would have gone well with a Bing Crosby or Fred Astaire musical, "Love Letters" is a melodramatic mystery. It is adapted from a novel by Chris Massie, with a screenplay by Ayn Rand. It would be interesting to compare the two, and see how much of the dialogue comes from the latter. The words have a feel of the stage to them, and they don't comprise very realistic dialogue. It is the kind of script in which everyone is lf-poetic, and very mysterious, without having to be, and in which people say things that sound cleverer than they really are.

Even for this quality, which may be considered contrivance, there is a lyrical element to the dialogue that works. As an example, Jones has a particularly good speech during a trial, when she talks of how everyone waits for something "great and wonderful" in their lives. "Love Letters", as typified in the dialogue, is one of those movies that seems to take place in a world just a bit removed from the everyday. This isn't John Osborne, after all.

The acting is very good, though there is a problem with Cotten's performance in that, while Quinton is an Englishman, he has no kind of English accent. Neither does Sully, whose character serves in Cotten's regiment; nor does Byron Barr, who portrays Cotten's brother. Their characters' parents, however, are clearly English. As with Franchot Tone's similarly flawed performance in the "Five Graves to Cairo", this problem is rather quickly forgotten. However, why Cotten could not have been made a Canadian (Canada's troops took a prominent part in the fighting in Italy, where Quinton serves), I've no idea. This device was commonly used when placing an American actor in British settings (eg. Gary Cooper in "The Lives of a Bengal Lancer").

Aside from that minor bump (Cotten himself said that he "couldn't do any accents"), Cotten gives one of his best performances in Love Letters. He convincingly plays a man who is both cynical and hopeful, and his change when he inherits a relative's property in rural Essex is smoothly achieved. He reveals much by his reaction to finding mementos of his childhood. (That's Cotton as a boy in the old photograph.)

Cotten appeared in four movies with Jones, in two of which they were romantically paired. Interestingly, in both of these, Jones's character lends an ethereal quality to the production. Though this is more the case in "Portrait of Jenny", "Love Letters" also has elements of the otherworldly; there is nothing supernatural about the story, but it does capture a kind of surrealism in its depiction of a disturbing amnesia.

The other roles are filled very well. Jones is suitably childlike as the woman without a past, who is content not having one, due to the fears she has of remembering. Sully, in a small but important part, makes his character rather despicable through his apathy and selfishness. Anne Richards, as Quinton's friend, gives an understated presentation; this actress, also a poetess, had a short cinematic career, usually in supporting roles. She was originally marked to play the lead in "Love Letters", which would have made quite a different movie.

The direction is satisfying. Particularly well handled are the scenes in the country, after Quinton moves into his inherited house. Though undoubtedly a set, the performances and the direction give it a reality. Also, the mystery of Jones's character, and the knowledge others have of her, is provided a suspense that is quiet, almost in the background. This creates an effective feeling of something ominous in the offing.

While definitely too melodramatic for some tastes, and too florid for others, the solid acting of Cotten keeps "Love Letters" grounded, making an entertaining and slightly fantastical movie.

romantic and soppy, yet strangely endearing...

[squid-13 · 30 July 1999]

This film is more than just the best of the "other fellow writes love notes" genre. The Ayn Rand screenplay, though a potboiler, conveys the absolutist nature of true romantic love, which certainly dovetailed nicely with her objectivist philosophy. Jennifer Jones is lovely as ever, and extremely convincing in her amnesiac role. A fine film.