A pianist about to flee from a duel receives a letter from a woman he cannot remember, who may hold the key to his downfall.
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Title: Letter from an Unknown Woman (1948)
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| Complete credited cast: | |||
| Joan Fontaine | ... | Lisa Berndle | |
| Louis Jourdan | ... | Stefan Brand | |
| Mady Christians | ... | Frau Berndle | |
 |
Marcel Journet | ... | Johann Stauffer |
| Art Smith | ... | John | |
|
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Carol Yorke | ... | Marie |
| Howard Freeman | ... | Herr Kastner | |
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John Good | ... | Lt. Leopold von Kaltnegger |
|
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Leo B. Pessin | ... | Stefan Jr. |
| Erskine Sanford | ... | Porter | |
| Otto Waldis | ... | Concierge | |
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Sonja Bryden | ... | Frau Spitzer |
In Vienna in 1900, Stefan Brand must face a duel the following morning. He has no intention of defending his honor however and plans to flee the city when he notices that he has received a letter from someone in his past. A struggling concert pianist at the time he met Lisa Berndle when she was just a teenager living next door. Brand has had many women in his life however and unaware that Lisa is genuinely in love with him, forgets all about her. They meet again but he only vaguely remembers ever having met her. Unknown to him she bears his child and eventually marries a man who knows of her past but loves her very much. When she runs into Brand many years later her love for him resurfaces and she is prepared to abandon her son and husband for him. Tragedy follows. Written by garykmcd
This is a well directed film from a director who appears to know what he needs from his actors, and camera operators. He especially manages to portray the lead character Lisa, played by the great Joan Fontaine very well. And Fontaine gives this renowned director what he wants. She plays both the vulnerable and later the hardened Lisa in her mature role adeptly. The very handsome Louis Jourdan, and the Vienna setting are turned into props by the director to exaggerate Lisa's vulnerability.
It is within Lisa's vulnerability that the audience can see how the concept of romantic love has been used to make women emotionally needy, which can then be taken advantage of by the likes of Jourdan's character Stefan. In the real world, romantic love becomes a commodity for transacting a deal which secures relationships. Therefore, women play up to the idea of romantic love, rather than succumb to it, and use it as a meal ticket for their security in a man's world. This is illustrated in the film by Lisa, who later marries a man for financial security, as well as respectability, as opposed to love.
After several viewings of this film, I have to say it's one of the best around!