Review of The Letter (1940) by Justin F — 26 Aug 2014

Despite the fact that we live in age dominated by CGI, modern movies are too literal and real. They lack the rich symbolism and metaphor of classic movies like 'The Letter.' Bette Davis is, of course, a powerhouse.

But the other star of the movie is the interplay of light, shadow and setting. Pay attention to how the sun and moon move across the sets: everything is absolutely "unreal," and nothing is "natural.

" All those oddly glaring lights and pitch-black shadows are the outward/poetic expressions of psychological states, changes in emotion and inner thought processes. We're talking borderline Occult imagery.

If you turn down the sound, you basically have a Kenneth Anger film.