Review of The Letter (1940) by Doug C — 19 Aug 2010
"With all my heart, I still love the man I killed!" Great meldramatic noir starring Bette Davis, based on a W. Somerset Maugham play, in which Davis plays an adulteress on a Singapore plantation who uses her charm to escape a murder conviction by buying an incriminating letter to suppress its introduction during her trial, only to lose everything after she is acquitted of the crime in a classic example of the deterministic fatality of noir.
Great direction, atmospheric cinematography, and cast, including the interesting moral shading of the lawyer who represents Davis,played by James Stephenson, who is conflicted by illegally suppressing the evidence of the letter and setting a coldblooded murderess free.
This review of The Letter (1940) was written by Doug C on 19 Aug 2010.
The Letter has generally received very positive reviews.
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