Der letzte Schritt

Long unreleased (and it's still hard to find a decent print), and thus notorious, "Letty Lynton" does not quite live up to this notoriety. It does have a great ending, the kind of pre-code ending that makes you want to sit up and clap, and a hard-to-watch scene of Joan Crawford being slapped around by a man, but otherwise it's an undistinguished story, unimaginatively presented. **1/2 out of 4.

In Letty Lynton Joan Crawford in the title role abandons the shopgirl roles she was famous for. Here she's quite the rich heiress and as the story opens she's sailing home to New York after giving Nils Asther the air.

Half of Letty Lynton takes place aboard ship and it is there that she meets and falls for the equally rich Robert Montgomery. By the time the boat arrives in New York these two are ready to be wed and they break the news to the parents.

But Asther is persistent and he wants her back because no woman gives him the brush. It leads to some real trouble for Crawford.

It's always been of interest to me how the movie going public just ate up stories like this of the very rich for whom the Great Depression was not touching in the slightest. The only relatively poor people among the main players are District Attorney Lewis Stone and Crawford's maid Louise Closser Hale who is more of a confidante than her stern mother May Robson.

Sex was not the only thing censored by The Code when it was promulgated for the film industry. The actions of several people would not be tolerated when Crawford does get herself into a nice jackpot as she does in and as Letty Lynton.

Joan Crawford's legion of fans will approve of this Depression Era romantic melodrama.

This is one of those "mythic" films, the 1932 Joan Crawford vehicle not available anywhere, not even for TV broadcasting, because it's been in a legal tangle for decades and decades; the film in which Crawford wore one of the most famous outfits ever displayed on screen, a beautiful Adrian creation, a white evening dress which was copied in its time and sold to eager female fans in Department Stores along the United States.

In this glossy film, Crawford plays the title role, a rich and spoiled heiress, who's been living the "wild life" in Montevideo, the capital city of Uruguay with debonair man-of-the-world Emile Rénaul, played by Nils Asther only to regret it when clean-cut Jerry Darrow (Robert Montgomery) comes into her life.

This is a star-vehicle all the way, with Crawford being photographed in the most ravishing poses, positions, from the best angles; much care was put in the in the lighting and her make-up & wardrobe. Perhaps this is one of the films in which I've seen Crawford at her prettiest and sexiest, wearing a chain of exquisite, sophisticated Adrian designed evening dresses and suits, furs et al, all carefully designed to conceal her broad shoulders, which later became a trademark of hers. At this time she had not fully developed into the dramatic actress she later became, but in spite of some heavy melodramatics, her performance is good.

Her co-star Robert Montgomery has little to do in comparison but being well-bred and nice and he is good, as usual, at it. Nils Asther is the "heavy" here and being a Swedish, believably interprets an European, evil, magnate who doesn't want Letty let go; maybe his style of playing the continental lover (sometimes displaying heavy emoting) may seem somewhat artificial to modern audiences, but in all he's OK as the villain, considering it was filmed in 1932.

One of the greatest rewards of the films is watching seasoned pros as Lewis Stone, May Robson, Louise Closser-Hale and Emma Dunn playing expertly their secondary roles. Robson is magnificent as Crawford's long-suffering dowager mother; Closser-Hale endearing as Crawford's loving personal traveling companion and maid; Emma Dunn, very sweet as Montgomery's mother and Lewis Stone at his usual "knows-best" as a D.A.

It is a shame that this film is not available for everybody to see, because it's good and part of America's Cinematic inheritance and history and should not be prevented from airing because of some 70 years-old legal entanglement. I'm grateful of having had the chance of buying a fair-quality copy from a private collector, but I would like to have the chance of seeing a sharp, clear, pristine transfer of the notorious "Letty Lynton".

In Letty Lynton, Joan Crawford gets involved in a dangerous gangster, Nils Asther while in South America. Then, on the boat sailing home, she falls in love with clean, noble Robert Montgomery. They get engaged but Joan lives in constant fear that someone from her past will surface and Bob won't want her anymore if he learns she's had other men in her life. It's a theme that was common in many other 1930s films but it doesn't carry over in modern audiences. In this movie, it's supposed to be believable that Robert Montgomery thinks a woman who fell head over heels for him while on a cruise ship is respectable and completely innocent.

Because of the dated plot, which was carried out far more effectively in other films, this movie didn't make it to my favorites list. I'm not really a Joan Crawford fan anyway, and it's hard to believe anyone would be stupid enough to think she was innocent. If someone was that stupid, then chances are if he heard a rumor or personal testament to the contrary, he still wouldn't believe it.

There's a parallel from Letty Lynton to the same year's Faithless, in the scene where the heroine feels helpless as the villain carries her to the bedroom. Both Joan Crawford and Tallulah Bankhead laugh hysterically in their sorrow, but where Tallulah's outburst feels genuine, Joan's feels like it's the tenth take and she's trying to laugh loud enough for the entire studio to hear her. This movie was very obviously made in 1932 and could even be imagined as a silent movie. If you are a stickler for very good quality films, look elsewhere tonight.

As others have said, 'Letty Lynton' for a long time was a lost, or at least an unavailable, film and banned at the time for legal reasons. At long last it was re-discovered and is now available, though deserving of a much better print than it has and it is easy to see why it became notorious and also why others have become fond of it. 'Letty Lynton' had so much going for it, especially the cast and also that it was directed by Clarence Brown who did direct some great films.

It also did not deserve to be made unavailable for so long and even though it has been positively received since it deserves to be better known. Absolutely agree with others about 'Letty Lynton' being surprisingly very good, considering that quite a lot of lost but then re-discovered are not particularly good this film actually surprised me pleasantly at how good it was. Although it is not perfect, 'Letty Lynton' is among the better lost then found films seen and is a great representation of all involved.

'Letty Lynton' may have some soapy dialogue in places.

Some of it is also not always realistic, although the premise was very interesting and very intriguingly and entertainingly executed on the most part it is not always easy to follow as in real life it would not always realistically happen (though it can do).

The cast though are exemplary. Joan Crawford, my primary reason for seeing it, never resorts to histrionics in my opinion yet also seems to be fully immersed in the drama, nothing is going through the motions like. Robert Montgomery's character is underwritten but he is charismatic and dashing, making the most of what he has. Nils Asther is a seductive but sinister villain that one loves to hate. And there are great supporting turns from the likes of May Robson and Lewis Stone, Robson is especially wonderful (fully embodying a type of role that she excelled in) and Stone gives his usual reserved and sympathetic performance. Brown's direction is sophisticated, sympathetic and graceful, he understands Crawford's strengths and accomodated them just as well as he did with Greta Garbo.

Moreover, 'Letty Lynton' looks fantastic. Absolutely loved the glossy glamour of the photography, clearly loving Crawford (without being self-indulgent) who in this stage of her career is possibly at her loveliest visually. Crawford's gowns are stunning and how she wears them also makes a big impact, there is a reason as to why one in particular is famous making for some very striking imagery. On the most part, 'Letty Lynton' is thoughtfully scripted and flows more naturally than most dialogue in lost then found films. The story never felt dull, and has a good deal of thrills, as well as having entertainment value and emotional investment. The ending is a vivid one and stays with you.

Overall, surprisingly very good and well worth tracking down. 8/10