The Letter

Among the three Wyler-Davis' collaborations (the others being "little foxes" and "Jezebel" ) "the letter " is their triumph.The repugnance that most of the French critics feel for the great Wyler is one of their major flaws (coming from "les cahiers du cinema " and the stupidity of the nouvelle vague ravings).

"The letter" is a splendor.A screenplay so simple and so effective it's a wonder it grabs us till the last pictures.A first sequence to rival the best of Hitchcock.A feverish sticky deadly atmosphere from the mysterious garden where a malefic full moon shines on Davis' inscrutable face to the seedy place in the Chinese quarter where they smoke opium and where Gale Sondergaard spins a web :in this memorable scene when she forces Davis to kneel down,she almost surpasses the star,which will seem an impossible task to some,and yet..Every time Sondergaard appears on the screen ,she's absolutely terrifying.I was saying that the screenplay was simple ,but that kind of simplicity takes genius and I wish today's stories had this implacable logic.As always in Wyler's works of that era,the ball sequence is a recurring theme (see the admirable scenes of "Wuthering Heights" and "Jezebel" )Thus,the finale scenes revolve around a ball,beginning with Davis's entrance and ending with a view of the dancers from the outside ,à la "Wuthering Heights" .Excellent performances by the whole cast,fabulous directing,particularly in these last pictures ,where Davis is walking through the garden ,under a bad moon rising..You must see "the letter".

William Wyler directs Bette Davis in a fine screen adaptation of a Somerset Maugham story. The plot is sheer melodrama and has la Davis in all kinds of hot water, legal and personal, in British Malaya. Wyler's pretentious direction works better here than elsewhere, and this is one of his finest films. The combination of the director's grandiose desire to turn everything into high art meshes nicely with Maugham's journeyman but psychologically complex, basically mediocre tale. Add to this a bravura performance from his star, and the result is a highly watchable and intelligent movie.

The tropics are nicely evoked without without drawing too much emphasis to the fact that everything and everyone seems to be wilting in the heat. Wyler and his screenwriters have clearly done their homework, and along with the cast present a believable picture of the closed society that was the essence of British imperial rule. These people are more snobs than not, but they are often decent snobs, good friends to one another in a tight spot, and carry themselves with a kind of quiet dignity that seems to have died with the empire. There are some fine performances aside from Miss Davis', notably from James Stevenson as her lawyer, who yet seems to be her lover, but isn't; and Herbert Marshall, who may as well her lawyer but is in fact her husband. The moon figures prominently in the film, seeming to hover over the action, perhaps even dictating it, and giving the movie perhaps a stronger resonance than its civilized melodrama deserves.

Bette Davis was known at some point to never let her audience down when it came to her movie roles and this movie supports that. Powerful in its story-telling and slow to reel you in and then hook, The Letter gets better as it unfolds but not to disappoint those that like to get right to it, this movie also hits the ground running right at the start. Every viewer gains as this movie is played. Good cast and crew to not mention memorable scenes that make one want to see the movie again despite knowing the ending. Excellent character and ethics being acted out and how quick they can all come to risk should the right circumstances prevail. This movie presents those ducks all lined up and ready to quack away. What fascinates us is when a fellow human being bets all they have on a thing, outcome or want. Not one but three people succumb making us see that dark forces if given an inch will take a mile if we blink. We blink and the rest is good entertainment. Ask yourself if this could have happened to you and if so, what would you do? Play the different characters and keep asking. In the end, all we say or do comes down to truth or whatever topples us. In this case, its in writing and peoples life's

In a career that spanned almost six decades, it would be hard pressed to cite one definitive Davis performance. There are so many, and with the number of Davis fans worldwide, it would be redundant to list them here.

However, Davis's performance as adulterer/"devoted" wife "Leslie Crosbie" has to rank as one of her finest. Davis does more in the short span of ninety-five minutes (the film's running time) than an actor of lesser skill could do in an entire career. Her "Leslie" is delicate, yet demanding, appealing yet repulsive, and submissive yet authoritative. The character dominates every inch of the screen and the actress makes full use of those trademark "eyes" of which Kim Carnes sang.

The supporting cast is equally as brilliant, with Herbert Marshall outstanding as her loving (but dim-witted) husband, James Stephenson, suave and determined, as Davis's lawyer, Victor Sen Yung (later to achieve fame as "Hop Sing" on TV's "Bonanza"), and Gale Sondergaard, magnificent in the speechless yet captivating role of "Mrs. Hammond."

And praise of this film is not complete without mention of its score. Max Steiner contributed one of film's greatest musical accompaniments. So powerful is this work that Laurence Rosenthal adapted themes in his score to the television version, starring the late Lee Remick.

From its explosive beginning to its hushed ending, this is Golden Age Hollywood story-telling at its best. Director William Wyler and star Bette Davis were lovers behind the scenes and it shows here in the masterful way he showcases her and also in the way she responds.

The story, set in colonial Malaysia, from W Somerset Maugham's novel, is expertly unveiled from that dramatic opening as, under a full moon, Davis's Leslie Crosbie commits the ultimate crime of passion and then throws herself on the legal skills of family friend James Stephenson to get her off. Her defence is self-defence against attempted rape and seems plausible until word is filtered to Stephenson by his duplicitous, self-serving native assistant of the existence of a highly incriminating letter written by the accused woman on the night of the murder, which puts a completely different reading on events.

And so the threat of blackmail leads to a secret bargain with the slain man's widow, played in inscrutable, indeed mute fashion by Gale Sondergaard, an imposing, haunting presence in her every scene, unwillingly dragging Stephenson into a shady bargain which compromises his professional ethics, but out of friendship for Davis's doting, unsuspecting husband, Herbert Marshall, he eventually allows himself to be drawn into effectively acting as Davis's accomplice.

Although the trial outcome is assured, there's still a price to be paid by Bette however when Marshall learns that the financial price for buying the letter was far higher than its importance had been made out to him before, leaving him penniless and unable to fulfil his dream move to Singapore. Aah, but at least he has the love of his innocent wife to fall back on...or so he thinks...

The only inconsistencies in the story for me were the two prices Davis had to pay in the end, which I can only attribute to the Code's requirement that no crime, certainly a capital crime like this, can be allowed to go unpunished. That said it does pave the way for Davis's memorable final walk in shadow to her ultimate fate which impressively closes the film.

There can't be many better-lit films than this, Wyler's use of light and shade is absolutely masterful. He also gets a great lead performance from Davis, who holds onto her steely, ice-cool demeanour right up until Marshall, also very good in his very supportive role, asks her the question which causes her facade to shatter. James Stephenson, a name previously unknown to me and who sadly died just after the film's release, is likewise excellent as the couple's conflicted legal adviser and was deservedly Oscar-nominated for his work. Mention should also be made of Max Steiner's brooding soundtrack which adds much to the stifling atmosphere throughout.

This film is a rare combination of a rattling good tale, expertly directed and convincingly played all adding up to a tense and gripping melodrama.