Lettres secrètes

Unknown in Europe, this movie was recommended by someone from the States and I certainly wasn't disappointed once I'd received the DVD and watched it! On a par with "Somewhere in Time" and similar in some respects to "A Message from Charity" which was one of the "New Twilight Zone" episodes, this film is beautifully made and a real pleasure to watch over and over again. In fact nowadays, many of these so-called "TV Movies" are actually better than those made for the cinema !!

Plots in time-travel movies cannot of course be logical but this film had a very reasonable and believable plot ( bar, of course the way the letters were supposed to travel in time ) but when you watch films of this nature, there is no point in worrying about details of that kind.

The sets and picture quality were magnificent and I found the ending totally satisfactory although I would have perhaps wished the movie to continue on so that we see romance developing between Campbell Scott and the lady in the cemetery. I had already seen Campbell Scott in a film called 'Dying Young ' and do like this actor very much. This film was just suited to me as I don't really like time-travel movies with tons of special effects as they dont really appear believable ! So I hope people will make more movies like this because at present it is true that they are rather thin on the ground. And we do need doses of romantic fantasy to whisk us out and above of the dreariness of modern life !!

"The Love Letter" was written by Jack Finney. If you are familiar with his classic time-travel novel "Time And Again", you will definitely love this TV version of his short-story "The Love Letter".

The leads are very competent. Campbell Scott, for those who don't know, is the son of the late George C. Scott...one of America's Greatest Actor's. Campbell has come into his own, and does very well. Jennifer Jason Leigh and Daphne Ashbrook are perfect as the female time-travel counterparts.

Remember: this IS a fantasy. But a beautifully constructed one at that. If you've ever wanted to reach back into the past for a long-lost love, this story will surely tug at your heart strings. And the ending is "just right" and very touching in its own way...there may not be a dry eye in the room when it's over with. And that's okay.

PS: Jack Finney also wrote one of the greatest Sci-Fi Thrillers of all-time: "The Invasion of the Body Snatchers". In addition, if you like "The Love Letter" and want more of the same, treat yourself to the above-mentioned "Time And Again" ! Time-Travel, Romance, Mystery, Fantasy...all wrapped-up in the full-blown novel that has become a true Cult Classic.

I saw this movie on a plane without the sound track. Even then it held me spell-bound. What a premiss, a love affair between a civil war beauty and a contemporary man. Great inventiveness and well acted too.

What a story! A love that transcends time. If you are a romantic you are in for a treat when you watch this film.

Campbell Scott and Jennifer Jason Leigh play two people who fall in love by corresponding with one another. This would not be totally unheard of except that she is living during the civil war period and his is living in the present day. He buys an antique desk which belonged to her and finds a letter hidden in one of its secret compartments. The letter was written for no one to read - she is merely venting about her life (she is unmarried, 28, and expected to wed a man she does not love). Magically they start writing each other and gradually fall in love.

To tell you anymore would be giving away some major plot lines. Just be prepared for the last five minutes and make sure you have plenty of kleenex on hand. I guarantee you are going to need them!!

This is a lovely movie -- the story is well-thought and although it seems tortuous, they pull it off nicely and make it entirely believable. I very much enjoy Leigh and Scott together. I've seen it several times already, and will continue to see it over and over.