siqian-53477 The letter movie review In the "The letter" directed by William Wyler in 1940, Bette Davis successfully expressed Leslie's struggle feeling behind the murder case. The mystery takes place in early 20 century in Malaysia; the setting combines the western style with the eastern culture which can catch audience's' attention in the first sight. The story began with the wife of plantation shot a man to death, which she later claimed to be self-defense in the interrogation.Although her attitude was firm and clear, her statement wasn't flawless. Later on, after she got arrested, Robert(Herbert Marshall)'s lawyer(James Stephenson) discovered a letter that was written by her, and it was contradicted to Leslie's previous testimonies. When the lawyer discovered that the real relationship between Leslie and the victim, he had to face the choice between friendship and justice. Additionally, people start to get involved in the matters, such as the deadman' widow(Gale Sondergaard), the Malayan clerk (Victor Sen Yung), and the public community...In the first scene of the movie, the audience directly witnesses the aggressive murder, that attracts the audience's attention immediately, and leave a deep impression that will stand out over time. The pace of the story was fast, the events happened one after the other, which fits the taste of majority. The prominent actress Bette Davis was one of the greatest actresses in the Hollywood history. She was famous for playing the antagonists in many movies.In "The Letter," she performed her usual "overacting" akill greatly, and every physical mannerism and facial expressions of hers conveyed the emotions of the characters. For example, in the last scene where Leslie said" With all my heart, I still love the man I killed.", Bette gave a sudden turn and a raise of intonations, which revealed Leslie's real feelings toward the deadman in a manner of outburst. That leads to audience' deeper understanding of the pain and struggle behind Leslie's cold mask.Overall, the camera move was great and smooth, the actors were amazing, the music was stunning, and the story was catchy and interesting.8 stars great movie:)

wheels-16275 This film is called The Letter. The following stars of the film are Bette Davis, Herbert Marshall, and James Stephenson. The setting was in Singapore. This was a crime, drama, and mystery.This film starts out with showing the scenery of Leslie Crosbies (Bette Davis) house. And all of a sudden Leslie and Mr. Hammond coming out of the house with Leslie Crosbie shooting him many times. Leslie claims that the man assaulted her and tried to make love to her. Leslie was taken to jail until the trial in court. However Leslie's lawyer Howard Joyce receives news that there is a letter in Leslie's handwriting saying she asked for Mr. Hammond to come to her house and that she was alone. Leslie's Lawyer asks if she wrote that letter and at first she denies it then admitted she had wrote it and all of a sudden she passes out onto the floor.The acting in this movie was done very well. Including Bette Davis. She was good at looking very suspicious and creepy at times throughout the film. Examples are when she is trying to think of what to say and she has a rather frighting look on her face. The acting of the Lawyer in this film was also pretty good. The lawyer didn't really believe was Leslie was saying but he was good at not showing that.The background music was a key aspect throughout this film. Whenever something dramatic occurred in this movie there was always background music to make that scene much more suspenseful. An example would be in the beginning of the film when Leslie(Bette Davis) was shooting Mr. Hammond multiple times there was that background music playing to add more suspense to the movie.I thought this film was very well thought out and made when I started watching it. The quality of the film was very good for that time it was made it. And the sound of the actors voices were very clear. To other viewers I'd say if you like mystery/crime-drama then you would enjoy this film.

Hunter Lanier We see a charming community of buyers, sellers, on-lookers and otherwise pleasant folks conversing idly. The chirps and chatter of the crowd is not a busy kind, but a calm one, like the low roar of a ceiling fan. A record scratch to the communal bliss comes in the form of Leslie Crosbie (Bette Davis) unloading a revolver into a man until he's down on the ground, and then she shoots a little bit more. After the echoes of the bullets drift away into the ether, she turns, as if being watched, and it blinded by the light of the moon.So begins William Wyler's "The Letter," a noirish yarn of murder, deceit and all things in-between. Naturally, Crosbie pleads innocent to the murder, claiming the man tried to rape her. However, the titular piece of paper is found, and then all bets are off. It's a simple enough premise, but where this movie shines is its mood and performances. There is one fantastic scene in particular, when Crosbie's lawyer (Howard Joyce) breaks the news to Crosbie's husband (Herbert Marshall) that a letter's been found that might be detrimental to her case. The way her husband hesitantly defends her--and doesn't even inquire as to the contents of said letter--and the way in which the laywer avoids eye contact, due to a combination of embarrassment and doubt, is a testament to the talent of both actors.One would be remiss to ignore Bette Davis, whose giant, made-for- the-movies eyes each seem to be telling a different story at all times. There's a lot of moving parts to her literary character--the torn allegiances, the all-seeing eye of the moon, the knitting, which grows more fervent as the film goes on--that a lesser actor might have folded and simply milked the melodrama inherent to the character.A problem with a lot of these plot-heavy films, reliant on reveals and gasp inducements, is that a lot of the flair is lost, due to the duty to hit certain plot points at certain times, and repeat them over and over again so the audience doesn't feel stupid. However, "The Letter" succeeds mostly at avoiding such things, and feels more like a star vehicle for everyone involved--like a star bus. While Wyler is more famous today for "Ben-Hur" the most epically epic of all film epics, his ability to hone in on a small, more personal story, and condense it to a point of pure potency, should not be forgotten. Also, the ending of the movie is a result of the Hays Code, but I think it still works.

seymourblack-1 Despite its considerable age, this classic melodrama packs a punch that's every bit as strong as when it was first released. Its plot which features murder, adultery and blackmail is thoroughly engrossing right from its impressive opening scene and powerfully portrays the hypocrisy and double standards that were so prevalent within British colonial society in the early years of the 20th century. This movie, which was nominated for seven Academy Awards, boasts a screenplay that was adapted from W Somerset Maugham's 1927 play of the same name and is notable for its quality and the number of quotable lines that it contains.One quiet evening, on a Malayan rubber plantation, a gunshot is heard from inside the owner's bungalow before a wounded man appears on the veranda followed by a woman who keeps shooting at him continuously until her revolver runs out of bullets. Leslie Crosbie (Bette Davis) arranges for her husband to be called, and soon after, Robert (Herbert Marshall) and their mutual friend and lawyer Howard Joyce (James Stephenson) arrive on the scene accompanied by the district police officer who's British.Leslie explains that their long-time acquaintance, Geoff Hammond (David Newell) had arrived at the bungalow unexpectedly and in a drunken state had attempted to rape her. In order to defend herself, she felt she took the only option that was open to her. The three men listen sympathetically and seem convinced by her story but in the circumstances, she still has to be arrested and kept in a Singapore jail until the trial, even if the outcome is expected to be a foregone conclusion. Only Howard Joyce has any doubts about Leslie's account of what happened. His suspicions arise from the fact that she kept shooting at the victim after he was clearly incapacitated and also because her story was so detailed and remained word-perfect every time it was repeated.Howard is convinced that his client will be acquitted until his assistant Ong Chi Seng (Victor Sen Yung) gives him a copy of a letter that Mrs Crosbie wrote to Hammond on the day of the shooting. When he shows the document to Leslie, she admits that it's authentic and makes it clear that she and Hammond had been involved in a long-term affair which he'd wanted to end after marrying the Eurasian woman (Gale Sondergaard) who is now in possession of the original letter and has demanded $10,000 for its return.Howard is very uncomfortable about being involved in an arrangement to recover the letter because doing so would be both morally wrong and illegal but he's persuaded to do so by the manipulative Leslie. The repercussions that then follow after the trial, go well beyond the expectations of everyone involved.The opening sequence of this movie which precedes the dramatic shooting incident is a wonderful example of William Wyler's virtuosity. The movement of the camera beautifully reflects the calm mood of the rubber plantation on a moonlit evening whilst it also very effectively sets the scene for the action that follows.Bette Davis is magnificent in her role as she displays the veneer of refinement, sophistication and superiority that masks the powerful passions that rage within her and Herbert Marshall and James Stephenson are both exceptional. The colonists' innate belief in their own superiority is exemplified when Howard says "Juries can sometimes be very stupid and it's just as well not to worry them with more evidence than they can conveniently deal with" and in a remark that relates to the difference between Leslie's outward appearance and her real nature, he says of Robert, "Strange that a man can live with a woman for ten years and not know the first thing about her".