Siddhesh Joshi (Editor)

The Letter (1929 film)

Updated on
Edit
Like
Comment
Share on FacebookTweet on TwitterShare on LinkedInShare on Reddit
7
/
10
1
Votes
Alchetron7
7
1 Ratings
100
90
80
71
60
50
40
30
20
10
Rate This

Rate This

Director
  
Producer
  
Country
  
United States

6.9/10
IMDb

Genre
  
Drama

Duration
  

Language
  
English

The Letter (1929 film) movie poster

Release date
  
April 13, 1929 (1929-04-13)

Based on
  
the play The Letter by W. Somerset Maugham

Writer
  
Garrett Fort (adaptation), W. Somerset Maugham (play)

Screenplay
  
W. Somerset Maugham, Jean de Limur, Monta Bell, Garrett Fort, Mort Blumenstock

Cast
  
(Leslie Crosbie),
O.P. Heggie
(Joyce), (Robert Crosbie), (Geoffrey Hammond), (Mrs. Joyce),
Lady Tsen Mei
(Li-Ti)

Similar movies
  
W Somerset Maugham wrote the screenplay for The Letter and wrote the story for The Painted Veil

The letter the film 1929


The Letter (1929) is an American drama film produced by Paramount Pictures. It was the first full-sound feature shot at Astoria Studios, Queens, New York City. A silent version of the film was also released. It stars the noted stage actress Jeanne Eagels along with O. P. Heggie and was directed by Jean de Limur. The film was adapted by Garrett Fort from the 1927 play The Letter by W. Somerset Maugham. It tells the story of a married woman who kills her lover out of jealousy and is brought to trial.

Contents

The Letter (1929 film) wwwgstaticcomtvthumbdvdboxart161476p161476

Jeanne eagels the letter 1929 i still love the man i killed


Plot

The Letter (1929 film) The Letter 1929 Toronto Film Society Toronto Film Society

Bored and lonely living on her husband's rubber plantation, Leslie Crosbie takes a lover, Geoffrey Hammond. Eventually, however, he tires of her and takes a Chinese mistress, Li-Ti. When Leslie finds out, she insists on seeing him while her husband is away. She tries to rekindle his love, but when he tells her that he prefers Li-Ti to her, she becomes enraged and shoots him repeatedly.

The Letter (1929 film) TCM Film The Letter 1929 Closing Scene YouTube

At the murder trial, she perjures herself on the stand, claiming she had little to do with Hammond and that she shot him when he tried to rape her. Everyone sympathizes, but then Li-Ti's emissary provides Joyce, Leslie's attorney, with a copy of the letter in which Leslie begged Hammond to come see her. Li-Ti is ready to sell it for $10,000, provided Leslie herself make the exchange. On Joyce's advice, Leslie agrees. Li-Ti humiliates her, but eventually accepts the money. Leslie is found not guilty.

The Letter (1929 film) The Letter 1929 Toronto Film Society Toronto Film Society

Joyce presents his bill to Leslie's husband, Robert. He charges no fee, but the expenses come to $10,000. When Robert demands an explanation, Joyce gives him one, and the damning letter. After Joyce leaves, Robert confronts his wife and forces her to admit everything. As punishment, he decides to keep her on the plantation (he has no more money anyway). In return, she boasts that she still loves the man she killed.

Cast

The Letter (1929 film) The Letter 1940 vs The Letter 1929 The Hollywood Revue

  • Jeanne Eagels as Leslie Crosbie
  • Reginald Owen as Robert Crosbie
  • Herbert Marshall as Geoffrey Hammond
  • Irene Browne as Mrs. Joyce
  • O. P. Heggie as Mr. Joyce
  • Lady Tsen Mei as Li-Ti
  • Tamaki Yoshiwara as Ong Chi Seng
  • Preservation status

    The Letter (1929 film) The Letter 1929

    The Letter was long out of circulation. In June 2011, a restored edition of the film was released on home video by Warner Bros. (via Turner Entertainment) as part of its Warner Archive Collection as a made-on-demand DVD.

    Awards and nominations

    Eagels, who died just months after the film was completed, was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of the married woman. She was the first performer to be so recognized by the Academy after her death, though hers was not an official nomination. Eagels was among several actresses "under consideration" by a board of judges.

    The Letter was cited as one of the Top Ten Films of 1929 by the National Board of Review.

    Remake

    Herbert Marshall, who plays Leslie's lover in the film also appears as her husband in William Wyler's 1940 Warner Bros. remake. Bette Davis received an Oscar nomination for the role of Leslie Crosbie in the remake, just as Jeanne Eagels had done in 1929.

    References

    The Letter (1929 film) Wikipedia
    The Letter (1929 film) IMDbThe Letter (1929 film) themoviedb.org