Film Review for "The Letter" (1940)

Today on Turner Classic Movies I watched the great Bette Davis in The Letter, a 1940 film made during her years at Warner Bros. Studios (Davis was employed there from 1932 to 1949). In the film Davis plays Leslie Crosbie, a wealthy woman whose husband owns a successful rubber plantation. In the opening scene of The Letter we see Bette shooting down a man bullet after bullet with a cold expression on her face. When the police investegators and her husband Robert Crosbie (played by Herbert Marshall) arrive she claimes that she shot and killed the man in self defense for he was trying to moleste her.

In actuallity Leslie is lying; the man that Leslie has murdered was actually a lover whom she'd been seeing while her husband was away overseeing the various plantations. During the investigation a letter comes into focus written by Leslie in which it asks the deceased to come to her home and see her. The drama then continues as Leslie confesses to having written it.

Ms. Davis, as always, gives a brilliant performance in the female lead and she was nominated for a Best Actress Oscar for her endeavors but she lost to out that year to Ginger Rogers in Kitty Foyle. This film was actually a remake; the first film version of The Letter was made in 1929 and starred Jeanne Eagles in the female lead and Herbert Marshall played Robert Crosbie; in this remake, which is more well known, he reprised his role.

Overall, The Letter is a wonderful film filled with suspense, intrigue, and boat loads of drama. Should you wish to see this film check your local listings. For those of you who are Bette Davis fans, like myself, this is one of her "must-see movies".

Billy Wilder Fans Rejoice! A book about the acclaimed director is released!

From The University Press of Kentucky:

One of the most accomplished writers and directors of classic Hollywood, Billy Wilder (1906 - 2002) directed numerous acclaimed films, including Sunset Boulevard (1950), Sabrina (1954), The Seven Year Itch (1955), Witness for the Prosecution (1957), and Some Like It Hot (1959). Featuring Gene D. Phillips's unique, in-depth critical approach, Some Like It Wilder: The Life and Controversial Films of Billy Wilder provides a groundbreaking overview of a filmmaking icon.

Wilder began his career as a screenwriter in Berlin but, because of his Jewish heritage, sought refuge in America when Germany came under Nazi control. Making fast connections in Hollywood, Wilder immediately made the jump from screenwriter to director. His classic films Five Graves to Cairo (1943), Double Indemnity (1944), and The Lost Weekend (1945) earned Academy Awards for best picture, director, and screenplay. During the 1960s, Wilder continued to direct and produce controversial comedies, including Kiss Me, Stupid (1964) and The Apartment (1960), which won Oscars for best picture and director. This definitive biography reveals that Wilder was, and remains, one of the most influential directors in filmmaking.

The book was written by author Gene D. Phillips

A Special Day for Shirley Temple

On this day in 1934, Shirley Temple signed a contract with Fox Film Corp., going from $150 a week to $1,000 plus bonuses. She was the most popular child star in Hollywood during the 1930s elevating her to the star status of people like Gary Cooper, Joan Crawford, and Clark Gable.

Below is a scene from the 1935 film, Curly Top.

An Honor for Gloria Stuart

In case you didn't hear or weren't aware, on June 21, 2010 Hollywood legend Gloria Stuart was honored by the Screen Actors Guild for her seventy years of service to the film world. In the 1930s, when the guild was established, Ms. Stuart was among the many actors of the day to became apart of the union. Ms. Stuart was very grateful for her award and thanked the guild for she has had many years of "caring and sharing".

On Sunday, July 4, 2010 (or Independence Day) Ms. Stuart will be celebrating her
100th birthday. A feature will be done on that this coming weekend time providing.

Happy 94th Birthday to Olivia de Havilland

On this day in 1916 actress Olivia de Havilland was born in Tokyo to a British attorney and his socialite wife. The family moved to California in the 1920s when Olivia and her younger sister, actress Joan Fontaine (born in 1917), would recieve better health as they'd been ill frequently while overseas. Her first screen role came in 1935 in A Midsummer Nights Dream opposite Dick Powell.

In 1939, she starred as Melanie Hamilton in Gone With The Wind co-starring Clark Gable, Leslie Howard, Vivien Leigh, and Hattie McDaniel. This role would be her most famous as well as her most memorable. In the 1940s she twice won the Academy Award for Best Actress the first in 1946 for To Each His Own and the second and final time in 1949 for her work in The Heiress opposite an up-and-coming Montgomery Clift.

As of today she is not only the last surviving cast member of Gone With The Wind but one of the last great leading ladies of 1930s and 1940s Hollywood. Presently she enjoys a peaceful retierment in France.

Happy Birthday Olivia!