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| The Letter (1940) |
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| Studio: Warner Brothers/First
National |
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| Producer: Hal B. Wallis |
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| Starring: Bette Davis, Herbert
Marshall, James Stephenson |
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| Synopsis: In the
humid, far Eastern setting of colonial Malaysia,
Leslie Crosbie, the wife of a British rubber plantation
owner, shoots family friend Jeff Hammond. Although
Mrs. Crosbie claims that she acted in self-defense
against attempted rape, Hammond's Eurasian widow
holds a letter that contains valuable information
about the killing. Both Mrs. Crosbie and her lawyer,
who's already skeptical about his client's version
of events, are determined to get their hands on
it, whatever the cost. The original ending had to
be changed to comply with Hollywood's censorship
regulations which stipulated that a murder could
not go unpunished. The character of mistress was
also changed to wife. |
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| Academy Awards®:
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| Best Picture |
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Nominated |
| Best Director |
Willliam
Wyler |
Nominated
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| Best Actress
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Bette Davis
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Nominated
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Supporting Actor |
James Stephenson
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Nominated
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Cinematography (b&w)
|
Tony Gaudio |
Nominated
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| Editing
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Warren Low
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Nominated
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| Best Original
Score |
Max Steiner
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Nominated |
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National
Board of Review
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| Special Awards |
James Stephenson |
Won |
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| Buy this movie
on VHS |
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Certain
product data ©1948-2002 Muze, Inc. For personal
use only. All rights reserved. |
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