The Letter (1929)

User Rating:

8.5/10   

Director:

Jean de Limur

Writers:

Monta Bell (dialogue)
Mort Blumenstock (titles)

Release Date:

13 April 1929 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot Keywords:

Based On Play

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar.

Cast

Jeanne Eagels	...	Leslie Crosbie
O.P. Heggie	...	Joyce
Reginald Owen	...	Robert Crosbie
Herbert Marshall	...	Geoffrey Hammond
Irene Browne	...	Mrs. Joyce
Lady Tsen Mei	...	Li-Ti
Tamaki Yoshiwara	...	On Chi Seng
Kenneth Thomson		(as Kenneth Thompson)

Runtime:

65 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Filming Locations:

Astoria, Queens, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

First posthumous Academy Award nomination for an actor: 'Jeanne Eagles' for Best Actress 1928/29.

Quotes:

[last lines]
Leslie Crosbie: [direct to camera] With all my heart and all my soul, I still love the man I killed!

Movie Connections:

Featured in Thou Shalt Not: Sex, Sin and Censorship in Pre-Code Hollywood (2008) (TV)

A knockout performance by Jeanne Eagels

Only currently available through the American Film Institute, which restored the film, this features a remarkable performance by one of the great stage actresses in the early part of the 20th Century.One sees immediately why Ms. Eagels was a star; this is a powerful, emotional tour-de-force which lasts a little over an hour. Little more than a filmed stage play for the most part, this film is a very important re-discovery that deserves to get into better circulation.