Letter from an Unknown Woman (1948)

User Rating:

7.9/10   

Director:

Max Ophüls

Writers:

Howard Koch (screenplay)
Stefan Zweig (story)
(more)

Release Date:

13 September 1948 (Sweden)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

In Vienna, about 1900, a dashing man arrives at his flat, instructing his manservant that he will leave before morning: the man is Stefan Brand...

Plot Keywords:

Letter | Duel | Pianist | Apartment | Platonic Love

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Joan Fontaine	...	Lisa Berndle
Louis Jourdan	...	Stefan Brand
Mady Christians	...	Frau Berndle
Marcel Journet	...	Johann Stauffer
Art Smith	...	John
Carol Yorke	...	Marie
Howard Freeman	...	Herr Kastner
John Good	...	Lt. Leopold von Kaltnegger
Leo B. Pessin	...	Stefan Jr.
Erskine Sanford	...	Porter
Otto Waldis	...	Concierge
Sonja Bryden	...	Frau Spitzer
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Patricia Alphin	...	Pretty (uncredited)
Harry Anderson	...	(uncredited)
Edit Angold	...	Middle-Aged Woman (uncredited)
Lois Austin	...	Elderly Woman (uncredited)
Polly Bailey	...	Passenger (uncredited)
John T. Bambury	...	Midget (uncredited)
George Blagoi	...	(uncredited)
Betty Blythe	...	Frau Kohner (uncredited)
Walter Bonn	...	Colonel Kohner (uncredited)
Sven Hugo Borg	...	Mover (uncredited)
Robert W. Brown	...	First Officer (uncredited)
Paul E. Burns	...	Concierge (uncredited)
Douglas Carter	...	Man (uncredited)
Donald Chaffin	...	Pedestrian (uncredited)
Gordon Clark	...	Street Singer (uncredited)
Edmund Cobb	...	Carriage Driver (uncredited)
Tom Costello	...	Musician (uncredited)
Ashley Cowan	...	Callow Youth (uncredited)
Helen Dickson	...	Large Woman (uncredited)
Watson Downs	...	Conductor (uncredited)
Tay Dunn	...	Young Officer (uncredited)
Al Eben	...	Waiter (uncredited)
John Elliott	...	Flower Vendor (uncredited)
Edwin Fowler	...	Dancing Master (uncredited)
Curt Furburg	...	Butler (uncredited)
Lorraine Gale	...	Girlfriend (uncredited)
Joe Garcia	...	Collector (uncredited)
Jack Gargan	...	Man (uncredited)
Jack George	...	Opera Critic (uncredited)
Lisa Golm	...	Musician (uncredited)
Roy Gordon	...	Elderly Man in Uniform (uncredited)
William Gould	...	The Bürgermeister (uncredited)
Ilka Grüning	...	Ticket Taker (uncredited)
William Hall	...	Mover (uncredited)
Ramsay Hill	...	Col. Steindorf (uncredited)
Edna Holland	...	Nun (uncredited)
Mauritz Hugo	...	Young Man (uncredited)
Doretta Johnson	...	Girlfriend (uncredited)
Joseph Kamaryt	...	Bavarian Mountain Climber (uncredited)
Elizabeth Kerr	...	(uncredited)
Rex Lease	...	Station Attendant (uncredited)
William A. Lee	...	Mover (uncredited)
Arthur Lovejoy	...	Footman (uncredited)
Celia Lovsky	...	Flower Vendor (uncredited)
Michael Mark	...	Cafe Customer (uncredited)
John McCallum	...	Store Helper (uncredited)
Betty McDonough	...	(uncredited)
Hal Melone	...	Waiter (uncredited)
Torben Meyer	...	Carriage Driver (uncredited)
Howard M. Mitchell	...	Man on Streetcar (uncredited)
Kay Morley	...	Daughter (uncredited)
Leo Mostovoy	...	Older Man (uncredited)
Fred Nurney	...	Officer on Street (uncredited)
William H. O'Brien	...	Footman (uncredited)
Blanche Obronska	...	Young Woman (uncredited)
Manuel París	...	Baron's Second (uncredited)
Joe Ploski	...	Moving Man (uncredited)
Jean Ransome	...	Maid (uncredited)
Peggy Remington	...	(uncredited)
Bruce Riley	...	Officer (uncredited)
Paul Rochin	...	Bavarian Man (uncredited)
Countess Elektra Rozanska	...	Elegant Lady (uncredited)
Shimen Ruskin	...	Older Man (uncredited)
Norbert Schiller	...	Stefan's Second (uncredited)
Bill Schroff	...	Waiter (uncredited)
Irene Seidner	...	Frau Mombert (uncredited)
Jameson Shade	...	Musician (uncredited)
Lester Sharpe	...	Critic (uncredited)
Guy L. Shaw	...	Cafe Patron (uncredited)
Walter Soderling	...	(uncredited)
Pietro Sosso	...	Coachman (uncredited)
Helen Spring	...	Middle-Aged Woman (uncredited)
Lotte Stein	...	Musician (uncredited)
Hermine Sterler	...	Mother Superior (uncredited)
Cy Stevens	...	Man (uncredited)
Diane Stewart	...	Girlfriend (uncredited)
Vera Stokes	...	Girlfriend (uncredited)
Frieda Stoll	...	Burgomeister's Wife (uncredited)
Paul Peter Szemere	...	Mover (uncredited)
William Trenk	...	Fritzel (uncredited)
Lisl Valetti	...	Musician (uncredited)
Roland Varno	...	Stefan's Second (uncredited)
William Vedder	...	Street Singer (uncredited)
Erich von Schilling	...	Usher (uncredited)
Max Willenz	...	Baggage Man (uncredited)
Gabrielle Windsor	...	Ballet Girl (uncredited)
Judith Woodbury	...	Model (uncredited)
June Wood	...	Cashier (uncredited)
Jack Worth	...	Officer (uncredited)
Mary Worth	...	Musician (uncredited)

Directed by
Max Ophüls		(as Max Opuls)

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Howard Koch		screenplay
Max Ophüls		uncredited
Stefan Zweig		story

Produced by
John Houseman	....	producer
William Dozier	....	executive producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Daniele Amfitheatrof

Cinematography by
Franz Planer		(director of photography) (as Frank Planer)

Film Editing by
Ted J. Kent

Art Direction by
Alexander Golitzen

Set Decoration by
Russell A. Gausman
Ruby R. Levitt

Costume Design by
Travis Banton		(gowns)

Makeup Department
Carmen Dirigo	....	hair stylist
Bud Westmore	....	makeup artist
Lou LaCava	....	makeup artist (uncredited)

Production Management
E. Dobbs	....	production manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
John Sherwood	....	assistant director (as John F. Sherwood)
Mickey Bennett	....	second assistant director (uncredited)
Les Warner	....	second assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Wally Kirkpatrick	....	props (uncredited)

Sound Department
Glenn E. Anderson	....	sound (as Glenn F. Anderson)
Leslie I. Carey	....	sound

Camera and Electrical Department
Albert Anderson	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Tex Bellah	....	best boy (uncredited)
Walter Blummie	....	camera operator (uncredited)
Punk Smith	....	key grip (uncredited)
Roland Smith	....	grip (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Virginia Tutwiler	....	wardrobe (uncredited)

Music Department
David Tamkin	....	orchestrator
Jakob Gimpel	....	musician: "Un Sospiro" (uncredited)

Other crew
William Dozier	....	presenter
Paul Elbogen	....	technical advisor
John Hambleton	....	production coordinator
Adele Cannon	....	script supervisor (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Rampart Productions (I)

Distributors

• Universal Pictures (1948) (USA) (theatrical)
• Criterion Collection, The (USA) (laserdisc)
• Kinowelt Home Entertainment (2007) (Germany) (DVD)
• Republic Pictures (19??) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Versátil Home Vídeo (2005) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Wild Side Vidéo (2003) (France) (DVD)

Runtime:

86 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

USA:Approved (MPAA rating: #12855) | UK:U | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:Btl

Company:

Rampart Productions (I)

Trivia:

Joan Fontaine's favorite movie.

Quotes:

Lisa Berndl: The course of our lives can be changed by such little things. So many passing by, each intent on his own problems. So many faces that one might easily have been lost. I know now that nothing happens by chance. Every moment is measured; every step is counted.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in La science des rêves (2006)

Soundtrack:

Un sospiro

A sad love story

It all starts from a schoolgirl crush.Louis Jourdan (b. 1919) is Stefan Brand, a concert pianist, who's leaving Vienna to avoid a duel.Before he leaves his servant gives him a letter from an unknown woman.The letter is from Lisa Berndl, played by Joan Fontaine (b. 1917).In that letter Lisa tells how deeply in love she's been with Stefan for many years.It all started when she was living as his neighbor as a schoolgirl.Letter from an Unknown Woman (1948) is a movie that Max Ophüls directed.I started watching the movie after about five minutes and I was too captivated by it so I couldn't stop watching it.It's a different kind of love story.Fontaine and Jourdan are perfect people for their parts.Joan Fontaine is amazing going from a teenager to a mature woman.The whole movie has a great casting.This movie is a true classic.A movie that will make you shed a few tears.