Film of the Week: The Letter, 1940

The early 40’s belonged to Bette Davis who created some of her finest film roles during this period. One of the best of her career, and one of my favorite films of all time, is 1940’s The Letter directed by the great William Wyler and starring Bette Davis, Herbert Marshall, James Stephenson, Gale Sondergaard and (Victor) Sen Yung.

The Letter is based on the 1927 play of the same name by W. Somerset Maugham. This is the second film version of the story. The tale of adultery and murder had been previously filmed in 1929. The story concerns Leslie Crosbie, the wife of a British rubber plantation owner in Malaya and her manipulations and sins. The film opens after a moody montage which was cleverly devised by Wyler to capture the spirit of sultry Malaya. A cockatoo squawks as a gun is fired and we soon see a man stumble down a short flight of stairs to his death as Bette (as Leslie) swaggers out, her arm stiff, her face mesmerized, as she empties the gun into the man’s body.

At first, Leslie’s husband, Robert (played by Herbert Marshall) and their lawyer, Howard Joyce (played by James Stephenson) appear to believe that the murdered man, Geoff Hammond, had attempted to rape Leslie and she shot him in self defense. Howard, however, seems to doubt some of the facts of the case, but supports his client/friend nonetheless. Then, Howard’s clerk, Ong Che Seng ((Victor) Sen Yung) reveals that there’s in existence a letter which damns Leslie. What follows is a tale of treachery, murder, adultery and shattered morals.

William Wyler and Bette Davis (who had been having an affair) often clashed during the production. This feuding came to a climax during the filming of one of the final scenes in which Leslie delicates, “I can’t, I can’t, I can’t. With all my heart, I still love the man I killed.” Davis insisted that Leslie—or any woman—could not look her husband in the eye and say such a horrible thing. Wyler disagreed and pressed Davis to look squarely at Marshall as she delivered the line. Davis stormed off the set. Later, she returned and finished the scene as directed, but she spent the rest of her life—truly—complaining about it.

One thing everyone could agree about was the fact that no one liked the ending that the Hays Office forced upon the picture. According to the Production Code, anyone who committed murder had to be punished by the end of the picture, preferably by also being killed. In the original story, Leslie declares that she loved the man she killed, leaves her husband and goes on about her life. However, in the film version, she states her feelings and, then, wanders out in the garden where she meets a strange kind of justice.

The cast is superb. While Warner Brothers wanted the character of Howard Joyce to be played by a bigger star than James Stephenson, they were surprised by his Academy Award nominated performance. Herbert Marshall shines as Robert. Curiously Marshall was in the 1929 version as the man that Leslie kills. Much credit should be given to Gale Sondergaard who plays the grotesque Eurasian wife of Geoff Hammond and the owner of the damning letter. And, Bette Davis, truly gives one of her most controlled and subtle performances.

With a soundtrack by Max Steiner and some lovely costumes, this picture hits all the right notes and is rightfully put in a place on honor in film history.