The Letter with Bette Davis: DVD Cover
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The Letter Director: William Wyler Cast: Bette Davis, Herbert Marshall, James Stephenson, Frieda Inescort

DVD - Subtitled / B&W / Pan & Scan Learn more

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  • DVD Release Date: 01/11/2005
  • Original Release: 1940
  • Rating: Not Rated
  • Sales Rank: 17,464

Viewer Rating: (2 ratings)

Detailed Rating: "Plot" See All

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  • Overview
  • Editorial Reviews
  • Scenes
  • Customer Reviews
  • Cast & Crew
  • Full Product Details

Scenes

Features

Closed Caption; Recently discovered alternate ending sequence; 2 audio-only bonuses: 4/21/41 Lux Radio Theater adaptation starring Davis, Marshall and Stephenson and 3/6/44 Lux Radio Theater adaptation starring Davis and Marshall; Theatrical trailer; Subtitles: English, Français and Español

Full Product Details

Scene Index

Side #1 --
1. Credits [:59]
2. Gunshots in the Night [4:16]
3. Leslie's Version [5:44]
4. Renacting the Crime [4:52]
5. Charge of Murder [2:52]
6. Mysterious Visitor [5:47]
7. The Letter [4:38]
8. To Save Your Neck [1:29]
9. Lawyer's Duty [7:48]
10. Money and Two Conditions [3:56]
11. What's Expedient [3:20]
12. Trying to Understand Her [2:56]
13. Chinatown Rendezvous [4:39]
14. Mrs. Hammond [4:14]
15. The Verdict [6:03]
16. Robert's Surprise [4:55]
17. Let Him See It [4:04]
18. No Excuse for Me [3:44]
19. The Knife [3:17]
20. We've Got Each Other [2:20]
21. The Man I Killed [3:54]
22. Vengeful Widow [3:39]
23. Cast List [4:57]

Scene Index

Editorial Reviews

William Wyler's dark and poisonous melodrama, based on the W. Somerset Maugham novel, features Bette Davis in one of her nastiest roles. The story begins in the shimmering moonlight on a tropical Malayan rubber plantation. Shots ring out and a wounded man, Geoffrey Hammond (David Newell) staggers from a bungalow as Leslie Crosbie (Bette Davis) coldly follows him, pumping the remaining bullets into his body. She later tells her husband Robert (Herbert Marshall) that she shot Geoffrey, a mutual friend, because he was drunk and tried to take advantage of her. Robert, who owns the plantation, believes her story and hires high-powered lawyer Howard Joyce (James Stephenson) to defend her. But then a letter surfaces in which it is revealed that Leslie had invited Geoffrey to the plantation on the night of his murder. When Howard confronts her with the letter, Leslie admits writing it and implies that she and Geoffrey were lovers. Howard, nevertheless, agrees to continue defending her; he explains to Leslie, "I won't tell you what I personally thought when I read the letter. It's the duty of counsel to defend his client, not to convict her even in his own mind. I don't want you to tell me anything but what is needed to save your neck." Meanwhile, the letter becomes the object of a $10,000 blackmail scheme from Geoffrey's widow (Gale Sondergaard). Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

Customer Reviews

  • Viewer Rating:
  • Ratings: 2Reviews: 2

What Really Happened?by EGHunter01

Reader Rating:
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October 25, 2009: You should enjoy this movie with Bette Davis and Herbert Marshall. You may have heard the statement, "Bette Davis eyes," well in this movie those eyes will hold your attention. During this drama Bette Davis portrays a woman that kills a man, and claims self-defense when telling her lawyer as well as her husband about the incident. Is her self-defense claim an illusion? Watch the tale unfold and you determine the truth.

William Wyler's The Letterby Anonymous

Reader Rating:
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July 25, 2008: This is a powerful and affecting drama based on a story by W. Somerset Maugham. The film begins with a slow pan to the veranda of a bungalow that leads suddenly to a dramatic murder. Bette Davis is seen firing several shots and killing a man. The story then continues with a brief police investigation and to a trial. The movie is beautifully photographed, has an excellent music score, and features fine performances by Bette Davis, Herbert Marshall, James Stephenson and Gale Sondergaard. I cannot recommend it too highly.