Letter from an unknown woman 1948 is the classic romantic film a lush tearjerker par excellence of the bittersweet theme of unrequited, lost love its considered a quintessential womans picture. Letter from an unknown woman is regarded as a masterpiece, and was selected for preservation in the us national film registry in 1992. Joan fontaine excels as the lovestruck lisa and louis jourdan charms the viewer with his portrayal of a wellmeaning but ultimately destructive womaniser. Letter from an unknown woman is a 1948 american blackandwhite drama romance film released by universalinternational and directed by max ophuls it was. All the time id been away i thought of it longingly as your city. He reads the letter written by his former neighbor lisa berndle where she tells that she was a teenager when she develops a platonic love for stefan, who is a promising pianist compared to mozart. Letter from an unknown woman is a 1948 american blackandwhite drama romance film released by universalinternational and directed by max ophuls listed as max opuls in the opening credits sequence.
Letter from an unknown woman letter from an unknown woman full movie letter from an unknown woman full movie letter from an unknown woman full movie dragonwyck 1946 gene tierney and vincent price star in an adaptation of anya setons bestselling novel. By the time you read this letter, i may be dead so begins the heartrending missive from joan fontaines unknown woman to louis jourdans dissolute. He arrives in his apartment and tells his dumb butler john that he intends to leave vienna to avoid the scheduled duel, and john delivers a letter from an unknown woman to him. Letter from an unknown woman english film stefan zweig. Written by howard koch and max ophuls, based on a novella by stefan zweig. Golden age hollywood romance doesnt get much better than letter from an unknown woman. Letter from an unknown woman is an enjoyable story of romance and delusion, but one i felt i didnt fully connect with like everyone else. Letter from an unknown woman 1948 a pianist about to flee from a duel receives a letter from a woman he cannot remember, who may hold the key to his downfall. Letter from an unknown woman is the first max ophuls i have seen.
It was a critical and boxoffice flop, and only later became recognised as one of ophuls greatest works. Letter from an unknown woman is so beautifully selfcontained that, were it not for ophulss choreographed camera movement, it might have been filmed in a snow globe. Letter from an unknown woman and other stories stefan zweig. Based on the 1922 novella of the same name, letter from an unknown woman is a 1948 film directed by max ophuls, starring joan fontaine and louis jourdan. Letter from an unknown woman was not a typical film of its time either. The movie letter from an unknown woman shows zweig and ophuls at their best. Letter from an unknown woman max ophuls 1948 course life memorias del cine youtube. Letter from an unknown woman 1948 suggest me movie. Perhaps the finest american film from the famed european director max ophuls, the film stars joan fontaine as a young woman who falls in love with a concert.
Olive signatures bluray of letter from an unknown woman is touted as mastered from new 4k restoration. Rather than transparently following the characters within their fictional world like most movies, ophuls positions his camera in its own time and space, disconnected from the characters and the reality they know. It is also a film that still gets semiregularly lambasted. The era the film was made in definitely would have allowed to to run over the time it did, but im so thankful the story was relatively short, it made sure the. Letter from an unknown woman 1948 cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. The film s macguffin is the search for a killer they all. It was decidedly not what postwar film audiences wanted. In an unfortunate way, letter from an unknown woman is quite modern.
Max ophuls program note, national film theatre london, england, paul willemen, 1978. Like the other films max ophuls directed in america, letter from an unknown woman focuses on impossible love danks, n. Letter from an unknown woman based on stephen zweigs viennaset story that was adapted by max ophuls, the sumptuously lensed chinese costumer letter from an unknown woman has many of the same. Letter from an unknown woman 1948 plot summary imdb. She is the film, aided and abetted by ophuls, producer john houseman with a graceful script by the muchlamented howard koch, a victim of the blacklist. Jun 20, 2017 letter from an unknown woman 1948, director. Pianist stefan brand comes home one night a few hours from a duel in which he has no. Joan fontaine and louis jourdan in letter from an unknown woman 1948. The film is an adaptation of stefan zweigs 1922 novella of the same name which was also adapted in 1948 by screenwriter howard koch. Feb 06, 2010 o phuls, son of welloff germanjewish parents, fled to america in 1941 with a reputation as a decent stage and movie director. The film, to be shown twice in a recent 35millimeter restoration from the. I will definitely rewatch it at some point and see if this helps make the movie more watchable. Watch letter from an unknown woman 1948 movie trailer instantly, no need to login.
Letter from an unknown woman is a 2004 chinese film written and directed by xu jinglei and is her second feature film as director after 2002s my father and i. Why you should see max ophulss reissued 1948 classic film the. The film was shown on 16 and 26 december 2017 in the walter reade theater, manhattan. The film is an adaptation of stefan zweig s 1922 novella of the same name which was also adapted in 1948 by screenwriter howard koch. In a nutshell, i thought the screenplay and plot written by ophuls and howard e. A genuine classics classic, and a womens film that completely transcends that pigeonhole category, max ophuls letter from an unknown woman is the german filmmakers american masterpiece. Letter from an unknown woman 1948 the film spectrum. The classic letter from an unknown woman makes one wonder. Letter from an unknown woman 1948 turner classic movies. A man receives a letter from a woman hes known, wooed. Letter from an unknown woman 1948 official trailer.
Letter from an unknown woman film at lincoln center. Both turn in splendid performances in difficult parts that could. With a sad and heartbreaking story which addressees issues like destiny, love, dignity, pride and regret, max ophuls unappreciated little masterpiece, letter from an unknown woman, is more like a story written by leo tolstoy, like the works of the russian writer it takes place in dimly lit noble houses and chooses its characters from the. Aug 08, 2015 letter from an unknown woman was a film i didnt think much of when i first watched it, but the more i reflect on it the more i realize and respect what it is trying to do. Letter from an unknown woman in the new york times new york, december 2017. David thomson explains why letter from an unknown woman still resonates. Letter from an unknown woman film society of lincoln center. Starring joan fontaine, louis jourdan, mady christians and. The movie letter from an unknown woman shows zweig and. By morning, he has finished the letter, and her husband awaits satisfaction. Letter from an unknown woman 5 5 stars 5 out of 5 stars. Intently listening to letter from an unknown woman max ophuls, 1953 is like watching the film for the first time. Letter from an unknown woman letterboxd your life in film.
In 1948, a film version was produced with a screenplay adaptation by howard koch. Letter from an unknown woman was max ophulss second hollywood film after he fled the unstable political situation in europe in the late 1930s, and although a seasoned director, he was relatively little known in america. David thomson explains why letter from an unknown woman still resonates today. Letter from an unknown woman tells the story of a doomed, unrequited love, a foolish woman and an equally foolish man. Virginia wrightwexman and karen hollinger, rutgers university press, new brunswick, 1986, pp. Letter from an unknown woman the current the criterion. Making matters more problematic, letter was an independent film and has long been unavailable in any format. As for louis jordan, letter from an unknown woman was his second american film, and although producer john houseman felt he lacked sex, he does bring a blend of intellect and narcissism to the role and captures all of stefans facile charm. Like so many frustrating womens pictures still churned out by hollywood, this is another tale ostensibly about a woman that is actually, at heart, all about the man. Why you should see max ophulss reissued 1948 classic. And the film has joan fontaine and louis jourdan in the leads.
Koch which is based on the novella of the same name is good, but what makes the film special is ophuls direction and choice of camera movements and visual rhythm. Its recognized as such now, having been drafted into the national film registry quite early 1992. It was a film about her, lisa or about my mother and. Letter from an unknown woman is a 1948 film about a pianist about to flee from a duel who receives a letter from a woman he cannot remember, who may hold the key to his downfall. Max article, seventh art, the, marilyn goldin, 1964. Legendary european director max ophuls deeplymoving, timeless film is considered his.
But by speaking to us in the language of 60 years ago, it invites us to take a fresh look at film. By the time you read this letter, i may be dead so begins the heartrending missive from joan fontaines unknown woman to louis jourdans dissolute pianist, its contentsflowing forth in flashbacksa soulbaring record of a lifetime of unrequited love, brief encounters, and. Letter from an unknown woman is not only his greatest american contribution, but his greatest contribution, period. Letter from an unknown woman picture teams joan fontaine and louis jourdan as costars and they prove to be a solid combination. His noir effort caught gave us the debut of barbara bel geddes but fell victim to lastminute reshoots. Director hideo nakata considers this the best film made in the entire movie. A classic hollywood melodrama set in romantic old vienna and handled deftly by director max ophuls, who keeps the usual violin chorus down to a discreet tone, allowing for a full feeling of how romance blossoms. Pedro almodovar explores quarantine sex and masturbation.
Since the film is easily subsumed into the category of womens films and since the themes of the film, such as desire, personal renunciation, and death, all fall well within the areas traditionally encompassed by the hollywood. Letter from an unknown woman 1948, max ophuls youtube. Finally, letter from an unknown woman has assumed a central place in the current canon of feminist film criticism. A lush story of unrequited love in turnofthecentury vienna, max ophulss letter from an unknown woman 1948 sumptuously visualizes the emotional power of one womans lifelong fixation on a selfish man.
The classic letter from an unknown woman makes one. It indeed looks pristine, and the unsteadiness in the title sequence on the previous disc now seems tamed down. It was based on the novella of the same name by stefan zweig. View all letter from an unknown woman documentation on cinefiles. On the subject of stefans conversion by the end of the film and its representation of a mans journey into symbolic order, and thus into history, see tania modleski, time and desire in the womans film, letter from an unknown woman, ed. Why you should see max ophulss reissued 1948 classic film. The film certainly gave me a lot of things to think about.
Vienna, when i saw it again, seemed to have taken on a new splendor. Letter from an unknown woman 1948 is the classic romantic film a lush tearjerker par excellence of the bittersweet theme of unrequited, lost love its. A masterpiece of impressive finesse based on a novel by the great stephen zweig. Letter from an unknown woman 1948 official trailer joan fontaine, louis jourdan movie hd duration. He spent six years on unmade projects and being messed around by. She returns to vienna where she makes her own way as a dressmakers mannequin or model in a fashion salon intent on seeking a reunion with stefan. Jan 28, 2010 david thomson explains why letter from an unknown woman still resonates today. The film stars joan fontaine, louis jourdan, mady christians, and marcel journet. Letter from and unknown woman essay 1287 words bartleby. Letter from an unknown woman is one of the greatest films of the 40s, and therefore of all time. A man receives a letter from a woman hes known, wooed, seduced. Mektuptan ogrendikleriyle geri donusler yasar ve onun bir zamanlar komsusu. Letter from an unknown woman 1948 film letter from an unknown woman is a 1948 american blackandwhite drama romance film released by universalinternational and directed by max ophuls.