The Letter

The Letter

17/3/1929 1h 5m 5.7/10

Overview

A planter's wife shoots a neighbor, but tells conflicting stories of what happened.

Director

Jean de Limur

Top Billed Cast

Reginald Owen

Reginald Owen

Robert Crosbie

Herbert Marshall

Herbert Marshall

Geoffrey Hammond

Irene Browne

Irene Browne

Mrs. Joyce

O. P. Heggie

O. P. Heggie

Joyce

Jeanne Eagels

Jeanne Eagels

Leslie Crosbie

Lady Tsen Mei

Lady Tsen Mei

Li-Ti

Reviews

CinemaSerf

CinemaSerf

6/6/2022

7/10

This is a superb character-driven performance from Jeanne Eagels as the bored wife who turns from her indifferent husband "Robert" (Reginald Owen) to the caddish "Geoffrey" (Herbert Marshall). When the latter shows her his true colours, he gets his comeuppance and a trial ensues. Provocation bordering on attempted rape is cited and she looks set for acquittal until it emerges that his Chinese mistress is in possession of a letter that might not quite support her version of the story - and she wants £10,000 for it! The production is quite heavily styled, very theatrical without very much visual intensity (the print I saw was really rather dark and gloomy) - but it's the performance from the star that sets this apart. She is enthralling, her stage background helping to provide us with an excellent tour de force that is really good to watch.

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