FrankGrimes
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Don't be a stranger, FxReyMan! You're always entertaining and informative. If only the Goddess could be half as such.
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surly and complex
I wonder if there are any blonde female posters who also qualify as this?
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I believe Capra was the first to "open that door" for Jimmy---his character of George Bailey in It's a Wonderful Life is just as dark and deeply unhappy as any he ever played. And this from the same director that presented him as the personification of innocence and idealism in Mr Smith.
In retrospect, this is very true. However, the film did not do well at the box office and this left Jimmy at a career crossroads. His decision was to take on more serious roles. He's not a sweet and charming man in Call Northside 777 or Rope; quite the opposite, especially his "Rupert" in Rope. But I believe it was Anthony Mann and then Hitch who truly helped put Jimmy back on the map. They made him a star again. A different kind of star.
What I find interesting is that you can still see the Jimmy divide on this board. There's the one class who loves the "cute and sweet" Jimmy and then there's the class who loves the "Mann/Hitch" Stewart.
Yes because whatever you SAY is nonsense and you only mean the opposite.
Fiddle-dee-DEED
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Which translates from FrankGrimesSpeak into you LOVE this movie!
Now do you really believe I have watched The Quiet Man?
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Hi, FXReyMan -- I totally agree with you. I think what many posters here agree with is that Stewart had some of his most juicy roles in the 1950s with directors Hitchcock and Mann. But, it wasn't just entirely his pairing with those two great directors that helped him achieve his somewhat "menacinly" way that he would often showcase, but I really do believe its because of his service during WWII as a B-24 bomber pilot and B-24 group commander. He witnessed things many of us will never see. And because of that, he came back to the states, somewhat different, just like Pappy Ford had.
If you look at not only the Hitchcock and Mann movies where he displayed that almost insane look about him, but also look at his scenes in It's a Wonderful Life, where he sort of losses it in several key scenes.
His wartime experiences influenced his later work much like the later work of other pre-war actors who also served.
I think there's a lot of truth in what you said, but I put even more weight in the fact that the kind of films that were being made after the War was over is what really opened the door for Jimmy Stewart to find himself as an actor. It was films like Call Northside 777, Rope, and Winchester '73 that really launched Jimmy's "second" career. He was no longer the sweet and cuddly Jimmy. He was more three-dimensional.
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Hi, Miss Loud WOMAN -- I just noticed that the way the children are encircling the battlers is just the same way the villagers encircle Thornton and "Red" Will in The Quiet Man. Which was on today, I hope you noticed.
You hoped that I noticed? I actually didn't notice. I've never heard of The Quiet Man. Is that a silent picture with Gary Cooper in drag or something? Just don't tell me it's a Ford-Wayne picture. I'm worn out on Ford and Wayne, especially Ford. It's no wonder I took refuge in my dark, lonely place yesterday. I needed to feel loved again. All this Ford stuff lacks any kind of heart or emotion like my beloved film noir.
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Good Day, Missy G! -- Now how am I to treat you nicely like I always do if
you are posting such radiant photos of Gorgeous Gloria? Those are scintilating!
That top photo is very "bedroom sexy."
And the Human Desire sweaterpic is a big fave of mine. But I really love the pics with Nick, especially the last
one. It's very sweet, just as Gloria always is on the big screen. She was always
a sweet, darling little angel.
Thanks for posting those luminous photos of Double G. I surely appreciate it.
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Hi, Barby Q -- I like a clean, wholesome looking chip, a preppie chip if you will, uncomplicated but with authentic flavor.
Do they make those anymore?
Okay, I want a Tom Doniphon chip -- a bit salty, down-to-earth, plain-spoken, lots of character.
Those kind of chips smirk at you while irresponsibly shirking their flavor duties.
So you don't think my label reads "red hot" or "smokin' sweet"? Those are the words I'd choose for myself. Yes, modesty and honesty are my two best qualities. How did you guess?
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Hi, Bronx Blossom! -- I hope you know that I do think Gloria is an excellent, charismatic actress, and always holds the screen when she's on.
Are you groveling? This isn't like you. Just say you hate her and get on with it.
I'm playing with you, B.
You could tell me she's the worst actress in the world and I'd still love ya to death. The key word there being death.
Gloria certainly isn't for all tastes, but she's for all my tastes. She really does move all of me.By the way, I've been riddled with bullets by supposedly sweet girls around here while protecting the ice princess, Grace Kelly, so I'm kind of used to picking out buckshot. So if you are ever in the mood to fire some shots at me, go right ahead. But I know your weapon of choice is much sharper and more precise.
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Howdy, Barby Q! -- Most everyone who visits the area ends up loving Middleswarth BBQ chips. And those who leave the area generally ask to have some sent their way. All of the local brands are actually very good. I had some of these for lunch today:
http://www.taquitos.net/snacks.php?snack_code=142
I think anything with the word "Dutch" or 'Pennsylvania Dutch" on a food item label or box has to be very tasty.
So what does my Pennsylvania Dutch label read? Salt and vinegar? Garlic and onion?
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Hi, FxReyMan -- Great to see you around again. You bring a heckuva lot to the table and your directorial compilation truly speaks to that. I really enjoyed perusing your tastes. A wonderful sampler.
So Foreign Correspondent is your favorite Hitch flick? That's a very interesting choice.
Hey, Sleepy ChiO -- You must be tired if you are yawning. I cannot think of any other reason why you would yawn.
I was surprised to see North by Northwest as your 3rd favorite Hitch. I didn't think you liked that pic that much.
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Hi, CineBaby! -- May I join the bandwagon and say I love GLORIA GRAHAME.
Jump in! The Double G water is always so very warm and soothing to the touch.
Loved your words about one of my faves.
But what we are ultimately watching is Grahame playing a woman whose trust and love for a man erodes to suspicion and fear...the death of any relationship. She's not a victim, she's capable.
I just watched In a Lonely Place for the very first time yesterday and I was very taken by it. Boy, is it ever psychologically complex. You're right about distrust and fear being at the heart of the film, but I actually believe fear of commitment sneaks in there, as well. I think Laurel (Double G) has her own problems. They are nowhere near as large and menacing as Dix's (Bogie), but I feel as if they are ever-so-subtlely present. I definitely feel for Laurel though, because the man who offers her security and peace of mind doesn't know how to love her and the man who knows how to love her can't offer her security (physical) and peace of mind. And you know it's the love she craves the most. I think most people do.
I thought Gloria's performance in In a Lonely Place to the best I have seen of hers to date. She's asked to match Bogie and she does a pretty decent job of doing so. She's also asked to wear different emotional masks and, again, I think she pulls it off. This is one of the few Gloria performances that I have seen where her range is challenged. She's calm and tough, adoring, soft and sweet, loving, worried, horrified, paranoid, frantic, and sad. This isn't the Gloria I am used to. She's a doll throughout. That's the Gloria I am used to.
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I better represent my area. Central Pennsylvania is considered to be the "Snack Food Capital of the World." Many potato chip and pretzel makers call the area home. It's a Pennsylvania Dutch thang, don't ya know? You haven't tasted potato chips or pretzels unless you have tried the local flavor here.
I thought the following words from a blog on the Internets to be accurate:
As anyone from central PA will attest, Middleswarth makes the best barbeque chips in the world. Everytime I go home to visit, I inhale whole bags of these things.
For those of you who have never been to the Keystone State, Pennsylvania is the potato chip capitol of the world. Many local and regional brands such as Wise, Snyder?s, Utz, Gibble?s, Good?s, Herr?s, Martin?s and others are manufactured here. In fact, I?d wager that Pennsylvania has a better choice of local brands than just about anyplace else.
My favorite is Middleswarth's BBQ.
Central Pennsylvania is also known for its bologna. Seltzer's Lebanon bologna is the best.
And, of course, Central PA is most famously known for Hershey's chocolates.
http://www.pasnacks.com/middleswarthchips.htm
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Awwwwwwww....that's not fair!!!! I was only funnin' and you go all pathetic and pull a Pappy moment on me.
Your constant jabs at me hurt me so. I've been nothing but kind and nice to you, yet you still find a way to bloody my boyish face. If only you had a heart.
I'll post a different picture whenever you make one of your promises in the future. Maybe a certain one of Gary Cooper.
Noooo! No more fem Coop pics! A guy can only take so many photos of Coop all gussied up with shiny lipstick and pretty eyeliner.
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What's up, ChiO, My Hero -- I was hoping you'd post an extended list. Very nicely done. Love your selection of directors and I love your choice of films by each even more. Great stuff.
I didn't know you liked The Testament of Dr. Mabuse that much. Clash by Night is my #4 for Lang, followed by The Big Heat.
Okay, out of curiosity, what are you top three Hitch and Ford films?
Hey there, Mrs. Ford -- I really like that Hitch pic. It's murderous.
Hi, Young Ray Milland Fan -- I can't believe I forgot Mr. Welles! Only like the greatest director ever! (But I guess at 11:30 at night you can forget a lot of things!) I am still mad that the stupid producer people ruined many of his great works! (Including Touch Of Evil and The Magnificent Ambersons (or is it Obersons? I can never remember.) At least they were able to partially fix a few of their mistakes. And Citizen Kane is the greatest movie ever made according to AFI. (This is probably the one movie they were right about!) And he has the greatest movie ever made The Third Man according to the BFI, so he is obviously amazing!
A young Citizen Kane and Orson Welles supporter is great my book.
I bet you already knew this, but Fritz Lang was like Alfred Hitchcock's favorite director.
I know that Fritz Lang, F.W. Murnau, G.W. Pabst, and the rest of the talent at UFA were very influential to Hitch and I'm sure he respected Lang very much. I know of Hitch saying Luis Bunuel was his favorite director. Bunuel is a director I'm very interested in.
Also I love Howard Hawks! He was great, my favorite of his is His Girl Friday (possibly the best comedy ever made!)
I definitely consider Hawks to be one of greatest directors ever. I believe Hawks and Robert Wise are the two most versatile directors in film history.
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Murder, My Sweet is my favorite Claire performance but Born to Kill is my second favorite. It's a film that improves with each repeat viewing for me. Claire is fantastic in the film. I also love Claire's "likkered up" showing in Key Largo.
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Hola, Missy G -- I like your list and comments, Violet. I have The Bad and Beautiful on tape and I really should fire it up.
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Sorry, but my tastes run more to gin swilling screenwriters.
That makes sense.
If you could stop tossing your hair while looking at yourself in the mirror for a moment, could you honor us with your favorite Gloria performances, Violet?
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Bogie sure looks sexy in a polo shirt.
Bogie? Double G is where your eyes need to be.
I'd love to be Gloria's "housekeeper."
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As opposed to her "likkered blonde" in Key Largo
You're quick, Rich.I'm also a Claire fan, be it lacquered or "likkered." What noir fan isn't?
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Hi, Miss Goddess! -- Welcome to the board!
Is that all? Anything more to say, hmmm?
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Hi, MildredPierceFan -- Welcome to the board! And, boy, do I mean welcome to the board. Anyone who starts a Gloria Grahame thread right out of the shoot has style. And you could not have selected a better title for the thread. Double G is the complete package.
Gloria is easily one of my favorite actresses. My eyes just light up whenever she graces the screen. She knows how to push all my buttons at all times. A real screen Siren.
I really liked these words of yours:
There was something quirky about her that made her stand out. I'm not sure if it was her unconventional voice, her dry humor, or what.
Gloria was almost always off-center for one reason or another and I'm completely drawn to this. Her voice truly appeals to me. It's very Betty Rubble-esque. I find it to be sexy cute. Gloria's overall look will often place me in a trance. I cannot put my finger on what it is, either. I love her pouty lips, her wavy blonde hair, her expressive eyes, and her lovely figure but there's something more to it. I just cannot figure it out. All I know is that she moves me. All of me.
I've only seen eight of Gloria's films to date and I surely hope to see more.
My favorite Gloria performances to date:
1. In a Lonely Place
2. The Big Heat
3. Human Desire
4. Sudden Fear
5. Crossfire
6. Odds Against Tomorrow
7. Macao
8. It's a Wonderful Life
Two of the three Gloria films I really want to see will be airing on TCM in the coming months: A Woman's Secret and Not as a Stranger. I'd also liked to see Naked Alibi.
The Gloria Grahame upcoming sked on TCM:
3/11 The Cobweb 10:00 PM EST
3/22 Crossfire 8:15 AM EST
3/22 The Bad and the Beautiful 8:00 PM EST
3/27 The Greatest Show on Earth 3:00 PM EST
3/28 A Woman's Secret 11:15 AM EST
4/8 Merton of the Movies 6:30 PM EST
4/12 Odds Against Tomorrow 2:15 AM EST
5/11 It Happened in Brooklyn 9:00 PM EST
5/28 Not as a Stranger 12:30 AM EST
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Hi, CineMaven! -- You started this thread in early-November and you asked me to watch The Letter in December and I'm just now showing up. That should tell you all you need to know about me.
I was absolutely enthralled by your words about The Letter, T. You spoke with such passion, such emotion that I couldn't wait to read your next thought. You really captured the energy of the film and you did so with great feeling. My kind of writing and reading.
I hope you don't mind, but I'm gonna go through your wonderful piece and make comments.
Bette Davis as Leslie Crosbie is layered and peeled like an onion, but don?t cry for her.
Nicely put. I certainly wasn't crying for Leslie, although there is pain to be felt for her. I couldn't help but feel for her being lonely while her husband was away weeks at a time. I know I would have gone stir crazy in such a setting. Her husband, as doting as he was, was clueless to her feelings and longings. Could she have spoke up about this? Surely. But how many women at that time would do such a thing? How many speak up today? Well, she soon found something to help her "pass the time." Lace work, indeed.
I?ve had many viewings of this classic film since I was a teenager. I don?t know if it?s becuz I already know the outcome, but I must say this is the first time that I have seen this movie where I am whole-heartedly watching the movie from Gale Sondergaard?s perspective, as the recently widowed Mrs. Hammond. I am utterly and absolutely sympathetic to her, and look at Bette Davis (Leslie) with a jaundiced eye. This movie is about watching a murderer. There?ll be no need for a spoiler alert, because everyone, but EVERYONE has seen (or SHOULD have seen) this great movie.
I'm an everyone! I was with Mrs. Hammond (Gale Sondergaard) from the get go. The script is precise enough to make this work for me. If she would have put a monetary price on her husband's life, I would have left her side. But I believe she never did. She was pushed into such an arrangement and she refused to take the money from Ong (Victor Sen Yung).
First off, everyone fawns and gushes over Leslie and her plight of being arrested for the murder of a man who tried to rape her. The cop questioning her is enamored, her husband (naturally) fawns over her; the jailer who opens the gate tells Leslie she can stay in the visiting room as long as she wants...even the jail matron says: ?It?s a different place since Mrs. Crosbie?s been here...its a shame she has to stay here atoll.? Western Caucasian privilege??? I daresay yes.
As you and others have stated on this thread, I believe one of the primary themes of The Letter is Western Caucasian privilege, particularly for those with money. The presumption of innocence is strong and the feeling of pity is even stronger. I did like this aspect of the film. Poor little Leslie.
During Leslie?s statement of the events, she (Bette Davis) does sound veddy veddy stiff-upper-lip and actressy (guess that?s why I luv her); pregnant pauses for effect.
I'm not all that familiar with Bette's style yet, but I believe her "actressy" approach works in the retelling of the attempted rape. Overly dramatic plays with me here since I view it as a plea for sympathy.
The only one NOT falling all over himself over her is her lawyer. He: Howard Joyce (played by James Stephenson) has a rather cold, hard look. Looks like a leading man worthy of acting opposite the Warner Queen. He stands toe to toe with her. He asks questions that cast just a slight doubt as to the veracity of her story. He talks to the cop and asks him if attacking a woman sounds like Hammond?s m.o. since he seemed to be a ladies? man. He even says to Leslie: ?When I was looking at Hammond?s body...it seemed to me that some of the shots were fired after he was lying on the ground.? There?s just enough questioning to give us pause. (If only Johnny Cochran had questioned HIS famous client, but I digress). There?s no doubt that the privilege of race & class gets you perks.
One of the biggest and most pleasant of surprises for me was James Stephenson's cool performance. You are very correct, he was able to match Bette, which is never an easy thing to do. But he does it. I completely enjoyed his skeptical-turned-guilt-laden Howard Joyce.
A car?s headlights and Max Steiner?s music introduces us to Gale Sondergaard as Hammond?s Eurasian wife now widow. She?s dressed in black...somber, stately, handsome, elegant. You get a whiff of what the plantation crowd thought of the inter-racial marriage between one of their own Hammond and Sondergaard?s character when you hear the lawyer Stephenson say to Herbert Marshall who plays the husband: ?Strange that Hammond was able to keep his life so hidden; that gambling house he owned and especially the Eurasian woman. I think it was finding out about her that turned opinion so completely against him.?
Gale Sondergaard's nearly non-verbal performance as Mrs. Hammond is mesmerizing. She's beautifully mysterious and full of quiet rage. She is doing all she can to keep it all inside of her. I think this really speaks to the racial and cultural component to The Letter. It's as if she has conditioned herself to be this way; to not let her honest emotions get the best of her. She's the opposite of Leslie... or is she?
Davis? description of Gale Sondergaard?s character is none too flattering: ?Horrible! She was all covered with gold chains and bracelets and spangles. Her face like a mask.?
This is one of the very few times in the film where Leslie speaks the unvarnished truth. She cannot contain her contempt for Mrs. Hammond. Is it Mrs. Hammond in particular or is it that she's not Mrs. Hammond? It's both. I believe Leslie would have hated any Mrs. Hammond that wasn't her, but she especially hates the fact that Geoffrey (Mr. Hammond) chose a Eurasian woman over her, a white woman. So, yes, I believe you are correct in pointing out interracial marriage being one of the themes in The Letter.
And Max Steiner?s music for her is great...heart-aching, quite sympathe-tic. http://Yep...it?s'>http://Yep...it?s the 1940?s and the music helps us along telling us how we?re to feel, I guess. And I LOVE IT. Sondergaard's been given two scenes in this movie that define her career (for me).
I thought Steiner's score was a little overcooked but that it fit the film and era.
How are Asians treated in this film? Aaaah...if only it were 2007 and NOT nearly seventy years ago. The Asian clark (actor Sen-Yung who, if I?m not mistaken played Hop Sing on tv?s ?Bonanza?) plays his role in a bit of a subservient manner (ever-smiling, small quick mincing steps to keep up with the big Lawyer Man) even though he KNOWS he is holding ALL the cards by having the letter in his possession. He is soft spoken while sticking in the dagger oh so gently and deferentially into his boss' guts.
I really liked Victor Sen Yung's "Ong." I thought he was the most evil person in the film. Yes, Leslie is a murderess, but she killed out of deep emotional hurt. Conversely, Ong is out to capitalize on the murder. He's attempting to build his own world (law practice) with the blood of another man as its foundation. Quite devious.
And Max Steiner?s music for her is great...heart-aching, quite sympathe-tic. http://Yep...it?s the 1940?s and the music helps us along telling us how we?re to feel, I guess. And I LOVE IT. Sondergaard's been given two scenes in this movie that define her career (for me).
That made me laugh out loud. He was certainly taking great joy in the crawling of the privileged white. I was, too. It was very rich.
But who am I kidding...it?s Bette Davis who owns this film. It?s Bette Davis whose performance is riveting and makes me watch this over and over and over again. She first comes off veddy arch, veddy proper and wounded; veddy mannered and actress-y. But slowly she reveals her true self and the truth of the events. Then she becomes the Legend we know her. She acts a bit coquettish during her visit with her lawyer. Being in jail has been a bit of a vacation for her, she says. (HUH??) She fiddles with a flower for her blouse as she speaks to her attorney. She has a self- assured answer for everything until her lawyer brings up this letter. It?s all in those Bette Davis eyes. She needs time to remember (to lie, she means). She unflinchingly, unwaveringly says: ?Howard I swear to you, I did not write this letter.? And she makes total eye contact, defiantly; she needs him to believe her. She squeezes her handkerchief for subtle emphasis. If anything, this movie teaches you you can lie to your husband, you can lie to your Priest (or Rabbi or Minister). But you?d BETTER NOT lie to your lawyer. So she admits she wrote the letter. And then we hear the lawyer reads some of the letter?s content (to us). It really changes our opinion of her (and there?s Max Steiner?s music underscoring the words she has written: ?Robert will be away for the night. I absolutely MUST see you. I?m desperate and if you don?t come I won?t answer for the consequences. Don?t drive up.? When he starts hammering at her about how the trial can go against her favor, she falls into a dead faint.
Self-assured and defiant are very apt descriptions of Leslie, although both "qualities" will crumble in time. I really liked seeing Bette with the innocent look, most notably when she's doing her lace work.
I tell you, watch her hands...listen to the music...how soft & seductive. Listen how the music stops and starts. She starts to spin the web to ensnare her lawyer. Since she can?t out & out seduce him, she plays on his sense of loyalty; uses the husband card: ?Poor Robert, he doesn?t deserve it. He?s never hurt anyone in his life. He?s so good and simple and kind and he trusts me so. I mean everything, everything in the world to him. This will ruin his life.? The lawyer decides to betray himself because he DOES have feeling for her. Oh that?s subtly shown and unspoken. But Davis needs to stick the knife into his ethics just that much more: ?You won?t have to show Bob the letter, will you?..and after the trial?...but if he loses his trust in me, he loses everything.? She ups the ante. And I think he knows he?s being had but good. She?s leaning against the wall, looking so vulnerable. She?s baited the hook with his friendship for Bob (Herbert Marshall) and landed a whale of a fish.
Oooohhhh, that was good. You are all over it. Leslie sure knows how to manipulate people, especially men. She has her husband deep in her pocket and she even knows how to work the very prideful Howard. You are very correct: she goes right after his friendship with Bob (Herbert Marshall). I also agree with you in regards to Howard having some feelings for her. That's the topper. I will say that there is one man who Leslie could not manipulate in the end and that was Geoff. Unfortunately for him, that proved to be the end of him.
Leslie spins her web around people with as intricate a pattern as her lace needlepoint work.
Excellent! That's exactly what she's doing. We men be damn fools when it comes to you women.
And now THE BIG SCENE where Wife and Mistress meet. DAVIS in lace, looks positively virginal as she goes before the altar of the Wife. The good guy/bad guy colors are reversed here.
This is definitely my favorite scene in the film. It's very powerful. Leslie is looking like a sweet little lamb who is being led to a slaughter when in reality, she's the slaughterer. I also think she's looking like a bride, as if she's Mrs. Hammond, the victim.
The chimes start
I loved the chimes and chords. It really added to the tension.
Sondergaard walks up to the beaded curtain. The camera dollies towards the curtains that Sondergaard stands behind. She hesitates and then parts the beaded curtain and walks through. The camera again is in the position of looking up at her.(Great camera movement). She towers over the camera and looks down. I?m telling you Sondergaard does-not-blink! William Wyler has set up Sondergaard in a very powerful position.
Precisely. Mrs. Hammond is the one in complete control of the situation. She's got Leslie by the... throat. She is most definitely towering over Leslie. It's a wonderful set-up.
Sondergaard doesn?t even take the money, becuz it?s not about the money for her. She makes Bette walk over to GET the letter. Sondergaard pulls out the Letter, Bette steps forward into her key light. Sondergaard drops the Letter to the floor. She's the only person who's ever made Bette Davis drop to her knees. (Aw c?mon, you?re not counting her dropping at Fonda?s feet in ?Jezebel? with THIS scene are ya?) When Bette bends down and picks up the letter, the camera drops down with Davis...we drop down with Davis and humble ourselves before Sondergaard. She has probably suffered racist slings and arrows from the rubber plantation owners and their wives. When Bette bends down to retrieve the letter, Sondergaard takes a deliberate step back. So much is said with that one step; probably that Bette is not worth Sondergaard wiping her shoes on her. It is my favorite scene of all the movies I?ve ever watched.
This entire scene is brilliant, but the staging for the the "face-to-face" is truly exceptional. Leslie is being made to grovel. She must "kiss the feet" of Mrs. Hammond. And when she bends down to pick up the letter, Mrs. Hammond pulls her foot back, telling Leslie (and us) that her lips ain't worth her foot.
Bette does not back down either. She too is unblinking. And she will do WHATEVER it takes to get back this incriminating piece of evidence. She is a survivor. She faces the wife of the man she had been having a torrid affair AND have killed. Could YOU do it? I couldn't. And Only Bette Davis can take her medicine like a man! (Okay, Stanwyck could too).
Wonderful points. This is Leslie at her most self-assured and defiant. She's not going to let the Eurasian woman, the "other woman," get the best of her. Narcissistic?
What I also love about the closing of this scene is that Wyler shows us that Mrs. Hammond is taking very deep breaths. Her chest is heaving. She wants to kill Leslie right then and there. She's doing everything in her power not to. How long can Mrs. Hammond keep her rage locked up inside of her?
At the trial, Howard?s summation galls him. His words about truth and justice stick in his craw like a dagger. He pushes through, but has lost a bit of his soul in defense of his client. But any good lawyer worth his salt defends his client...even when he KNOW she is guilty; even if he?s falling in love with her. The verdict: not guilty, of course. Hammond was a cad...a swine, right? The plot ups its ante a bit. Robert, the Husband, wants to buy a plantation elsewhere and use his $10,000 to help towards the purchase.
One of the things that I really like about The Letter is how the film shows us how the murder of one man can ruin the fortunes of many. As you say, Howard ends up losing a "bit of his soul" when he sells out his morality and legal virtue to free Leslie from the murder he knows she committed. He betrays himself and feels empty inside. He will probably feel this way the rest of his days.
When it?s revealed what his money was spent for, Davis hides no more. She?s honest...she?s exposed...she?s naked. It?s her one honest moment in the film. Steiner?s music is a low bass somber drum beat. ?I was in love with Jeff Hammond. Been in love for years. We use to meet each other constantly once or twice a week. Not a soul had the smallest suspicion. Everytime I met him I hated myself and yet I lived for the moment when I?d see him again. It was horrible. Never an hour when I as at peace, when I wasn?t reproa-ching myself. I was like a person who was sick with some loath-some disease and doesn?t want to get well. Even my agony ws a kind of joy...Then I heard about that, that native woman. I couldn?t believe it, I wouldn?t belive it. At last I saw her. Saw her walking in the village with those hideous spangles, that chalky painted face, those eyes like a cobra?s eyes. But I couldn?t give him up...At last he turned on me. He told me he was sick and tired of me. That it was true about that other woman. That she was the only one that had ever meant anything to him. That he was glad that I knew because now I?d leave him alone. When he got up to go and I knew if he?d left I?d never see him again, so I seized the revolver and fired...there?s no excuse for me. I don?t deserve to live.?
This is my second favorite scene in the film. I believe there is so much truth in the words Leslie speaks. What truth do I speak of? The truth of an adulterer. The supreme guilt that must consume one for cheating yet the passion, the longing, the urge to be with the other man/woman that drives one. It's a constant tug-of-war between what's right and what feels right. Yes, I believe adultery is the greatest theme in The Letter.
I also love how Leslie onces again lays it on thick about the "native woman." She has so much contempt for her but you can also sense the absolute contempt she had for Geoff for rejecting her for such a woman. You can feel Leslie pulling the trigger over and over and over again whenever Mrs. Hammond enters her mind.
Oh they?ll try to make a go of. Friends come out to celebrate Davis? acquittal and perhaps even their own acquittal for indicting a bon vivante who gambled, had women but then had the audacity to marry an Other. But it won?t work between Davis and Marshall. It?s not that Marshall has stopped loving Davis. It?s just that this poor sap?s love will NEVER be enough. With the world in her hands...with her freedom and welcome back into the community, only Bette Davis could be honest enough...true to herself enough to throw it all away. Perhaps it was her one selfless act to help Marshall get over her, to send him off hating her. But with this one line her fate is sealed: ?With all my heart, I still love the man I killed.?
This was the most fascinating part of the film for me. I really liked that Leslie could have pretended her love for Geoff wasn't real and that the murder never happened. Bob was offering her a second chance, her old life back, albeit a compromised one. Leslie couldn't live that lie. I was impressed by that. ?With all my heart, I still love the man I killed? really does say it all.
I'd also like to comment on Tracey's wonderful observation about Leslie's lace work. I really liked that small little touch. I believe Tracey nailed it, too. The lace work is basically Leslie's stimulant of choice. It's her alcohol. I think it also represents her counting the seconds (the stitches) until she can see Geoff again. Her love and lust for him was immeasurably deep.
And now for a little A Place in the Sun:
I was torn between Montgomery Clift & Shelley Winters in what they both wanted in the recently screened film "A Place in the Sun." It seemed like Zeus and Hera and Aphrodite and Thor and all the Greek, Roman and Norse gods were playing a dastardly trick on poor George Eastman. They kept piling things against him. They put Elizabeth Taylor in his way. I mean, who can stand next to (or stand up to) the blindingly beautiful nineteen year-old Elizabeth Taylor...dancing close to you...whispering in your ear "tell Mama, tell Mama all...kissing you? I didn't want to...but I increasingly got angry at Shelley Winters' character, Alice. Why won't she leave the poor guy alone to pursue his dream of a wonderful life and a beautiful girl? What am I saying... she was just a poor unfortunate girl...who was standing in the way of young love/happiness. I kept being torn between the two; perhaps I empathized becuz I want my dream.
What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? Damn, they sure stacked the deck against Monty in that pix.
I think George (Montgomery Clift) did himself in. He was a lonely, repressed "mama's boy" in a new town and he possessed very low self-esteem, so he set himself up to fall for the first woman that showed any kind of feelings for him, which ended up being his co-worker, Alice (Shelley Winters). Soon thereafter, his world would be rocked by Angela (Elizabeth Taylor). He would have never thought a gorgeous, society girl would have ever been interested in a common man like himself. She was supposed to be out of his league, his class. But Angela didn't care about all that. If George weren't so needy and lacking in confidence right from the start, he would have had everything he ever desired. So goes fate. He sealed his.
Thanks again for your lovely journey through The Letter, T. I could feel your own deep passion for the film just as Leslie felt for Geoff. Now, please, don't pump a full chamber into me for being so late. I didn't realize I had parked down the road so far. But I knew I MUST see you, so I kept walking.
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And the Human Desire sweater
Gloria Grahame a complete package
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How not to ask Gloria for a date:
Can you find a sweeter gal than Violet Bick?
I always find that this line works best: