Letter from an Unknown Woman

12/19/2013

Beautiful Tragedy. Letter from an Unknown Woman is directed by Max Ophuls, who also co-adapts the screenplay with Howard Koch from the novella written by Stefan Zweig. It stars Joan Fontaine, Louis Jordan, Mady Christians, Art Smith and Howard Freeman. Music is by Daniele Amfitheatrof and cinematography by Franz Planer. Masterpiece, the very definition of classic cinema is right here, a film that is both beautiful and tragic, a piece of cinema that’s crafted with such great skill by all involved it’s hard to believe some critics turned their noses up at it back on its original release. Story is set in Vienna at the turn of the century and finds Lisa Berndle (Fontaine) as a teenager who has a crush on one of the neighbours in her apartment complex. That neighbour is concert pianist

7/9/2022

At the turn of the 20th century, "Brand" (Louis Jourdan) is sitting in Vienna contemplating not only a duel the next morning - which he has no intention of attending - but also a letter he has recently received from "Lisa" (Joan Fontaine) explaining her infatuation with him when she was his young neighbour and he an aspiring pianist. He has little memory of her, but soon realises that they had a brief affair and he abandoned her. The remainder of their story is told by way of flashbacks, as they both relive the highs and lows of their time together, and is rather effectively narrated by Fontaine as we go. Both are are on good form here. Jourdan offers us a well considered exposé on a true cad, with Fontaine superb as the adulating woman that he barely remembers when they meet years later,