The Letter (1940)
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- Not Rated
- 1h 35min
- Crime, Drama
- 23 Nov 1940 (USA)
- Movie
The wife of a rubber plantation administrator shoots a man to death and claims it was self-defense, but a letter written in her own hand may prove her undoing.
Director:
Writers:
Awards:
- Nominated for 7 Oscars. Another 1 win & 2 nominations.
- See more »
Photos and Videos
Cast verified as complete
| Bette Davis | ... |
Leslie Crosbie
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| Herbert Marshall | ... |
Robert Crosbie
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| James Stephenson | ... |
Howard Joyce
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| Frieda Inescort | ... |
Dorothy Joyce
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| Gale Sondergaard | ... |
Mrs. Hammond
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| Bruce Lester | ... |
John Withers
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Elizabeth Inglis | ... |
Adele Ainsworth
(as Elizabeth Earl)
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| Cecil Kellaway | ... |
Prescott
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| Victor Sen Yung | ... |
Ong Chi Seng
(as Sen Yung)
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| Doris Lloyd | ... |
Mrs. Cooper
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| Willie Fung | ... |
Chung Hi
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Tetsu Komai | ... |
Head Boy
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| Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Zita Baca | ... |
Undetermined Role (uncredited)
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| Brooks Benedict | ... |
Party Guest (uncredited)
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| William A. Boardway | ... |
Trial Spectator (uncredited)
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| David Bruce | ... |
Undetermined Role (uncredited)
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James Carlisle | ... |
Attorney (uncredited)
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| George Ford | ... |
Party Guest (uncredited)
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Roland Got | ... |
Undetermined Role (uncredited)
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| Sam Harris | ... |
Party Guest (uncredited)
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| Holmes Herbert | ... |
Robert's Friend at Bar at Party (uncredited)
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| Charles Irwin | ... |
Bob's Friend (uncredited)
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Pete G. Katchenaro | ... |
Undetermined Role (uncredited)
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| Crauford Kent | ... |
Robert's Friend at Bar (uncredited)
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| Carl M. Leviness | ... |
Trial Spectator (uncredited)
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Al Lloyd | ... |
Man at Trial (uncredited)
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Robert Locke Lorraine | ... |
Trial Spectator (uncredited)
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| Philo McCullough | ... |
Trial Spectator (uncredited)
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| Leonard Mudie | ... |
Fred (uncredited)
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| David Newell | ... |
Geoffrey Hammond (uncredited)
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| Paul Panzer | ... |
Trial Spectator (uncredited)
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Thomas Pogue | ... |
Juror #10 (uncredited)
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| John Ridgely | ... |
Driver (uncredited)
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Leslie Sketchley | ... |
Trial Spectator (uncredited)
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| Douglas Walton | ... |
Well Wisher (uncredited)
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| Leo White | ... |
Man at Trial (uncredited)
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| Otto Yamaoka | ... |
Bartender at Party (uncredited)
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Directed by
| William Wyler | ||
Written by
| W. Somerset Maugham | ... | (play) |
| Howard Koch | ... | (screen play) |
Produced by
| Robert Lord | ... | associate producer |
| Hal B. Wallis | ... | executive producer |
| William Wyler | ... | A William Wyler Production |
Music by
| Max Steiner | ||
Cinematography by
| Tony Gaudio | ... | director of photography |
Editing by
| George Amy | ||
| Warren Low | ||
Art Direction by
| Carl Jules Weyl | ||
Costume Design by
| Orry-Kelly | ... | (gowns) |
Makeup Department
| Perc Westmore | ... | makeup artist |
| Gordon Bau | ... | makeup artist (uncredited) |
Production Management
| Jack L. Warner | ... | in charge of production |
| Robert Ross | ... | unit manager (uncredited) |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
| Chuck Hansen | ... | assistant director (uncredited) |
| Sherry Shourds | ... | assistant director (uncredited) |
Sound Department
| Dolph Thomas | ... | sound |
Costume and Wardrobe Department
| Eugene Joseff | ... | costume jeweller (uncredited) |
Music Department
| Leo F. Forbstein | ... | musical director |
| Hugo Friedhofer | ... | orchestral arrangements |
Additional Crew
| John Villasin | ... | technical advisor |
| Louis Vincenot | ... | technical advisor |
Production Companies
- Warner Bros. (presents)
Distributors
- Warner Bros. (1940) (United States) (theatrical) (Warner Bros. Pictures Inc.)
- Vitagraph Limited (1940) (Canada) (theatrical)
- Warner Brothers Pictures (1940) (United Kingdom) (theatrical)
- Warner Bros. (1941) (Argentina) (theatrical)
- Warner Bros. First National Films (1942) (Sweden) (theatrical)
- Warner Brothers First National Films (1945) (Norway) (theatrical)
- Warner Bros. First National Films (1948) (Belgium) (theatrical)
- Motion Picture Export Association (MPEA) (1949) (West Germany) (theatrical)
- Associated Artists Productions (AAP) (1956) (United States) (tv)
- Key Video (1984) (United States) (video) (Betamax)
- CBS/Fox (1987) (United States) (video) (LaserDisc)
- MGM Home Entertainment (1988) (United States) (VHS)
- MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1990) (United States) (VHS)
- MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1992) (United States) (video) (laserdisc)
- Warner Home Video (2005) (Germany) (DVD)
- Warner Home Video (2005) (United States) (DVD)
- Emerald (2011) (Argentina) (DVD)
- Artaire Films (2020) (Spain) (VOD)
- MGM Home Entertainment (United States) (VHS)
Special Effects
Other Companies
- International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) (this picture made under the jurisdiction of)
Storyline
| Plot Summary |
The wife of a rubber plantation administrator shoots a man to death and claims it was self-defense. Her poise, graciousness and stoicism impress nearly everyone who meets her. Her husband is certainly without doubt; so is the district officer; while her lawyer's doubts may be a natural skepticism. But this is Singapore and the resentful natives will have no compunction about undermining this accused murderess. A letter in her hand turns up and may prove her undoing. Written by J. Spurlin |
| Plot Keywords | |
| Taglines | With all my heart I still love the man I killed See more » |
| Genres | |
| Parents Guide | View content advisory » |
| Certification |
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Additional Details
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Did You Know?
| Trivia | The first scene that William Wyler filmed was the famous opening shot in which Leslie shoots Geoffrey Hammond. This sequence, which lasted two minutes on screen, took an entire day to film, and that was before even a single word of dialogue was spoken. The studio expected him to shoot at a rate of 3-4 script pages a day, but the opening shot reflected a mere paragraph on page one. See more » |
| Goofs | The motor vehicles throughout are all left-hand drive. In Singapore traffic drives on the left, and all vehicles there are right-hand drive. See more » |
| Movie Connections | Edited into Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966). See more » |
| Quotes |
Leslie:
With all my heart, I still love the man I killed. See more » |