The Letter was originally a short story by W. Somerset Maugham written in 1925, which became a play performed on Broadway in 1927. It had previously been filmed by Paramount in 1929. When Warner Brothers submitted Howard Koch’s script for this movie to the Hays Office, which monitored Hollywood films’ adherence to the standards of the Production Code, changes had to be made in the story, because the Code did not countenance extra-marital sexual relationships or crimes that remained unpunished by the end of the film.
This movie was shot starting in May 1940 and was released in November 1940. It was nominated for a good number of Oscars – William Wyler for best director; Bette Davis for best actress; James Stephenson, who plays the lawyer, as best supporting actor; Tony Gaudio for best black-and-white cinematography; Warren Low for best film editing; Max Steiner for best music, original score; and best picture. It did not win any, however.
Interesting and nuanced performances, and an arresting visual style, make The Letter a memorable film, and I hope you enjoy watching it with me tonight.