Letter From An Unknown Woman [1948] | ![Letter From An Unknown Woman [1948]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51cXsPavG0L._SL160_.jpg)
 enlarge | Director: Max Ophüls
Actors: Joan Fontaine, Louis Jourdan, Mady Christians, Marcel Journet, Art Smith
Studio: Second Sight Films Ltd.
Category: DVD
List Price: £19.99
Buy New: £7.97
You Save: £12.02 (60%)
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Rating:  4 reviews
Sales Rank: 11254
Format: Pal
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: Universal, suitable for all
Region: 2
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 84 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
EAN: 5028836031048
ASIN: B000HCO57K
Theatrical Release Date: 1948
Release Date: September 18, 2006
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
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| Customer Reviews:
Re-discover the true spirit of 'Romantic' cinema July 11, 2008
Mr. G. C. Stone (Newcastle, UK)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Modern Hollywood tells us that romances are just product for women - guns for boys, love for girls. Forget that, and instead go back to when films were made with intelligence, had depth and meaning, and could keep you enthralled by a great story, beautifully brought to the screen and impeccably acted. Here we trace a life-long quest of unrequited love, and the painful recognition that sometimes when we get what we want, reality can fall short of our ideals. In Hollywood land we get our emotional roller-coaster rides, crisis near the end, and a lovely resolution. In the grown up world of great cinema we know that redemption is possible, but often only when it is too late.....
Nostalgia, Romance at its absolute best - a sheer beauty June 4, 2007
Georgina (Barcelona, Spain)
10 out of 12 found this review helpful
My dad bought me this years ago for Christmas, we had a sort of estranged relationship although deep down, as they say blood is thicker than water..my father too was a pianist, a sensitive, romantic man who lived a life, unjust for his heart. This film means a lot to me as it holds close to my heart and his memory. Even so, if you a romantic at heart, this film will touch you to the bone. Its absolutley beautiful and painful at the same time,..as is romance, as is life.
Obsessive passion, superficial lust.... November 23, 2006
SVP (UK)
21 out of 23 found this review helpful
This is visually a beautiful film. Lisa fascination with the rather shallow pianist, Stefan (who assumes a vampire like persona), is the theme of this film. You may ask youself why a woman would devote her life to such a vagabond, quite possibly she is not completely sane; however, the narrative assumes her point of view and the true nature of passion is revealed (that really there is no space or time for logical thought). Equally, Stefan, immensely talented, is unable to engage with anyone long enough to have a deep relationship; thus eventually his life becomes as impoverished as his musical career. Yet, Lisa ulimately offers him a chance for redemption. The pain and thrill of unrequited love is handled sensitively by Orphuls (now definately one of my cinematic heros).
A heart-breaking tale of true love that goes unrecognised. September 29, 2001
32 out of 32 found this review helpful
This film has got to be one of the most hauntingly beautiful films ever made. Starting with the line 'By the time you read this Letter I'll be dead', it relates the tale of a young woman (Joan Fontaine)'s love for a brooding pianist (Louis Jordan). This heart-breaking tale spans several decades from the time of their first meeting while she is still a child, to the night they spend together, and finally to the time of this letter's arrival. Joan Fontaine is stunning as the teenager who grows to maturity, always loving the man whose music used to delight her as she sat beneath his window, pretending he was playing only for her; while Louis Jordan is superb as the initially brilliant, temperamental pianist who becomes jaded and despised, apparently the victim of his own talent. The brief time they are together creates a warmth that pervades the whole film: one gets the sense that these people are truly meant to be together, and yet, even then, one knows that it will be her reticence and his fecklessness that are their downfall. She is the woman who could save him from himself, but is unable to speak of how she really feels, and he senses that there is more to her than to those women to whom he is generally drawn, but never values her sufficiently to find out the love of which she is really capable. The delight of the time they are together contrasts sharply with the pain of their separations: she acknowledges and knows the cause of this pain, while his life simply becomes increasingly problematic, his behaviour more erratic, while he searches for the meaning he can only find in her love. It is only through this letter that he realises what he could have had, and that it is too late to attain happiness. However, it is as a result of this letter that he is able to recognise who she was, and, to some extent, to requite her love.
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