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The Letter

The Letter

Crime · Drama · 1940

After a woman shoots a man to death, a damning letter she wrote raises suspicions.

Movie details

The Letter

“Fascinating, Tantalizing and DANGEROUS!”

1940 Crime · Drama 1h 35m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

7.3 / 10

Community rating

After a woman shoots a man to death, a damning letter she wrote raises suspicions.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over The Letter?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Cry of the City

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The Bygone

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Witness for the Prosecution

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The Mask of Dimitrios

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Miss Marple: They Do It with Mirrors

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Footsteps in the Fog

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The Pelican Brief

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Killer's Kiss

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Where it lives

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

William Wyler

Written by

Howard E. Koch

Bette Davis

Bette Davis

Leslie Crosbie

Herbert Marshall

Herbert Marshall

Robert Crosbie

James Stephenson

James Stephenson

Howard Joyce

Frieda Inescort

Frieda Inescort

Dorothy Joyce

Gale Sondergaard

Gale Sondergaard

Mrs. Hammond

Bruce Lester

Bruce Lester

John Withers

Elizabeth Inglis

Elizabeth Inglis

Adele Ainsworth

Court is in session

Put The Letter on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Form is the argument.”

Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Technique in search of a pulse.”

Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.