By the time you read this letter, i may be dead so begins the heartrending missive from joan fontaines unknown woman to louis jourdans dissolute pianist, its contentsflowing forth in flashbacksa soulbaring record of a lifetime of unrequited love, brief encounters, and romantic regret. Letter from an unknown woman is one of the greatest films of the 40s, and therefore of all time. A man opening a letter from a dying woman confessing her long unrequited love for him. But in 1948 ophuls was given an opportunity to display his legendary technique in a movie no one would have trouble understanding, the indulgently romantic letter from an unknown woman. Letter from an unknown woman based on stephen zweigs viennaset story that was adapted by max ophuls, the sumptuously lensed chinese costumer letter from an unknown woman has many of.
Letter from an unknown woman is a 1948 american blackandwhite drama romance film. Joan fontaine, louis jourdan, mady christians, marcel journet, art smith, carol yorke, howard freeman, john good, leo b. Not just an unrequited love, but the love felt by the lesser for the more. The story of unrequited love is told through a series of flashbacks as the pianist finally comes to read a letter from the dying woman he never really knew.
Stefan zweig letter from an unknown woman so much more than a love letter. Letter from an unknown woman 1948 in early 20thcentury vienna, stefan brand louis jourdan is about to leave the city because he faces a duel that he wants no part of. Letter from an unknown woman is a 2004 chinese film written and directed by xu jinglei and. Oscars best picture winners best picture winners golden globes emmys san diego comiccon new york comiccon sundance film festival toronto intl film festival awards central festival central all events. Jump to content s jump to site navigation 0 jump to search 4. After seeing the two, a distraught lisa travels to linz where she joins her mother and new stepfather. Letter from an unknown woman is one of the few films that can be said to be truly beautiful. The kind of love which, if it doesnt bloom, it kills and gets killed, ending up in a waterloo that only big ideas can cause. Among his most famous works are beware of pity, letter from an unknown woman, and mary, queen of scotland and the isles. Letter from an unknown woman movie trailer hd 1948 plot synopsis. Finally, letter from an unknown woman has assumed a central place in the current canon of feminist film criticism.
Joan fontaine and louis jourdan in letter from an unknown woman 1948. In it, i treat my subject from the point of view of philosophy. But by speaking to us in the language of 60 years ago, it invites us to take a fresh look at film. Ophuls the reckless moment is a superior domestic noir with joan bennett. Letter from an unknown woman is a masterful work by stefan zweig who is perhaps one of the most widely translated authors in the world. Chinese drama warm my heart episode 15 new chinese drama.
Oscars best picture winners best picture winners golden globes emmys san diego comiccon new york comic con sundance film festival toronto intl film festival awards central festival central all events. Letter from an unknown woman just imagine sung by judy garland duration. It was based on the novella of the same name by stefan zweig. Until now the only versions available were region 2 and the quality left a lot to be desired. Unbekannten became well known and popular in china after 2005, when the. The womans sad life then unfolds through a series of flashbacks which reveal not only her many encounters with the man, but also the hardships she has faced during this chaotic time of change. If the film is supremely romantic, it also shows romance as a delusion. Letter from an unknown woman movie 1948 video dailymotion. Once again, olive films has rescued a film forgotten by many. A man receives a letter from a mysterious woman who has known him throughout his life. Stefan zweig was one of the worlds most famous writers during the 1920s and 1930s, especially in the u.
Originally written by ray henderson, lew brown and b. The film certainly gave me a lot of things to think about. Stefan zweig was born on november 28, 1881 in vienna, austriahungary. James mason, who appeared in two of max ophulss films, once wrote a. Letter from an unknown woman subtitles 60 subtitles. Encyclopedia for an ordinary life, published in 2005, was named one of. Joan fontaine considered this one of her best and she certainly is outstanding as lisa whose obsession with louis jourdan, an obvious rotter, causes her downfall. Studies in cinematic point of view baltimore, johns hopkins university press, 1986, pp.
This is played out in a film of astonishing complexity in its detail. The classic letter from an unknown woman makes one. The unknown woman is an ultimate enbodiment of unrequited love. As he prepares himself for the nocturnal journey, the letter arrives. It is a heart wrenching story that captures the essence of love, the ecstasy and anguish, in so many ways and in so many phases of our lives the yearning of a child that grows into an awareness of what love. Letter from an unknown woman by stefan zweig librarything. The unknown woman from the book never marries, but lives off a series of lovers who remain unnamed and mostly unintrusive. Watch full episode of letter from an unknown woman. That gulf is never more prominent than the lengthy scene showing their one official date, a stunning yet intimate series of stolen moments set.
The film is an adaptation of stefan zweigs 1922 novella of the same name which was also adapted in 1948 by screenwriter howard koch. The first two stages witnessed the translation of foreign literary classics which were. Please activate cookies in order to turn autoplay off. Fate of egyptian christians kidnapped in libya unknown. A genuine classics classic, and a womens film that completely transcends that pigeonhole category, max ophuls letter from an unknown woman is the german filmmakers american masterpiece. Hysteria and the camera in letter from an unknown woman taylor. This story of distorted passion and behaviour reveals the unrequited love of a woman for a man who cares so little for her that he fails to recognize her as she. Letter from an unknown woman is one of the saddest films ever made because it proposes two lives that could be enriched and complete within a romantic union, but then sees that potential wasted. Letter from an unknown woman the current the criterion. Desylva for the 1927 broadway musical comedy good news, this bittersweet ballad is performed here by the incomparable judy garland, and. The waltzing heartbreak of letter from an unknown woman serves as the. I argue that letters camera offers up not two hysterics, but three. Popular videos letter from an unknown woman youtube.
In 1992, letter from an unknown woman was selected for preservation in the united states national film registry by the library of congress as being culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant. If max ophuls hadnt cooled his heels in hollywood to flee the nazis, his name might have conjured only the most unintelligible of foreign cinemavague and inaccessible to the average american filmgoer. Its recognized as such now, having been drafted into the national film registry quite early 1992. The film stars joan fontaine, louis jourdan, mady christians, and marcel journet. A man returns home to find a letter awaiting him written by a woman before her death. The subject of this monograph is the 1948 film directed by max ophuls, letter from an unknown woman. Rice chinese theater club letter from an unknown woman duration. He produced novels, plays, biographies, and journalist pieces. Although the two had another chance encounter, the writer could not recognize her. Letter from an unknown woman 1948 official trailer joan fontaine, louis jourdan movie hd duration. Joan fontaine considered this one of her best and she certainly is outstanding as lisa whose obsession with louis jourdan, an obvious rotter, causes.
Street date december 5, 2017 available through the olive films website 29. Max ophulss melodrama letter from an unknown woman is. The film stars xu and jiang wen as lovers during the 1930s and 1940s in beijing. I talk about the ideas in the film, and about the position it takes regarding one of the perennial. The first series of flashbacks focuses on lisa as a fifteenyearold living. In a series of flashbacks, the story of her obsession with him which. Virginia wrightwexman and karen hollinger, rutgers university press, new brunswick, 1986, pp. Social background and the spread of letter from an unknown. Letter from an unknown woman movie quotes rotten tomatoes. On the subject of stefans conversion by the end of the film and its representation of a mans journey into symbolic order, and thus into history, see tania modleski, time and desire in the womans film, letter from an unknown woman, ed.
His noir effort caught gave us the debut of barbara bel geddes but fell victim to lastminute reshoots. Since the film is easily subsumed into the category of womens films and since the themes of the film, such as desire, personal renunciation, and death, all fall well within the areas traditionally encompassed by the hollywood. Letter from an unknown woman 1 hr 30 min one of my alltime favorites 1948, a breathtaking, bitter, exquisitely orchestrated exploration of love and selfishness by max ophuls. Joan fontaine plays a girl then a woman who is sexually obligated and infatuated to louis jourdan, who is sexually free and only obligated to his music.