Letter to Three Wives, a

 

 

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In a career of arguably no lows, Joseph L. Mankiewicz's brilliant screenplay and direction on "A Letter to Three Wives" (1949) comes as close to perfection as movie melodrama has any right to. The plot, based on John Klempner's novel, concerns itself with three genuinely contented women; Deborah (Jeanne Crain), Lora Mae (Linda Darnell) and Rita (Ann Sothern). Contented, that is, until a mysterious letter surfaces from an equally mysterious source that claims to have carnal knowledge of one of their husbands. Which one? Well, that's what the rest of the film's plot is all about - smelling a rat. Deb' finds herself feeling helpless and lost amidst her husband, Brad's (Jeffrey Lynn) country club set. Could one those shallow jet setters be the backstabbing vixen who wrote the letter? Seeing her gold-digging way with a pocket book and the right sort of heel, Lora's husband, Porter (Paul Douglas) has just about had enough of Lora. Could he be the one straying? And what about Rita's husband, George (Kirk Douglas)? With a career that bests George's ability to keep the home front afloat, might he feel the need to go slumming with a gal who is, at least financially, more at his level? Mankiewicz's astute perceptions of the inner struggles and insecurities that make us all human, and his adept handling of the material from the director's seat, justly won the veteran film maker two Academy Awards. With a backup cast that includes the diabolically juicy Florence Bates, Hobart Cavanaugh and Connie Gilchrist, "A Letter To Three Wives" proves that all any picture needs to be thrilling is solid writing and fantastic performances.

Fox has done a wonderful job in remastering this film for DVD. Working from second generation materials (no original camera negative exists), the DVD exhibits a very nicely contrasted black and white image with minimal film grain. Blacks are perhaps a tad weak, but this is to be expected from less than perfect source material. Otherwise, fine details are nicely realized, whites are very crisp and clean and shadow levels are adequately represented. Every attempt has been made through the use of digital technology to rebalance the image quality to as close to the original presentation as possible, and, for the most part, that is exactly how the film looks. An English stereo track is included. But this is a dialogue driven film so there's really not much point or difference between it and the original mono recording. Extras include the Biography Special on the tragic and brief life of Linda Darnell, a wonderful audio commentary by Mankiewicz's son, Christopher and biographers, Kenneth Geist and Cheryl Lower, some "Movietones" news reel footage and the original theatrical trailer. Both the film and the transfer come highly recommended for an old time Oscar-winning night at the movies.

The foundation of any great film is an even greater screenplay. In "A Letter To Three Wives" Joseph L. Mankiewicz achieved greatness as a writer first and a as director second. The screenplay sparkles with wit and humor and an edgy take on the modern world that is as up to date today as it was fifty-four years ago.
Joe was a great writer and a consummate wit; were he not in the movies one might think him an intellectual. (Hats off to his "Cleopatra"). He understood women and wrote some of the most complex, deep and exciting women on the screen. He gave them life on the page and then with his brilliant eye for casting and directing he brought them to life on the screen. Eve Harrington, Margo Channing, in "All About Eve". Maria Vargas in "The Barefoot Contessa", and his most complex of all his smart Cleopatra, a modern woman of politics and passion in an ancient setting.
The unseen Addie Ross, the clumsy Deborah, Rita the writer, and the smart and guarded Lora Mae are just a few of the gems Joe Mankiewicz presented to us in his Oscar winning "Letter". He brings out some of the best acting Jeanne Crain would ever do. She is both vulnerable and comic. Ann Sothern dominates the screen as a feminist ahead of her time. She cements the image that she would carry the rest of her career, that of a beautiful smart woman making it in a man's world. The stunning centerpiece to this work is the top-notch performance handed in by Linda Darnell as tough wrong side of the tracks Lora Mae. This is a great performance by an actress who herself felt she had little to offer as an actress. Here with the help of her writer and director Miss Darnell delivers the goods as no one else of her generation possibly could.
In a small role as Sadie Dugan, Thelma Ritter in her third film nearly steals the picture from all involved. Paul Douglas as Lora Mae's husband and meal ticket is at the top of his form. He matches Lora Mae word for word and punch for punch. And what a face he had! Kirk Douglas is right on the money in this early film of his career. The entire production is superb.
Darryl F. Zanuck always stressed the importance of good writing and good story at his studio, 20th Century-Fox and over the decade that "Letter to Three Wives" ushered in he gave us some great works. He hired some of the best writers and directors of the day to work at his studio. At the top of that list was Joseph L. Mankiewicz. Personal differences aside between the two men, they did some wonderful things together. With what Fox is now doing in it's incredible classics series on DVD, I hope they will devote some much needed attention to this classic film.

This 1949 film won Best Director and Best Screenplay. It's still a great movie to watch after all these years. It's soapy, but the script is great and really tight. The dialog is not dated at all, and the cast is perfect. It's delightful to watch even today. All three leads are great. The plot involves three married women who are chaperoning a field trip for elementary school students on an island offshore from where they live. All three are friends. Shortly after the tug leaves the mainland for the island, the women open a letter that was delivered to them right before the boat left. The letter is from Addie Ross, a local divorcee/socialite who is friendly with each of their husbands, but none of the wives likes her much. Addie tells them in the note that she's leaving town that day, and is taking one of their husbands with her. Which one? Addie doesn't say. This was before cell phones, and the island has no pay phones, so the wives must wait until the trip is over at the end of the day to know who's been dumped. The movie is, all three wives on the island have about 25-30 minute flashbacks about their marriage, dealings with Addie, why their husbands might have left them, and how they feel about that potential.

When they return at the end of the day, they meet at the club and the identity of the wayward husband is revealed. You never see Addie, you just hear her voice when appropriate. The three wives are great, and the script is sharp. A lot is serious and a lot is quite funny. This is a nice movie to watch a couple of times a year. If you like a sharp script and don't mind 1940's sets and plots (the way marriage works and a wife's role is a little dated), this should be on the top of your list to see.

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4.0 out of 5 stars Sharp, Funny, and Socially Savage
Jeanne Crain was a very pretty girl, Ann Sothern was chiefly noted for her comic turns, and Linda Darnell was a memorable beauty--but although all three appeared in popular films... Read more

Published on Jan 8 2004 by Gary F. Taylor

5.0 out of 5 stars "I'm not a man...I'm just a school teacher!"
That line, spoken by Kirk Douglas, is just an example of the witty dialogue that permeates this 1949 classic. And a "classic" it truly is. Read more

Published on July 1 2003 by Reginald D. Garrard

5.0 out of 5 stars What a GREAT movie?
This movie is so wonderful! This is one of those movies you watch over and over again. I just adore Linda Darnell and Paul Douglas in this movie.

Published on May 23 2003 by Renee Holloman

5.0 out of 5 stars VERY HIGH CLASS HUMOR
When I worked at a video store, we had a special promotion for the studio (20th Century Fox) and we started stocking the titles. The one that caught my eye was this one. Read more

Published on Jun 7 2002 by swingoutsisterguy

4.0 out of 5 stars From Mank to Small-Town America, With Love
"A Letter to Three Wives" would be anyone else's best movie. Since Joseph L. Mankiewicz followed "Letter" with "All About Eve", "Letter" is his second best, but it still towers... Read more

Published on April 10 2002 by Sandy McLendon

4.0 out of 5 stars A thinking person's comedy
This movie aged very very well imho. The ending was superb (and unexpected). I thought Kirk Douglas's and Jeanne Crain's acting were top notch - their roles were fun to watch... Read more

Published on Jan 26 2002 by Mark Guzowski

4.0 out of 5 stars What if the chances were 1 in 3 that your husband left you?
Those are the odds facing Jeanne Crain, Ann Sothern, and Linda Darnell when just as their boat leaves the pier they receive a letter from the Sexiest Woman in Town that she has... Read more

Published on Aug 13 2001 by Linda McDonnell

5.0 out of 5 stars Hotter than u think
"A Letter to Three Wives" is a crafty masterpiece throughout, very adult in its humor and sexually charged relationships, particularly Paul Douglas and lovely Linda... Read more

Published on Mar 17 2001 by paige dupont

5.0 out of 5 stars "Three Wives"-Truth, Compassion, Wit
"A Letter to Three Wives" would probably bomb at the box-office these days because it isn't mawkish, vulgar, or depressing. Too bad! Read more

Published on Dec 18 2000 by Michael Wilk

5.0 out of 5 stars "Three Wives"-Truth, Compassion, Wit
"A Letter to Three Wives" would probably bomb at the box-office these days because it isn't mawkish, vulgar, or depressing. Too bad! Read more

Published on Dec 18 2000 by Michael Wilk

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