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July 19, 2011 By iluvcinema 8 Comments

Tuesday’s Overlooked Film: Letter From an Unknown Woman

I was first made aware of Max Ophüls’ Letter from an Unknown Woman (1948) when it was featured in one of my favorite books specifically about the treatment of women in the movies – From Reverence to Rape (written by Molly Haskell). As a result of her analysis of the film, I made it a personal mission of mine to seek it.

In a nutshell, Letter from an Unknown Woman is a story of unrequited love and the desperation, obsession (and mania) that can follow. It stars one of my favorite actresses from the era; Joan Fontaine is in the central role of a girl who grows into a woman who cannot seem to let go of a supposed romantic attachment (Louis Jourdan) of her youth. This steadfastness and devotion is disastrous and leads to tragic consequences.

The films works for me on many levels but principally the visuals are what have always captivated me; Letter always had a mystical, dreamlike for me.

FUN FACT (primary source: Wikipedia): In doing my research for this post, I discovered that film ending an the book ending differ. While both endings are equally ambiguous, the latter leaves the reader with more questions than answers about the fate of our male protagonist. There are also a few other structural changes to the plot but overall this film still reveals itself as a tragic love story.

* the film is available on DVD but it looks a little hard to come by – you may have to do some digging around.


Must give a mention: Last week while I was making my rounds in the film blogo-sphere I visited M. Carter at the Movies (LINK UPDATED) where they have reviewed a film that I think is worth a look at. I too is a film that I do not feel like got much sunlight on it during its initial run.

Filed Under: Recommendation Tagged With: 1948, joan fontaine, letter from an unknown woman, Louis Jourdan, love, max ophuls, obsession, overlooked cinema, romantic drama, tragedy

November 9, 2009 By idawson 2 Comments

Obsession, Revisted

VertigoSome time ago i mentioned I saw Brian de Palma’s 1976 homage to Hitchcock’s Vertigo, Obsession and was not a fan of it.

One thing I failed to do was give a full on review laying out my disappointment in the experience.

Just the very implication of incest … hmm

As a theme it is a tough sell in so many ways. Of course many folks generally do not feel comfortable with it as a general rule of thumb. Should it not be addressed as a topic? I am not saying that at all. What I take exception with how it is handled in this movie is that I am supposed to believe that he does not know that this is his daughter or that there is some biological connection between he and she?

I find that a little hard to accept. Especially since his daughter was kidnapped and never seen for a number of years. I guess the conclusion to possibly be drawn from that (and I am sure the filmmaker will agree) that he is so blind with obsession over the memory of his dead wife that he cannot fathom this as a possibility. Me? I am not buying it.

Homage is one thing…

Maybe some think that it is clever that de Palma uses a similar cinematically literary device, the idea of the double, the reveal in the middle of the film and the protagonist as the pawn – all central elements in both films but somehow more effective in the master’s work.  I think to model one’s own work after someone you admire is slightly double edged. And while you admire someone sometimes it is best to simply mention your admiration or refer to it (with a wink and a nod) in your own style. So while I may be in the same boat of admiration as De Palma, I think that some things are better left undone and not to be replicated.

Maybe I will give it another go…

For the sake of my love of Hitchcock’s Vertigo I will go back and re-watch Obsession, but be warned I am already slightly put off by it so a major epiphany will have to wash over me if my mind is going to be changed.  This second chance is something that I gave vertigo which I admit was a film that was a bit over my head when I first watched it on VHS.

In the end movies like all works of expression and art are pieces that inspire diverse reactions in many people. Also one’s idea of the creative or artistic evolves and morphs over time. So maybe, in time, I will come to see Obsession as De Palma would want me to see it.

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: alfred hitchcock, brian de palma, obsession, vertigo

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