The 13th Letter
| The 13th Letter | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Otto Preminger |
| Screenplay by | Howard Koch |
| Based on | Le Corbeau by Louis Chavance |
| Produced by | Otto Preminger |
| Starring | Linda Darnell Charles Boyer Michael Rennie Constance Smith |
| Cinematography | Joseph LaShelle |
| Edited by | Louis R. Loeffler |
| Music by | Alex North |
Production company | 20th Century Fox |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
Release dates |
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Running time | 85 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $1,075,000 |
The 13th Letter is a 1951 American mystery film noir directed by Otto Preminger and starring Linda Darnell, Charles Boyer, Michael Rennie and Constance Smith.[2][3] The film is a remake of the French film Le corbeau (The Raven, 1943), directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot. It was filmed on location in Quebec, Canada.[1]
Plot
[edit]Doctor Pearson, who works at a hospital in Quebec, Canada, receives a series of poison-pen letters. More letters, all signed with the mysterious picture of a feather, are delivered to others in the small town. Cora Laurent, the wife of Dr. Laurent, receives a letter accusing her of having an affair with Pearson. Another letter informs shell-shocked veteran Mr. Gauthier that he is dying of cancer, causing him to commit suicide. The townsfolk begin pointing fingers at all possible suspects.
Cast
[edit]- Linda Darnell as Denise Tourneur
- Charles Boyer as Dr. Laurent
- Michael Rennie as Dr. Pearson
- Constance Smith as Cora Laurent
- Françoise Rosay as Mrs. Gauthier
- Judith Evelyn as Sister Marie Corbin
- Guy Sorel as Robert Helier
- June Hedin as Rochelle Turner
Reception
[edit]In a contemporary review for The New York Times, critic Bosley Crowther called the film "a moderately intriguing mystery" and contrasted it with Le corbeau: "[P]lainly the morbid cynicism that ran through that notorious French film and implied a pervasion of corruption among the small-town middle classes in France is not in this 'poison-pen' fable ... Perhaps that omission is fortunate—at least, for those who would enjoy a mystery film—for 'Le Corbeau' was so venomous and gloomy that it was well-nigh ridiculous. The dust of demoralization that rose from the lengthy parade of small-town connivers and neurotics was so dense and oppressive that it was hard to observe ... Mr. Koch and Mr. Preminger have been hasty to do something about that. ... [T]hey have dropped the implications of a whole pattern of community disease and let it appear that just a couple of queerish people in a conspicuously religious town are in bad health."[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Crowther, Bosley (1951-02-22). "The Screen: 3 New Movies at Local Theatres". The New York Times. p. 27.
- ^ "The 13th Letter". FilmAffinity. filmaffinity.com. Retrieved 2015-12-24.
- ^ "The 13th Letter". American Film Institute. afi.com. Retrieved 2015-12-24.
External links
[edit]- The 13th Letter at IMDb
- The 13th Letter at the TCM Movie Database