The Painted Veil (1934).

The Painted Veil (1934). Directed by Ryszard Bolesławski. Cast: Greta Garbo Herbert Marshall, Warner Oland and Jean Hersholt.

After her sister Olga gets married, Katrin, the daughter of an Austrian medical professor, dreams of leaving her boring life in, Austria. When Dr. Walter Fane, a British bacteriologist, asks her to marry him and move to Hong Kong, she jumps at the chance, even though she does not love him.

After Walter, becomes involved in his medical work and does not have much time for his new wife, is when unhappily married Jack shows Katrin, all the popular city's land marks and Jack finds the opportunity to kiss her. Katrin, shocked by his actions still agrees to go with him to watch dancers performing at a Buddhist festival. Jack tells Katrin, that he is love with her and Katrin tells him that she is not in love with her husband.



Later, Katrin tells Walter that she is tired of him not being home very much. Walter comes home early the next day, but finds Katrin's bedroom door locked and Jack's hat on a table. That evening, Walter confronts Katrin and she admits that she is in love with Jack. Heartbroken, Walter tells Katrin, that he will give her a divorce only if Jack promises in writing that he will divorce his wife and marry her. When Katrin goes to Jack, with the terms he tells her that a divorce would ruin his life and breaks off the affair.

Heartbroken, Katrin travels with Walter to China, where a cholera epidemic has broken out. While Walter, tries to get the epidemic under control, Katrin grows more and more depressed. He tells her that he still loves her, but will send her back to Hong Kong. She tells him that she now knows what a good man he is and that she's ashamed of having betrayed him.

It is not long before, Jack realizes his is still in love with Katrin and leaves Hong Kong for to find Katrin. Walter, returns from the village after ordering it to be burned to stop the spread of the disease. He is happy to find that Katrin, was still there helping the children at the orphanage. Walter, is stabbed by villagers angry over having their houses burned and Katrin rushes to his side. Katrin, is confronted by Jack. Who will Katrin, decide to live the rest of her life with?

"The Painted Veil." Is a very moving love story. The score and cinematography and the Asian sets were beautiful.

Herbert Marshall (23 May 1890 – 22 January 1966). The actor spent many years playing romantic leads opposite such stars as Greta Garbo, Marlene Dietrich and Bette Davis, and starring in classics: Trouble in Paradise (1932), The Little Foxes (1941), and The Razor's Edge (1946). He was featured in both the 1929 and the more famous 1940 version of The Letter, first as the murdered lover, then the wronged husband. He starred in a popular radio series, The Man Called X, in which he played a globe-trotting "American" spy with an English accent.

He was married five times. Among his wives were two actresses, Edna Best, with whom he appeared in The Calendar, Michael and Mary and The Faithful Heart, and Boots Mallory, to whom he was married from 1947 until her death in 1958.

The Letter (1940)

Hey guys, do you know what's coming up on Tuesday? BETTE DAVIS'S BIRTHDAY!!! I shall probably be all jumping around in my room and being happy :-). So just to start the Bette Davis theme off, I'm reviewing one of my favourites, The Letter (1940). I'm going to try and write a few little posts that should be posted from now until Tuesday with the super amazing happy birthday one finishing the run on Tuesday afternoon. If you want to post a link to any Bette Davis reviews you've done, you can do so in comments to the posts.

The Letter (1940) Directed By William Wyler

A copy of this poster is stuck to my mirror :-)

Cast:

• Bette Davis as Leslie Crosbie
• Herbert Marshall as Robert Crosbie
• James Stephenson as Howard Joyce
• Gale Sondergaard as Mrs. Hammond

Plot:
Leslie Crosby and her husband Robert are the owners of a rubber plantation in Malaya. One dark night Leslie runs out of her house on the plantation following a man, shooting him in the chest over and over again. When asked why she did this, she explained that Geoff Hammond, a friend of her and her husband, had visited her and "tried to make love to her," so she shot him. Everyone believes her completely, but she has to be imprisoned in a jail in Singapore until the hearing is over. Everything goes fine with her plan until her lawyer and friend, Howard Joyce discovers a letter to Geoff Hammond from Leslie begging him to come and see her. When confronted with the news she confesses that she had been having an affair with him and when she found out that he had got married to a native woman she was furious.

Leslie Crosby and her lawyer

Howard tells her that the letter is in possession of Geoff's widow. And to get it back (which in itself would be a criminal offense) she has to pay $10,000 and collect the money herself, so Geoff's wife can see the woman who killed her husband. The hearing and trial goes well and she is cleared of all charges. But when she gets home, Robert has plans to move away using the money in his savings. Unknown to Robert, all of his savings had been used to buy the letter. This uncovers the truth about Leslie and Geoff. Still sure they can make everything work out, Robert goes on as planned. But when he comes to see her in her room, he tries to kiss her but she jerks away exclaiming, "With all my heart, I still love the man I killed!" During her celebration party she is kidnapped and murdered by Geoff's widow.

DUN, DUN, DUUUUNNN!!!!

The review:
William Wyler can do nothing wrong in my book. His genius work on films like Mrs. Miniver (1942), Jezebel (1938) and The Little Foxes (1941) tops almost everything I've seen. Bette Davis gives a cold, calculating and manipulative performance as Leslie Crosby. Herbert Marshall (who was also paired with Bette Davis on The Little Foxes) was amazing as well. He was an extremely talented British actor who doesn't get enough credit for his work. This film is surely one of my favourite film noirs. Although the plot is very different, this picture reminds me of Double Indemnity (1940) - and Barbara Stanwyck's  performance is similar to Bette Davis's. The way that William Wyler makes her lace-making such an important part of the story is very clever.

I adore this film, so if you are feeling in a particularly noirey mood it is perfect.

~Bette

The Letter (1940).

The Letter (1940). Film noir directed by William Wyler. The screenplay by Howard Koch is based on the 1927 play of the same name by W. Somerset Maugham. Cast: Bette Davis,

In a incredible opening scene, Leslie Crosbie, the wife of a rubber plantation manager, shoots all six bullets of her handgun into her ex-lover. She sends for her husband Robert, who is out working at one of his plantations. Her husband returns, with his attorney and a British police inspector. Leslie tells them that she killed him to "save her honor". Leslie is arrested and put in prison in Singapore to wait her trial. Her trusting husband, believes she acted in self defence, except her attorney Howard Joyce, is not so sure that he believes her story. Howard's suspicions are found to be true when his clerk Ong Chi Seng, shows him a copy of the letter Leslie wrote to Hammond, telling him she would be home alone that evening and that she is desperate to see him. Ong Chi Seng tells Howard, that Hammond's widow, has the original letter. Howard then confronts Leslie and forces her to confess to Hammond's murder, but.. Leslie talks the attorney into buying back the letter. Hammond's widow wants Leslie to come to pay the money for the letter so that she can see the woman who killed her husband.



Now, with no letter to use against her, Leslie is acquitted. With the trial behind them Robert, makes plans to buy a rubber plantation in Sumatra, Howard and Leslie are forced to tell him that they have used all his savings to pay for a incriminating letter. Robert, is heartbroken to learn that Hammond was her lover for years, but will forgive her if she can tell him that she loves him. Leslie, breaks down and tells him, "with all my heart, I still love the man I killed". Leslie, then walks out the gate. Will she ever return?

The film has excellent acting from the whole cast and it is beautifully filmed movie.

Gale Sondergaard (February 15, 1899 – August 14, 1985), made her first film performance in, Anthony Adverse (1936)and became the first recipient of the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for this performance. She also performed in the film, The Life of Emile Zola (1937).

During pre-production of MGM's, The Wizard of Oz (1939), one of the first ideas was to have the Wicked Witch of the West portrayed as a glamorous villainous, inspired by the Wicked Queen in Walt Disney's, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937).

Sondergaard was originally cast as the witch in "Oz" and was photographed for two wardrobe tests. One was as a glamorous wicked witch and another as a ugly wicked witch. After the decision was made to have an ugly wicked witch, Sondergaard, withdrew from the role and the role went to character actress, Margaret Hamilton. Sondergaard was cast, as the sexy Tylette, in the film, The Blue Bird(1940).

In 1940 she played the role of the evil wife in the film, The Letter, with Bette Davis. She received a second Academy Award nomination as Best Supporting Actress for her role as the King's wife in the film, Anna and the King of Siam (1946).