Letter from an Unknown Woman

by James Naremore

James Naremore's study of Max Ophuls' classic 1948 melodrama, Letter from an Unknown Woman, not only pays tribute to Ophuls but also discusses the backgrounds and typical styles of the film's many contributors--among them Viennese author Stephan Zweig, whose 1922 novella was the source of the picture; producer John Houseman, an ally of Ophuls who nevertheless made questionable changes to what Ophuls had shot; screenwriter Howard Koch; music composer Daniéle Amfitheatrof; designers Alexander Golitzen and Travis Banton; and leading actors Joan Fontaine and Louis Jourdan, whose performances were central to the film's emotional effect.

Naremore also traces the film's reception history, from its middling box office success and mixed early reviews, exploring why it has been a work of exceptional interest to subsequent generations of both aesthetic critics and feminist theorists.

Lastly, Naremore provides an in-depth critical appreciation of the film, offering nuanced appreciation of specific details of mise-en-scene, camera movement, design, sound, and performances, integrating this close analyses into an overarching analysis of Letter's “recognition plot;” a trope in which the recognition of a character's identity creates dramatic intensity or crisis. Naremore argues that Letter's use of recognition is one of the most powerful in Hollywood cinema, and contrasts it with what we find in Zweig's novella.

Genres: Film

136 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 25, 2021

Reviews

[kelly]

an insightful and concise overview of max ophüls's letter from an unknown woman (1948), a tour de force of classical hollywood filmmaking (and perfect film in my very biased view). overall, it's a short read that's divided into two sections: the production process behind the film, as well a close analysis. it was interesting seeing reasons behind the adaptational changes made (as stefan zweig's original novella is substantially more risqué), as well as what ophüls and screenwriter howard koch deemed crucial and fought to keep in the film: the product being a somewhat 'arthouse' film for the time in naremore's opinion.

the close analysis is convincing and i enjoyed getting a deeper look into a film that i hold close to my heart. i'm glad naremore acknowledges the role of feminist scholars in letter from an unknown woman's reappraisal but would have liked have seen more analysis from a feminist standpoint — he does cite some of these scholars to his credit though! i did like how naremore's personal analysis is geared towards examining the film as part of the melodrama genre, which has often been unfairly maligned by the general public — especially many male critics who felt the need to overemphasise letter from an unknown woman's ironic elements in order to justify their praise for the film.

[Steve Elworth · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent well written well researched study of a very great film.