The greatest movie ever made..!

Thanks for the memories!

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

The acting in this movie is really good.

The famous premise though not edited intact into this otherwise enticing, thought provoking and superb entertainment film is if you are believed to be a murderer yet determinedly deny your complicity in the crime when later tried in the public eye and in the public courts how far can this charade go IF it is truly a charade? The original had a superb premise and a definitive response in the author's mind. This otherwise superb film brilliantly editing black and white photographed light and shadow on a mysterious southeast Asian rubber plant estate gives wonderful opportunities for Bette Davis, Gale Sondergaard, Herbert Marshall and James Stephenson to thrill audiences with their acting chops.Evryerything untiling which should be what the audience individually believes in their hearts weighed against what the director and editor show as the ending which is NOT faithfully followed in this otherwise pure Hollywood Gold melodrama.

William Wyler's version of the Somerset Maugham classic is very much of its time, full of colonial stereotypes of the true British gentleman and his spouse, stiff upper lips and scheming orientals headed by Victor Sen Yung as lawyer's clerk Ong Chi Seng.And yet the film remains probably the best of several versions available on different media. Although relentlessly studio-bound, Tony Gaudio's photography is particularly memorable, as the camera relentlessly pursues the protagonists, never letting them out of its sight. The use of symbolic close-ups on the eponymous letter, and the knives that Leslie Crosbie (Bette Davis) encounters on her visit to the Chinese junk-shop warn us of what will follow. Deep-focus establishing-shots of the opulent interiors of the British colonists' quarters remind us of their lives of privileged affluence, seldom punctuated by uncomfortable realities. This is why the murder of Geoff Hammond (David Newell) causes such a stir, and why lawyer Howard Joyce (James Stephenson) is willing to risk accusations of malpractice in order to guarantee Leslie's innocence.The story is a familiar one, that of Leslie confessing to a murder and then trying to deceive her well-meaning husband (Herbert Marshall) while preserving her reputation. We know what will happen in the end (the Production Code would not have permitted anything else), but director Wyler ensures that there are plenty of things to remember on the way. The action proceeds through a series of shot/ reverse shot sequences interspersed with lengthy takes, giving the film a faintly stagy look. Yet this doesn't matter, as it allows us to concentrate on Davis's unbelievable range of facial expressions, as well as her unique eye-work as she tries to maintain a respectable facade while knowing in her heart the futility of her task. Elegantly costumed (by Orry- Kelly), with scarcely a hair out of place in her coiffed look, she is the very epitome of the colonist's spouse.The supporting cast are equally good, but in different ways. Marshall carries off the role of the husband like a cut-price Ronald Colman, seldom losing his sang-froid until the moment when he discovers the truth about his wife. Stephenson is especially good as the lawyer, walking ramrod-straight through each frame with an air of authority, but guiltily acknowledging his secret in the courtroom scene (even though judge and jury do not notice it). In the non-speaking role of the deceased's wife, Gale Sondergaard - who would later distinguish herself as the baddie in several Universal horror films - smolders with suppressed rage as she tries to stare Leslie into confessing her sins.The film is only ninety-one minutes long, but the action unfolds with such intensity that viewers are rendered exhausted at the end.

Despite its considerable age, this classic melodrama packs a punch that's every bit as strong as when it was first released. Its plot which features murder, adultery and blackmail is thoroughly engrossing right from its impressive opening scene and powerfully portrays the hypocrisy and double standards that were so prevalent within British colonial society in the early years of the 20th century. This movie, which was nominated for seven Academy Awards, boasts a screenplay that was adapted from W Somerset Maugham's 1927 play of the same name and is notable for its quality and the number of quotable lines that it contains.One quiet evening, on a Malayan rubber plantation, a gunshot is heard from inside the owner's bungalow before a wounded man appears on the veranda followed by a woman who keeps shooting at him continuously until her revolver runs out of bullets. Leslie Crosbie (Bette Davis) arranges for her husband to be called, and soon after, Robert (Herbert Marshall) and their mutual friend and lawyer Howard Joyce (James Stephenson) arrive on the scene accompanied by the district police officer who's British.Leslie explains that their long-time acquaintance, Geoff Hammond (David Newell) had arrived at the bungalow unexpectedly and in a drunken state had attempted to rape her. In order to defend herself, she felt she took the only option that was open to her. The three men listen sympathetically and seem convinced by her story but in the circumstances, she still has to be arrested and kept in a Singapore jail until the trial, even if the outcome is expected to be a foregone conclusion. Only Howard Joyce has any doubts about Leslie's account of what happened. His suspicions arise from the fact that she kept shooting at the victim after he was clearly incapacitated and also because her story was so detailed and remained word-perfect every time it was repeated.Howard is convinced that his client will be acquitted until his assistant Ong Chi Seng (Victor Sen Yung) gives him a copy of a letter that Mrs Crosbie wrote to Hammond on the day of the shooting. When he shows the document to Leslie, she admits that it's authentic and makes it clear that she and Hammond had been involved in a long-term affair which he'd wanted to end after marrying the Eurasian woman (Gale Sondergaard) who is now in possession of the original letter and has demanded $10,000 for its return.Howard is very uncomfortable about being involved in an arrangement to recover the letter because doing so would be both morally wrong and illegal but he's persuaded to do so by the manipulative Leslie. The repercussions that then follow after the trial, go well beyond the expectations of everyone involved.The opening sequence of this movie which precedes the dramatic shooting incident is a wonderful example of William Wyler's virtuosity. The movement of the camera beautifully reflects the calm mood of the rubber plantation on a moonlit evening whilst it also very effectively sets the scene for the action that follows.Bette Davis is magnificent in her role as she displays the veneer of refinement, sophistication and superiority that masks the powerful passions that rage within her and Herbert Marshall and James Stephenson are both exceptional. The colonists' innate belief in their own superiority is exemplified when Howard says "Juries can sometimes be very stupid and it's just as well not to worry them with more evidence than they can conveniently deal with" and in a remark that relates to the difference between Leslie's outward appearance and her real nature, he says of Robert, "Strange that a man can live with a woman for ten years and not know the first thing about her".

One of Bette Davis' nastiest roles. Based on W. Somerset Maugham's novel and directed by William Wyler, Leslie Crosbie(Davis)shoots a man, Geoffrey(David Newell),and with quick wit tells her rubber plantation overseer husband Robert(Herbert Marshall)and their lawyer Howard Joyce(James Stephenson)that it was self-defense. The couples mutual friend was making passes at her. After fighting him off, she follows him to the porch and shoots him. She will stick to her story and draw sympathy. Mr. Crosbie is willing to pack up and leave Singapore, so the couple can get away from the shooting. Leslie's story begins to unravel when a letter arrives revealing that she may have planned the murder to end a serious affair. Enter Geoffrey's widow attempting blackmail.Other players in this Warner Brothers black & white drama: Gale Sondergaard, Bruce Lester, Cecil Kellaway, Frieda Inescort and Victor Sen Yung.