The 13th Letter

The 13th Letter is a 1951 American film noir mystery film directed by Otto Preminger and starring Linda Darnell, Charles Boyer, Michael Rennie, and Constance Smith.[1][2] The film is a remake of the French film Le Corbeau (The Raven, 1943) directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot.

The 13th Letter
Theatrical release poster
Directed byOtto Preminger
Produced byOtto Preminger
Screenplay byHoward Koch
Based onLe Corbeau
by Louis Chavance
StarringLinda Darnell
Charles Boyer
Michael Rennie
Constance Smith
Music byAlex North
CinematographyJoseph LaShelle
Edited byLouis R. Loeffler
Production
company
20th Century Fox
Distributed by20th Century Fox
Release date
  • January 19, 1951 (1951-01-19) (United States)
  • February 19, 1951 (1951-02-19) (New York City)
  • February 19, 1951 (1951-02-19) (Los Angeles)
Running time
85 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$1,075,000

Plot

Doctor Pearson (Michael Rennie), who works at a Canadian hospital in the province of Quebec, 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 Canadian town. Cora Laurent (Constance Smith), the wife of the main doctor - Dr. Laurent (Charles Boyer) - at the hospital, receives a letter accusing her of having an affair with Pearson. Another letter informs a shell-shocked veteran Mr. Gauthier that he is dying of cancer, causing the distraught man to commit suicide. Quickly, the townsfolk begin pointing fingers at all possible suspects.

Cast

Reception

Channel 4's review of the film praised the cinematography and music score: "The movie is redolent with atmosphere: Joseph LaShelle's photography accentuates the black and shadows, and there's dark shading too in Alex North's music. The film is dominated by death and melancholy, and by Françoise Rosay as the matriarch responsible for the trouble."[3]

References
  1. "The 13th Letter". FilmAffinity. filmaffinity.com. Retrieved 24 December 2015.
  2. "The 13th Letter". AFI. afi.com. Retrieved 24 December 2015.
  3. Channel 4, film review.
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