Letter From An Unknown Woman (1948)

Dallas Plotline Page
Jun 28, 2024
4 min read

Let's get in the way-back machine and travel to 1948 for this one! I had never heard of Letter From An Unknown Woman before I was perusing the list and now see it as a real shame. I hope you all take the time to go watch it, especially if you want to see an early days rendition of many classic romance and rom-com devices. Let's talk Letter From An Unknown Woman!

The Gist

Stephan Brand (Louis Jourdan) is about to flee a mysterious duel when he receives a letter from a woman he does not remember (Joan Fontaine). Her note recollects their time together and changes Stephan in ways he cannot foresee.

Check out the trailer here:

MPAA Rating: NR

The Take

I had no context or background for this film and was pleased to discover it is a classic romance story. The hero is a tortured artist type, a piano prodigy who struggles with the pressure of his fame and makes stupid choices that hurt the ones around him. The heroine is a dreamy romantic whose actions would fit well in a thriller stalker story in modern times. There is a love triangle of sorts, the other suitor who pales in comparison to Stephan in Lisa's eyes. As soon as she sees Stephan when she is 16, her love of the idea of him changes Lisa's whole life. She pines after him and stands outside of his apartment each night, hoping for any interaction with him. When it finally comes true, they have a magical night together and then all of the complications start - this reminds me of so many 2000s romance plots and I am now convinced they were inspired by this film.

I love a good framing device, and Letter From An Unknown Woman has two that are well executed. The more obvious one is the titular letter that Lisa sends to Stephan, as the contents of her letter are played as the bulk of the film. Her voiceover carries the transition points in the story while reminding the audience that the version of Stephan as reader lingers below the surface. It keeps that element of mystery humming as Lisa's story unfolds. The second device is through present-day Stephan, who serves as the culmination of Lisa's story. We know who he becomes at the end of her tale, and his cavalier attitude and general unreliability speaks to the sad ending of their brief love affair.

Speaking of which, it is important to know that Stephan is the worst. He is a self-absorbed cad who has more interest in pursuing liaisons than in honing his immense talent, and Lisa's devotion is wasted on him. Even his friends at the beginning of the film have no faith that he will follow through with his duty to this duel, and he proves them right as soon as he steps into his home. I was morbidly satisfied to discover that his fame and talent declined after he and Lisa parted, and no one respects him as a man of honor. There is a singular moment where he faces the consequences of his choices, and though the film frames it as his at of redemption, I consider it the least he could do after destroying Lisa and presumably countless other women.

Lisa carries this story, both in narration and in emotional heft. While she starts out as a lovestruck teenager and mild stalker, as the film progresses she convinces you that her devotion to him is real. When they finally interact, he shows that she sees Stephan in a way no one else has; she sees through his bravado and into his uncertainty about his talent. Much of her idea of their relationship is fantasy, but her emotions and devotion are true. Her whole life is about him, while he gets to travel to all of these places that she has dreamt of, but can't risk traveling if it chances her losing him. Even when she gets a perfect reason to keep him forever, she can only think of whether it will diminish the love they have. She is a genius, complicated woman and my favorite character.

When I realized the story would involve an obsessed girl and an oblivious man, I was certain I would loathe the film. But as it progressed and the story became more complex, it grew on me. I found myself rooting for Lisa's happiness, even if Stephan didn't deserve her. I dislike the plot device where the woman exists as a catalyst for the man's emotional growth, but Lisa ended up outshining Stephan anyway and made some strong choices along the way. If you take a look past the first layer of story, which is trite and less likely to find favor in today's films, you can find some really great characters and material here.

The tragic romance and lush costuming were a joy to watch. This is another instance too where black and white gives the story a moodiness that may not be possible in full color film. I am now also convinced to watch everything Joan Fontaine has ever acted in, because her portrayal of Lisa was immaculate. I highly recommend checking out this classic story.

Rating: 7/10

Memorable Moments

"I think everyone has two birthdays, the day of his physical birth and the beginning of his conscious life."
"Promise me you won't vanish." "I won't be the one who vanishes."
"You talk as though it were out of your hands. It's not, Lisa. You have a will, you can do what's right, what's best for you, or you can throw away your life."

Try It If...

You want to watch an early influence to the romance genre.
Tragic love stories interest you.
You think Joan Fontaine is so beautiful that you can't help but watch her masterful performance.

Avoid It If...

Stalker storylines do not interest you (even if they're harmless).
You have trouble watching black and white films.
Useless men make you too angry to watch this.

Letter From An Unknown Woman is available to stream on Roku Channel.