The 13th Letter *** (1951, Linda Darnell, Charles Boyer, Michael Rennie, Constance Smith, Françoise Rosay) – Classic Movie Review 6643

What Otto Preminger’s 1951 film noir mystery thriller The 13th Letter lacks in subtlety, it makes up for in style. 

What producer-director Otto Preminger’s 1951 film noir mystery thriller remake of Henri-Georges Clouseau’s 1943 French cinema masterwork Le Corbeau [The Raven] lacks in subtlety, it makes up for in style.

In the screenplay by Howard Koch, young doctor Pearson (Michael Rennie) arrives at a small community in Canada and finds himself on the receiving end of a stream of defamatory anonymous poison pen letters alleging that he is having a fevered sexual fling with Cora Laurent (Constance Smith), the nubile wife of an ageing doctor, Paul Laurent (Charles Boyer). Linda Darnell is top billed as Denise Turner and Françoise Rosay also stars as Mrs Gauthier.

Preminger never believed in doing things by halves, so what we have here is a mini epic, set against a backdrop of the beautiful North American landscape, with superb black and white cinematography by Joseph LaShelle, making notable use of the area in and round Quebec.

Howard Koch’s script, based on Louis Chavance’s story Le Corbeau, is intriguing and involving throughout, even if it is handled with a consummate lack of good taste by the master himself. (Koch is the Oscar-winning co-writer of the screenplay of Casablanca).

Also in the cast are Judith Evelyn, Guy Sorel, June Hedin, Paul Guèvremont, George Alexander, Jacques Auger, J Léo Gagnon, Robin Hughes, Gilles Pelletier and Ovila Légaré.

The 13th Letter is a 20th Century Fox film running 85 minutes. The score is by Alex North, the musical director is Lionel Newman, and the Art Direction is by Maurice Ransford and Lyle R Wheeler.

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 6643

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