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The Letter

 The Letter
type
 TVTItem
 The Letter
label
 The Letter
 The Letter
page
 TheLetter
 The Letter
comment
 Advertisement:propertag.cmd.push(function() { proper_display('tvtropes_mobile_ad_1'); })The Letter began life as a short story by W. Somerset Maugham, published in 1926. In 1927 it was made into a play, also written by Maugham. It was then twice adapted into films: an early talkie in 1929, starring stage actress Jeanne Eagels, and a 1940 adaptation starring Bette Davis.Leslie Crosbie, the wife of Howard Crosbie, who manages a rubber plantation in Malaya, puts six bullets into one Geoffrey Hammond, when he visits her house. Mrs. Crosbie insists that Hammond, a friend of the family, had come to the house uninvited and attempted to rape her. Everyone believes her, and it seems that she will win an easy acquittal at the ensuing trial, until Howard Joyce, her attorney, receives a disurbing message from his Chinese assistant. It seems that Hammond's lover (in the 1929 film) or wife (in the 1940 film) is in possession of a letter that indicates that Hammond came to the house at Mrs. Crosbie's invitation, and that in fact they were lovers.Advertisement:propertag.cmd.push(function() { proper_display('tvtropes_mobile_ad_2'); })Both film versions earned Academy Award nominations for their lead actresses, Eagels and Davis. Eagels, who died of a drug overdose not long after The Letter was released, remains the only person in history to receive a posthumous nomination for Best Actress.
 The Letter
fetched
 2020-11-07T04:12:35Z
 The Letter
parsed
 2020-11-07T04:12:35Z
 The Letter
processingComment
 Dropped link to Blackmail: Not a Feature - ITEM
 The Letter
isPartOf
 DBTropes
 The Letter / int_40bb59d0
type
 Blatant Lies
 The Letter / int_40bb59d0
comment
 Blatant Lies: In the 1929 film, as Leslie tells a ridiculous story about an Attempted Rape. In the 1940 film it is not obvious that Leslie is lying until the letter is mentioned.
 The Letter / int_40bb59d0
featureApplicability
 1.0
 The Letter / int_40bb59d0
featureConfidence
 1.0
 The Letter
hasFeature
 The Letter / int_40bb59d0
 The Letter / int_b8e3f20a
type
 Demoted to Extra
 The Letter / int_b8e3f20a
comment
 Demoted to Extra: The 1929 film starts off with some establishing scenes in which Hammond, Leslie's lover, receives the letter and goes to Leslie's house. He breaks up with her, and she shoots him. The 1940 film deletes these scenes and opens with Leslie emptying a revolver into Hammond. In this version the actor playing Hammond does not have any dialogue.
 The Letter / int_b8e3f20a
featureApplicability
 1.0
 The Letter / int_b8e3f20a
featureConfidence
 1.0
 The Letter
hasFeature
 The Letter / int_b8e3f20a
 The Letter / int_ffaa675b
type
 Asian Speekee Engrish
 The Letter / int_ffaa675b
comment
 Asian Speekee Engrish: Happens with various Chinese characters in both films, including Hammond's mistress/wife and Joyce's devious assistant.
 The Letter / int_ffaa675b
featureApplicability
 1.0
 The Letter / int_ffaa675b
featureConfidence
 1.0
 The Letter
hasFeature
 The Letter / int_ffaa675b
 The Letter / int_name
type
 ItemName
 The Letter / int_name
comment
 The Letter / int_name
featureApplicability
 1.0
 The Letter / int_name
featureConfidence
 1.0
 The Letter
hasFeature
 The Letter / int_name
 The Letter / int_name
itemName
 The Letter

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 The Letter
hasFeature
 Definite Article Title / int_2a2565bd
 The Letter
hasFeature
 Inscrutable Oriental / int_2a2565bd
 The Letter
hasFeature
 Maligned Mixed Marriage / int_2a2565bd
 The Letter
hasFeature
 Opium Den / int_2a2565bd