At first glance, Letter from an Unknown Woman is a far-fetched tragedy, one vaguely reminiscent of the great romantic tragedies of the past. There are numerous examples throughout literature of love stories ending in tragic deaths. Lisa is another example of the love-struck woman who spends her entire life waiting for her one true love to realize that she is everything he's ever needed. Unfortunately, Stephan is too self- centered to see it and Lisa's heart is broken. Even when he chases her out of the opera, he cannot remember that she had been the woman he had met ten years ago. He knows that there is something about her but he can't place his finger on it. On the other hand, Lisa is too neurotic to speak up and tell him who she is. Just as with the case of Romeo and Juliette, a little bit of communication could go a long way. However, since Lisa is incapable of ever telling Stephan the truth, she is doomed from the beginning. Even as a child, she never attempted to speak to her neighbor. Instead, she sat outside of his window and spent an unhealthy amount of energy fantasizing about what Stephan must be like.
Part of me wants to reject this entire story as a pathetic example of how women fall in love and waste a lifetime of longing for someone who doesn't deserve their attention, yet part of me can relate to Lisa's dilemma. Every woman has met that man who never notices her or gives her the attention she so desperately wants. When Lisa looks wistfully at Stephan, she is embodying every bit of desire that a lovesick girl has ever felt. He does give her attention during their nighttime adventure, but it seems that she realizes that she is one of many women who have received his attention. Stephan is a lady's man, who always knows the perfect thing to say to make a woman feel like the only girl in the entire world. His charm is powerful and Lisa is under his spell. She says in her letter, that she wanted to be the only woman who never asked him for anything, meaning that she both understands that there are other women, and reinforces (to herself, at least) that she is the right woman for him. When she goes to his apartment at the end of the film, she expects him to remember her and confess his love to her. This never happens. The realization comes when he explains why he stopped playing piano. Lisa believed that when she left his life, some magic was lost and he was so heartbroken by her disappearance that he could no longer continue performing. Alas, he tells her that he simply found other passions to pursue.
Stephan is neither a villain nor a hero. He spends most of the film blissfully unaware that Lisa exists. He cannot be scrutinized for being a free spirited lady's man, which is simply his character. Lisa is her own downfall for having an impossible ideal of Stephan. She has him placed upon a pedestal and she also fails to open up to him. He asks her to reveal information about herself but she only cares to learn about him. This sort of fascination could never lead to a healthy relationship. Her obsession with him is both unhealthy and slightly alarming. For as much as I can relate to young Lisa's infatuation over Stephan, her inability to cope with the world around her and move on is too unrealistic. There are many outlandish elements of this film which point out the impossibility of it all, while reminding me to not be like Lisa. I say, take this film as an example of what not to be. Love is a give and take, a lesson that perhaps many of us can learn from Lisa's downfall.
Part of me wants to reject this entire story as a pathetic example of how women fall in love and waste a lifetime of longing for someone who doesn't deserve their attention, yet part of me can relate to Lisa's dilemma. Every woman has met that man who never notices her or gives her the attention she so desperately wants. When Lisa looks wistfully at Stephan, she is embodying every bit of desire that a lovesick girl has ever felt. He does give her attention during their nighttime adventure, but it seems that she realizes that she is one of many women who have received his attention. Stephan is a lady's man, who always knows the perfect thing to say to make a woman feel like the only girl in the entire world. His charm is powerful and Lisa is under his spell. She says in her letter, that she wanted to be the only woman who never asked him for anything, meaning that she both understands that there are other women, and reinforces (to herself, at least) that she is the right woman for him. When she goes to his apartment at the end of the film, she expects him to remember her and confess his love to her. This never happens. The realization comes when he explains why he stopped playing piano. Lisa believed that when she left his life, some magic was lost and he was so heartbroken by her disappearance that he could no longer continue performing. Alas, he tells her that he simply found other passions to pursue.
Stephan is neither a villain nor a hero. He spends most of the film blissfully unaware that Lisa exists. He cannot be scrutinized for being a free spirited lady's man, which is simply his character. Lisa is her own downfall for having an impossible ideal of Stephan. She has him placed upon a pedestal and she also fails to open up to him. He asks her to reveal information about herself but she only cares to learn about him. This sort of fascination could never lead to a healthy relationship. Her obsession with him is both unhealthy and slightly alarming. For as much as I can relate to young Lisa's infatuation over Stephan, her inability to cope with the world around her and move on is too unrealistic. There are many outlandish elements of this film which point out the impossibility of it all, while reminding me to not be like Lisa. I say, take this film as an example of what not to be. Love is a give and take, a lesson that perhaps many of us can learn from Lisa's downfall.