At the turn of the 20th century, "Brand" (Louis Jourdan) is sitting in Vienna contemplating not only a duel the next morning - which he has no intention of attending - but also a letter he has recently received from "Lisa" (Joan Fontaine) explaining her infatuation with him when she was his young neighbour and he an aspiring pianist. He has little memory of her, but soon realises that they had a brief affair and he abandoned her. The remainder of their story is told by way of flashbacks, as they both relive the highs and lows of their time together, and is rather effectively narrated by Fontaine as we go. Both are are on good form here. Jourdan offers us a well considered exposé on a true cad, with Fontaine superb as the adulating woman that he barely remembers when they meet years later, and who illicits quite a degree of sympathy from the audience for her (admittedly rather foolish) loyalty to this rake of a man. The musical scores is great, too - Daniele Amfitheatrof's original score peppered with excerpts from Mozart, Strauss et al all raise this film out of sentimentality and into a really effective and compelling story of unrequited love.
Review of Letter from an Unknown Woman
