While Letty Lynton is credited with being based on Marie Adelaide Belloc Lowndes’ 1931 novel of the same name about Madeleine Smith, who was charged with killing her lover in Scotland in 1857, the courts found the screenplay was based too much on Edward Sheldon and Margaret Ayer Barnes’ 1930 play Dishonored Lady. After finally working their way to the Supreme Court in 1940, the playwrights were awarded one fifth of the profits. It’s unclear why beyond spite that MGM wouldn’t want to earn 80% of the profits it could generate, so the film instead remained unavailable. With the copyright of the play ending last year and the copyright for the film ending next year, Letty Lynton has been given a new life with a 4K restoration.
Buy Letty Lynton from Movie ZyngLetty Lynton (Joan Crawford in a strong performance where she gets to express a variety of emotions) has been having a three-month love affair with Emile (Nils Asther). Unfortunately, he has turned possessive and now she wants to leave him behind in Uruguay. She and her maid Miranda (Louise Closser Hale) sneak off on a ship to New York. Rooming across the way is Jerry Darrow (Robert Montgomery). The attraction is instant, and after the weeks-long trip, they are engaged.
However, Emile is waiting for her in New York. Having read about her engagement in the papers, he is angry and claims he will show Jerry the salacious love letters she wrote him. Letty agrees to meet Emile at his hotel. Sad that happiness will elude her, she plans on committing suicide rather than continue being with Emile, but fate steps in.
Feeling free, she goes with Jerry to meet her future in-laws. The happiness is short lived as a police detective shows up, requiring Letty accompany him to the New York District Attorney’s office, as she is suspected of murdering Emile. There is circumstantial evidence, but does he have enough for a case against her?
Taken from a 4K scan of the best elements due to the loss of the original negative, the video has been given a 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 encoded transfer displayed at the aspect ratio of 1.37:1. The blacks are dark and whites are accurate. The focus isn’t always sharp. Sometimes a choice made for a closeup. Other times due to image degradation. Film grain fluctuates, which when it increases can affect the sharpness. Some of the closeups also suffer from looking overexposed. The high definition draws attention to the obvious rear projection. Audio is available in DTS-HDMA 2.0 with a hiss that is more noticeable the less sounds are on the track. Dialogue is clear. Music and effects are minimal.
The Special Features:
- Irving Thalberg: Prince of Hollywood (SD, 74 min): Robert Trachtenberg’s documentary about the famed producer/studio head.
- Radio Shows (audio only): Five programs featuring Crawford. Two variety shows, Good News of 1938 (52 min) and Good News of 1939 (57 min), and three dramas, Lux Radio Theater‘s “A Doll’s House” with Basil Rathbone (60 min), The Silver Theatre‘s “Train Ride” (30 min), and Gulf Screen Guild Theater’s “None Shall Part Us” with Lew Ayres and Ronald Colman (31 min).
Now available from the Warner Archive Collection, Letty Lynton is pre-Code melodrama that blends romance and crime. There’s not much depth to the characters. For example, Emile is bad and Jerry is good. In fact, the first time Jerry is shown he’s in an all-white suit to further suggest he’s the good guy, like the hat of the hero in a western. Yet while the characters are superficial, the plot has a number of good twists, including the climatic scene with the D.A. as people take risks coming to Letty’s aid. The Blu-ray delivers a good high-definition presentation considering the elements available. The extras are interesting, but they really missed an opportunity not having one about the film’s notable history and legal issues.
