Letter from an Unknown Woman Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.5

Letter from an Unknown Woman Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov May 10, 2014

Max Ophuls' "Letter from an Unknown Woman" a.k.a. "Lettre d'une inconnue" (1948) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of French label Carlotta Films. The supplemental features on the disc include a new featurette produced by Allerton Films; archival featurette; and collection of stills from the film. In English, with optional French subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

He's gone

The story is simple yet profoundly moving. In Vienna, Stefan Brand (Louis Jourdan, Gigi, The V.I.P.s), a handsome pianist, receives a long letter from a woman who never stopped loving him. He knew her as a girl, spent time with her as a young woman, and then met her again when she was already married to another man. But each time he forgot about her.

During the years Stefan never realized that it was always Lisa (Joan Fontaine, Rebecca, The Women) that he kept coming back to because he was too busy rehearsing, traveling, and meeting people who admired his talent. Each time Lisa entered his life he experienced true happiness and felt alive, but he always went back to his music. Lisa loved him too much to demand that he stays with her. She was patient and respectful, happy to simply be close to the man she loved.

In the letter Lisa describes how difficult life was for her when Stefan was not around. As a girl she had to follow her parents when they moved from one place to another. As a young woman she could spend time with Stefan, but he never had enough time for her. As a married woman she had to be careful not to let her husband discover that her heart belonged to another man. There were times when Lisa was frustrated and tried to forget Stefan, but she could not stop loving him.

They had a son together, but Lisa never told Stefan that he had become a father. She loved him so much that she did not want to jeopardize his career by telling him that she had his son. Was she right to stay out of his life? She loved him and at the time what she did felt right. She hoped that one day, when Stefan had accomplished his goals, he would return to her. She was young and too naïve, convinced that the best was yet to come.

Then, one day Lisa finally realized that she would never have the life she was waiting for -- they met again and Stefan did not recognize her. Now she is dying, but she isn’t blaming Stefan for anything. The letter he is reading is her final confession -- the best moments of her life were the moments she shared with him, the only man she ever loved.

Based on the story by Stefan Zweig and a script by the great Howard Koch (Casablanca), Max Ophuls’ Letter from an Unknown Woman is one of the most moving romantic films ever directed.

The film is broken into three rather large episodes, each chronicling an important period of the beautiful heroine’s tragic life. Different flashbacks also highlight events that would effectively redirect her life -- for example, her initial encounter with the young officer, and later on her decision to send her son away.

The handsome pianist appears in all three episodes, but his feelings and emotions are largely ignored. Ophuls and his camera are far more interested in old Vienna. Indeed, the film is shot in a way that makes it look like the entire city is suffering with Lisa -- at times Vienna looks alive and energized, other times it seems sad and lonely. (See the short sequence at the end where Lisa slowly walks by the beautiful fountain).

The sets and decors are exquisite, while the period dresses and uniforms are amongst the most elegant seen in an Ophuls film. The lighting, a key component of the film’s visual design, is also remarkably well managed. Indeed, there are entire sequences where the mood of the film is actually altered by the unique lighting, not the words the main protagonists utter.

Fontaine is equally impressive as a girl, young woman, and a mother who has to take care of her son. Jourdan’s character isn’t easy to like, but his performance is impossible not to admire. At the end of the film, where the two meet at the opera house, the two look indescribably beautiful.

Letter from an Unknown Woman was lensed by the great Austrian cinematographer Franz Planer (Mark Robson’s Champion, William Wyler’s Roman Holiday).

Letter from an Unknown Woman Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.34:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Max Ophuls' Letter from an Unknown Woman arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of French label Carlotta Films.

The high-definition transfer is not identical to the one Olive Films used for their release of this beautiful film in the United States. This being said, detail and clarity are fairly similar, while during close-ups and larger panoramic shots fluidity is equally pleasing. There are no major discrepancies in terms of color saturation -- the balance between the blacks and whites is virtually identical and the same range of nuanced grays is present. The encoding on the Carlotta release, however, is superior. This becomes quite obvious if one projects the two releases and compares identical close-ups as grain is indeed better resolved on the Carlotta release. However, on both releases there are also minor grain fluctuations which are clearly inherited. Additionally, on the Carlotta release I spotted traces of extremely light sharpening, though my guess is that the overwhelming majority of viewers will miss it. Finally, it is obvious that large debris, scratches cuts, blemishes, and stains have been carefully removed. (On the Olive Films release tiny flecks occasionally pop up). To sum it all up, Carlotta's technical presentation of Max Ophuls' film is clearly superior, but I think that the people who will notice the improvements will be primarily those who view their films on large screens, or better yet, project them. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

Letter from an Unknown Woman Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0. For the record, Carlotta Films have provided optional English subtitles for the main feature. (They can be turned off via the remote control).

The sound has a limited range of nuanced dynamics, but this should not be surprising considering the age of the film and its original sound design. Daniele Amfitheatrof's score occasionally makes its presence felt, but dynamic intensity and depth are very modest. The dialog is stable, well balanced -- there are no sudden spikes or drops in dynamic activity -- and easy to follow. Also, there is no distracting background hiss.

Letter from an Unknown Woman Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Memoires d'un producteur - new featurette focusing on the production history of Max Ophuls' Letter from an Unknown Woman produced by Allerton Film. In French, not subtitled. (16 min).

• Triomphe de la Passion - this featurette focuses on the life and legacy of director Max Ophuls and his masterpiece Letter from an Unknown Woman. In English, with optional French subtitles. (24 min).

• Galerie photos - a collection of stills from Letter from an Unknown Woman and the shooting of the film. With music. (4 min).

Letter from an Unknown Woman Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I think that this new Blu-ray release of Max Ophuls' legendary film Letter from an Unknown Woman from French label Carlotta Films is better than the one Olive Films produced for the U.S. market. It uses a completely different, technically superior transfer and also comes with some good supplemental features (though only one of them is English-friendly). If you don't yet have Letter from an Unknown Woman in your collections, you should consider Carlotta Films' release. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.