The 13th Letter

1951 film by Otto Preminger

This article is about a movie. For the 13th letter of the English alphabet, see M.

The 13th Letter

Theatrical release poster

Directed by| Otto Preminger
Screenplay by| Howard Koch
Based on| Le Corbeau
by Louis Chavance
Produced by| Otto Preminger
Starring| Linda Darnell
Charles Boyer
Michael Rennie
Constance Smith
Cinematography| Joseph LaShelle
Edited by| Louis R. Loeffler
Music by| Alex North

Production
company

20th Century Fox

Distributed by| 20th Century Fox

Release dates

* January 19, 1951 (1951-01-19) (United States)
* February 19, 1951 (1951-02-19) (New York City)
* February 19, 1951 (1951-02-19) (Los Angeles)

Running time

| 85 minutes
Country| United States
Language| English
Budget| $1,075,000

The 13th Letter is a 1951 American film noir mystery film directed by Otto Preminger and starring Linda Darnell, Charles Boyer, Michael Rennie, and Constance Smith.[1][2] The film is a remake of the French film Le Corbeau (The Raven, 1943) directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot.

## Plot

[edit]

Doctor Pearson (Michael Rennie), who works at a hospital in Quebec, Canada, receives a series of poison pen letters. More letters, all signed with the mysterious picture of a feather, are delivered to others in the small Canadian town. Cora Laurent (Constance Smith), the wife of the main doctor - Dr. Laurent (Charles Boyer) - at the hospital, receives a letter accusing her of having an affair with Pearson. Another letter informs a shell-shocked veteran Mr. Gauthier that he is dying of cancer, causing the distraught man to commit suicide. Quickly, the townsfolk begin pointing fingers at all possible suspects.

## Cast

[edit]

* Linda Darnell as Denise Tourneur
* Charles Boyer as Dr. Laurent
* Michael Rennie as Dr. Pearson
* Constance Smith as Cora Laurent
* Françoise Rosay as Mrs. Gauthier
* Judith Evelyn as Sister Marie Corbin
* Guy Sorel as Robert Helier
* June Hedin as Rochelle Turner

## Reception

[edit]

Channel 4's review of the film praised the cinematography and music score: "The movie is redolent with atmosphere: Joseph LaShelle's photography accentuates the black and shadows, and there's dark shading too in Alex North's music. The film is dominated by death and melancholy, and by Françoise Rosay as the matriarch responsible for the trouble."[3]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "The 13th Letter". FilmAffinity. filmaffinity.com. Retrieved 24 December 2015.
2. ^ "The 13th Letter". AFI. afi.com. Retrieved 24 December 2015.
3. ^ Channel 4, film review.

## External links

[edit]

* The 13th Letter at IMDb
* The 13th Letter at the TCM Movie Database

* v
* t
* e

Films directed by Otto Preminger

* Die große Liebe (1931)
* Under Your Spell (1936)
* Danger – Love at Work (1937)
* Kidnapped (1938)
* Margin for Error (1943)
* In the Meantime, Darling (1944)
* Laura (1944)
* A Royal Scandal (1945)
* Fallen Angel (1945)
* Centennial Summer (1946)
* Forever Amber (1947)
* Daisy Kenyon (1947)
* That Lady in Ermine (1948) (uncredited)
* The Fan (1949)
* Whirlpool (1950)
* Where the Sidewalk Ends (1950)
* The 13th Letter (1951)
* Angel Face (1953)
* The Moon Is Blue (1953) / Die Jungfrau auf dem Dach (1953)
* River of No Return (1954)
* Carmen Jones (1954)
* The Man with the Golden Arm (1955)
* The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell (1955)
* Saint Joan (1957)
* Bonjour Tristesse (1958)
* Porgy and Bess (1959)
* Anatomy of a Murder (1959)
* Exodus (1960)
* Advise & Consent (1962)
* The Cardinal (1963)
* In Harm's Way (1965)
* Bunny Lake Is Missing (1965)
* Hurry Sundown (1967)
* Skidoo (1968)
* Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon (1970)
* Such Good Friends (1971)
* Rosebud (1975)
* The Human Factor (1979)

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