The 13th Letter

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bill t 07/17/2020 Good enough remake of the french thriller Le Corbeau, though Preminger doesn't really ADD anything to make this version stand out. He tweaks the story a bit, the doctor no longer performs abortions (which was no surprise) and there's other tweaks, but nothing much else you would notice. In terms of choice though, I'd go with the french original, just because it feels a bit more claustrophobic and you do get that small time vibe. See more 04/13/2018 Otto Preminger's remake of Henri-George Clouzot's Le Corbeau (1943) loses a lot of the bite and bitterness (and the abortion references) but still retains enough of its mystery to be interesting. A new young and handsome doctor (Michael Rennie) in a small town in Quebec begins to receive anonymous "poison pen" letters accusing him of having an affair with a senior doctor's young wife. The wife (Constance Smith) and the senior doctor (Charles Boyer, almost unrecognisable) also receive letters, as does most of the hospital staff and other people in the town. Some are ready to believe the doctor is guilty but soon suspicion falls on the wife's sister (Judith Evelyn), a nurse at the hospital. When a war hero patient commits suicide after receiving a letter, the nurse is arrested because she had had a recent conflict with the patient, as well as with her sister and the young doctor. But soon the letters continue... even as the young doctor falls for another patient (Linda Darnell). Filmed on location in Quebec, the film looks moody and provincial, with a bit of French spoken for good measure. Rennie is solid as the aloof young doctor who has secrets of his own. Still, I can't help recalling that Le Corbeau struck me harder - I'll have to rewatch it. See more 02/16/2012 Excellent pyscholigical drama See more 04/03/2011 Wow! Le remake du Corbeau par Otto Preminger et relocalise à St-Marc-Sur-Richelieu, "A small french community of the Province of Quebec" et precisement à L'Hopital de la Misericorde. A noter, les deux belles apparitions de Juliette Huot en voisine minable. :) See more 08/26/2008 Interesting if a bit reserved Canadian set drama. Linda Darnell gives a very fine performance as a woman with a secret. See more 01/27/2008 This film is a poor remake of Clouzot's Le Corbeau. But, it really does not work. There is no meat in this film, nothing for a cinephile to chew on. The main flaw of the movie is the story. It is a remarkably un-thrilling thriller. As always in Preminger everything can be explained by a form of psychopathology. I must say I do not share Preminger's passion for damaged brains, so I find that part of his films really tedious. It is rare to have such a common theme in a director's work (see Saint Joan, Angel Face, The Man With a Golden Arm, Bunny Lake is Missing). See more Read all reviews

The 13th Letter

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