Letter From an Unknown Woman

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Letter From an Unknown Woman

1948

1h 30m

Romance

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Popcornmeter

100%

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25 Reviews

85%

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2,500+ Ratings

In early 20th-century Vienna, Stefan Brand (Louis Jourdan) is about to leave the city because he faces a duel that he wants no part of. However, before he can do so, he gets an anonymous love letter that changes his life. Though Stefan is moved by what he reads, he doesn't realize that it was written by Lisa Berndle (Joan Fontaine), a young woman he has known but disregarded for most of his life. When he finally figures out who his admirer is, it may be too late to prevent a tragedy.

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Critics Consensus

Golden Age Hollywood romance doesn't get much better than Letter From an Unknown Woman, a powerful tale of doomed love.

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Anthony Quinn

Independent (UK)

A weepie like they don't make them like anymore.

Rated: 5/5

Feb 16, 2010

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David Parkinson

Empire Magazine

Does the job of the perfect melodrama and moves the audience to tears.

Rated: 4/5

Sep 23, 2006

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Time Out

Of all the cinema's fables of doomed love, none is more piercing than this.

Jun 24, 2006

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Dennis Harvey

48 Hills

The trifling romantic-melodrama story nonetheless provided an ideal vehicle for the sumptuous mobile-camera style of Max Ophuls...

Feb 2, 2024

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David Walsh

World Socialist Web Site

[Ophuls] is renowned for his restless, mobile camera. ... As an active, "oppositional" element, mobility is associated, among other things, with Ophuls's attitude toward Viennese (and German) society ...

May 12, 2021

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Nicholas Bell

IONCINEMA.com

For once, Fontaine's anguish seems justified, ensconced in Ophüls' signature tracking shots.

Rated: 4/5

Aug 27, 2020

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Steffi L

It starts out as an apparently conventional love story but is actually far more nuanced and avoids cliché. Both leads are superb.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/11/25

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Eileen H

Beautifully filmed and delightfully atmospheric, the sets, music and costumes transport one to the sumptuous romance of 1900 Vienna. For lovers of the finest storytelling, this movie is a treat not to be missed. The story moves at it's own pace as the pianist Stefan reads a letter from his great love, whom he has just discovered, but too late. If one believes in an afterlife, then this movie presents an opportunity to consider that fate may be merciful in reuniting us with those we have loved and lost. The stunning ending brings us to a complete circle, with a revelation about how living a purely self-centered life can cause us to miss the most precious gifts that existence may offer.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/30/25

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Cao N

Trash movie, highly overated. Too much talking

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

09/05/24

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Leaburn O

Upon quick reflection it will be obvious that she should have tried a bit harder to make this relationship work. Instead we get a load of melodramatic nonsense and bittersweet sentimentality. Watched this one on BBC iPlayer.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

10/09/23

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Thomas V

Another well executed, very mannered Ophuls opus, but I didn't like this one because the love story just isn't credible, in my opinion. This hasn't aged well, but it's worth seeing for the execution of it.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/03/23

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Audience Member

I watched it but wished I hadn't. Terrible movie don't waste an hour and a half on it.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

01/14/23

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Max Ophuls

Director

Joan Fontaine

Lisa Berndl

Louis Jourdan

Stefan Brand

Mady Christians

Mrs. Berndl

Marcel Journet

Johann Stauffer

Art Smith

John

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Synopsis

In early 20th-century Vienna, Stefan Brand (Louis Jourdan) is about to leave the city because he faces a duel that he wants no part of. However, before he can do so, he gets an anonymous love letter that changes his life. Though Stefan is moved by what he reads, he doesn't realize that it was written by Lisa Berndle (Joan Fontaine), a young woman he has known but disregarded for most of his life. When he finally figures out who his admirer is, it may be too late to prevent a tragedy.

Director: Max Ophuls
Producer: John Houseman
Screenwriter: Stefan Zweig, Howard Koch
Distributor: Criterion Collection
Production Co: Universal International Pictures
Genre: Romance
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 13, 1948, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 10, 2017
Runtime: 1h 30m

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