Letter from an Unknown Woman is a 1948 film directed by Max Ophüls. It was based on the novella of the same name. The novella was written by a famous Austrian-Jewish writer Stefan Zweig. The film stars Joan Fontaine, Louis Jourdan, Mady Christians and Marcel Journet.
In 1992, Letter from an Unknown Woman was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[citation needed]
Plot Summary
The film is set mainly in Vienna in the early 1900s. Pianist Stefan (Louis Jourdan) arrives home a few hours before he is due to fight with a champion duellist, a challenge he has every intention of evading by leaving the city. Before leaving, he reads a letter received that night that begins with "by the time you read this I may be dead."
The film then switches to the letter-writer, Lisa's (Joan Fontaine) point of view as it goes back in time to her as a teenage girl living in a Vienna apartment complex. She is fascinated by a new tenant, prodigious musician Stefan, and his variety of fabulous instruments, including a harp and a piano. Stefan is a concert pianist making a name for himself through his energetic performances, and Lisa becomes obsessed with him, staying up late to listen to him playing the piano, sneaking into his apartment and generally admiring his very good looks from a distance. Despite this, they only interact once and Stefan takes little notice of her.
One day, Lisa's mother (Mady Christians) announces her marriage to a wealthy and respectable gentlemen. He lives in Linz and tells Lisa that they will all move there. Lisa is incredibly saddened that she will have to leave and initially resists. She is eventually dragged along, but runs away from the railway station back to the apartment block. She is let in by the porter and knocks on Stefan's door. When no one answers she waits outside for him to return. He eventually returns early in the morning with a woman. Lisa observes from a distance and is distraught, and realizing the situation, she joins her mother and new step-father in Linz.
In Linz she is transformed into a respectable woman and courted by military officer Johann (Marcel Journet). Johann eventually proposes to Lisa, but she turns him down, saying that she is in love with someone else living in Vienna and is even engaged to be married with him. Johann is confused and heartbroken, but accepts her situation. Lisa's mother and step-father (who had been trying to set up the marriage) demand to know why she didn't accept the proposal. "I told him the truth," replies Lisa.
Many years later, Lisa is estranged from her parents, and works in Vienna as a low level modeler of clothes. She tells us that she waits outside Stefan's window every night, hoping to be noticed. One night she goes there and Stefan happens to see her. He doesn't recognize her of course, but still finds himself strangely drawn to her and takes her on several dates. Throughout that time, Stefan complains that she knows so much about him, but he knows so little about her. Nevertheless, he shows a genuine love for her, and Lisa's obsession remains as strong as ever.
One day, Stefan has to leave for a concert in Milan. Lisa waves him off at the station and says she will be here to welcome him back in two weeks. However, Lisa is also pregnant and gives birth later. For her own strange reasons ("I wanted to be the one woman never to ask you for anything"), she keeps the child a secret and never goes back to Stefan.
Around ten years later, Lisa is married to Johann ("despite him knowing the situation between us") and has named her son Stefan. While out at the opera, she spies Stefan, now no longer a top-billed musician who is burned out and rarely plays anymore. Feeling uneasy, she departs during the performance only to be met by Stefan while waiting for her carriage. Stefan does not remember her but once again is oddly drawn to her. Lisa is still uncomfortable with this, not wanting to anger her husband, and when her carriage arrives, she is met by a clearly vexed Johann.
A few nights later and against her husband's wishes, Lisa travels to Stefan's apartment. She knocks on his door and is greeted by the mute servant. He beckons her in and goes to fetch Stefan. Stefan arrives and is delighted to see her. However, despite a seemingly illuminating conversation about Stefan's past life and his motivations for giving up music, Stefan still does not recognize who Lisa really is. Distraught, Lisa leaves. On her way out she meets the servant and the two exchange a long glance.
As her letter ends, Lisa is in a hospital. Their son has died of typhus and she too is gravely ill. Her letter appears to trail off mid sentence, and a card from the hospital explains that Lisa has died and that, as she called out your name right before, this letter was probably meant for you. In shock, Stefan imagines back to the three times in his life that he met, but failed to recognize, Lisa. "Did you remember her?" he asks his servant. The servant nods and writes down her full name, Lisa Berndle, on a piece of paper.
Stefan departs still in shock. As he leaves his building, he sees the ghostly image of a teenage Lisa open the door for him, the same way she once did when he first noticed her all those years ago. Outside, a carriage awaits him alongside that of his opponent, revealed to be Lisa's husband, Johann. The implication is that Stefan has taken responsibility for Lisa at the end of the film and will defend his honor.
External links
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Films directed by Max Ophüls |
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| 1930s |
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| 1940s |
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| 1950s |
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| Short films |
Dann Schon Lieber Lebertran · Ave Maria · Valse Brillante de Chopin
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| Other |
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