(aka "A Letter to Four Wives" or "A Letter to Five Wives")
directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz
USA 1949
Joseph L. Mankiewicz directed and wrote the screenplay (based on John Klempner’s novel) for the 1949 feature A Letter To Three Wives and would receive Academy Awards® for both efforts. The film was also nominated for Best Picture. As three women head off on a boating trip with a group of children, they receive a letter written by a woman claiming to have stolen one of their husbands. Which one? The letter doesn’t say. Faced with the prospect of a shattered life, each woman soul searches throughout the day: Deborah Bishop (Jeanne Crain) feels inadequate amidst her husband’s (Jeffrey Lynn) country club set. Everyone sees Lora Mae Hollingsway (Linda Darnell) as a gold digger, including her husband (Paul Douglas). And Rita Phipps (Ann Sothern) has a career that makes her husband (Kirk Douglas) feel neglected to the point of infidelity. All three endure the anguish of uncertainty until the boat trip ends—and the truth is revealed.
Posters
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Theatrical Release: January 20th, 1949 - USA
Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews
DVD Comparison:
20th Century Fox (Studio Classics) - Region 1 - NTSC vs. Optimum Classics - Region 2 - PAL
Big thanks to Gary Tooze and Henrik Sylow for the Screen Caps!
(20th Century Fox (Studio Classics) - Region 1 - NTSC - LEFT vs. Optimum Classics - Region 2 - PAL - RIGHT)
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| Distribution |
20th Century Fox Region 1 - NTSC |
Optimum Classics Region 2 - PAL |
| Runtime | 1:43:00 | 1:38:53 (4% PAL speedup) |
| Video |
1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio |
1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio |
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NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes. |
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Bitrate:
20th Century Fox (Studio Classics)
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Bitrate:
Optimum Classics
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| Audio | 2.0 Dolby Digital English Mono, 2.0 Dolby Digital English Stereo |
2.0 Dolby Digital English Mono |
| Subtitles | English, Spanish, None | None |
| Features |
Release Information: Studio: 20th Century Fox Aspect Ratio:
Edition Details: Chapters 18 |
Release Information: Studio: Optimum Classics Aspect Ratio:
Edition Details:
DVD
Release Date: April 4th, 2005 Chapters 16 |
| Comments |
Another amazing transfer by Optimum. The image is sharper in detail
than R1, but displays a more uneven distribution of pixels, which is
visible around the letters in image #2 and the shades of grey. However
these minor flaws are only visible in still frames. Nothing is
detectable during the run of the film. The 26% lower bitrate is due to Optimum being a DVD-5 and Fox a DVD-9. Henrik Sylow |
DVD
Menus
(20th Century Fox (Studio Classics) -
Region 1 - NTSC - LEFT vs. Optimum Classics - Region 2 - PAL - RIGHT)
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Screen Captures
(20th
Century Fox (Studio Classics) - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP vs. Optimum Classics
- Region 2 - PAL - BOTTOM)
subtitle sample (English only)
PAL captures resized to 720px from 768px native resolution
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(20th Century Fox (Studio Classics) - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP vs. Optimum Classics - Region 2 - PAL - BOTTOM)
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(20th Century Fox (Studio Classics) - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP vs. Optimum Classics - Region 2 - PAL - BOTTOM)
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(20th Century Fox (Studio Classics) - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP vs. Optimum Classics - Region 2 - PAL - BOTTOM)
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(20th Century Fox (Studio Classics) - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP vs. Optimum Classics - Region 2 - PAL - BOTTOM)
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(20th Century Fox (Studio Classics) - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP vs. Optimum Classics - Region 2 - PAL - BOTTOM)
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(20th Century Fox (Studio
Classics) - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP vs. Optimum Classics -
Region 2 - PAL - BOTTOM)
note the
difference in pixelation in the shades of grey in the sky
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Report Card:
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Gary Tooze 1775 Rowntree Court Mississauga, Ontario, L4W 4V3 CANADA |
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