Joseph L. Mankiewicz " A Letter to Three Wives " Fox

(aka "A Letter to Five Wives" or "A Letter to Four 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

Theatrical Release: January 20th, 1949 - USA

Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews

DVD Review: 20th Century Fox (Studio Classics label) - Region 1 - NTSC

DVD Box Cover		CLICK to order from:
Distribution	20th Century Fox Home Entertainment - Region 1- NTSC
Runtime	1:43:00
Video	1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 7.35 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate:
Audio	English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo), English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)
Subtitles	English, Spanish, None
Features	Release Information: Studio: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment Aspect Ratio: Original aspect Ratio 1.33:1 Edition Details: • Commentary by Mankiewicz biographer Kenneth Geist • Biography: Linda Darnell - Hollywood's Fallen Angel • Fox Movietone News • Oscars presented for Achievements in Motion Pictures • Restoration Comparison • Theatrical Trailer DVD Release Date: February 22nd, 2005 Keep Case Chapters: 18

Comments:

This image is a shade soft, but is filled with film grain and has muted grays and fine shadow detail. I saw a bit of brightness flickering in the opening 10 minutes. I dislike the yellow subtitles. Overall this is another exceptional DVD package from Fox - with commentary and a decent inclusion of extra features. Original mono audio is offered as well as a stereo bump. Damn good job Fox ! out of