Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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43 of 43 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A heart-breaking tale of true love that goes unrecognised., 29 Sep 2001
By A Customer
This film has got to be one of the most hauntingly beautiful films ever made. Starting with the line 'By the time you read this Letter I'll be dead', it relates the tale of a young woman (Joan Fontaine)'s love for a brooding pianist (Louis Jordan). This heart-breaking tale spans several decades from the time of their first meeting while she is still a child, to the night they spend together, and finally to the time of this letter's arrival. Joan Fontaine is stunning as the teenager who grows to maturity, always loving the man whose music used to delight her as she sat beneath his window, pretending he was playing only for her; while Louis Jordan is superb as the initially brilliant, temperamental pianist who becomes jaded and despised, apparently the victim of his own talent. The brief time they are together creates a warmth that pervades the whole film: one gets the sense that these people are truly meant to be together, and yet, even then, one knows that it will be her reticence and his fecklessness that are their downfall. She is the woman who could save him from himself, but is unable to speak of how she really feels, and he senses that there is more to her than to those women to whom he is generally drawn, but never values her sufficiently to find out the love of which she is really capable. The delight of the time they are together contrasts sharply with the pain of their separations: she acknowledges and knows the cause of this pain, while his life simply becomes increasingly problematic, his behaviour more erratic, while he searches for the meaning he can only find in her love. It is only through this letter that he realises what he could have had, and that it is too late to attain happiness. However, it is as a result of this letter that he is able to recognise who she was, and, to some extent, to requite her love.
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22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Obsessive passion, superficial lust...., 23 Nov 2006
This is visually a beautiful film. Lisa fascination with the rather shallow pianist, Stefan (who assumes a vampire like persona), is the theme of this film. You may ask youself why a woman would devote her life to such a vagabond, quite possibly she is not completely sane; however, the narrative assumes her point of view and the true nature of passion is revealed (that really there is no space or time for logical thought). Equally, Stefan, immensely talented, is unable to engage with anyone long enough to have a deep relationship; thus eventually his life becomes as impoverished as his musical career. Yet, Lisa ulimately offers him a chance for redemption. The pain and thrill of unrequited love is handled sensitively by Orphuls (now definately one of my cinematic heros).
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13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Nostalgia, Romance at its absolute best - a sheer beauty, 4 Jun 2007
My dad bought me this years ago for Christmas, we had a sort of estranged relationship although deep down, as they say blood is thicker than water..my father too was a pianist, a sensitive, romantic man who lived a life, unjust for his heart. This film means a lot to me as it holds close to my heart and his memory. Even so, if you a romantic at heart, this film will touch you to the bone. Its absolutley beautiful and painful at the same time,..as is romance, as is life.
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