Crime,Drama,Romance
United States of America
The Letter is a 1940 film noir directed by William Wyler and starring Bette Davis as Leslie Crosbie, the wife of a rubber plantation owner in Malaya. One night, Leslie shoots and kills a man named Geoff Hammond in self-defense, claiming that he tried to assault her.
However, when a letter that Leslie wrote to Hammond before his death comes to light, it casts doubt on her story. The letter reveals that Leslie had been having an affair with Hammond and was angry with him for not leaving his wife to be with her.
As Leslie's story begins to crumble under the weight of the evidence against her, her husband's lawyer, Howard Joyce (played by James Stephenson), works tirelessly to defend her in court. However, the case takes a shocking turn when Leslie's maid reveals that she saw Leslie slip out of the house on the night of the murder - a fact that Leslie had not previously disclosed.
In the end, Leslie is found guilty of murder and sentenced to hang. While awaiting her execution, Leslie finally confesses to the affair with Hammond and begs her husband for forgiveness. The film ends with Leslie being led to the gallows, her fate sealed by her own damning letter.
