The 13th Letter

1st watched 5/30/2000 - (Dir-Otto Preminger): Well-done whodunit which revolves around a series of letters written supposedly to defame a local doctor in a Canadian town, but ends up becoming more fatal.It keeps you guessing until the end which is pretty much the measuring stick for this kind of movie.

Nestled in the noir cycle is a trio of movies set in the Canadian province of Québec. Ozep's Whispering City and Hitchcock's I Confess make up the first two, followed by Otto Preminger's The 13th Letter. His strategy in setting it there was probably to preserve the Gallic ambience of the original, Clouzot's Le Corbeau (though that version is accounted more mordant and misanthropic).

Michael Rennie left a prosperous medical practice in London to set up residence in Canada after his unfaithful wife left him and later killed herself. He catches many an eye, as there are few marriageable men in the rural village, though Rennie keeps to himself and dotes on his collection of antique timepieces. But suddenly poison pen letters begin to circulate. At first they hint that Rennie is involved with the wife (Constance Smith) of a prominent doctor at the same hospital (Charles Boyer). Soon the letters take a more malicious turn, causing a young war hero to slit his throat by lying about Rennie's withholding a diagnosis of hopeless cancer. The police investigate, and the campaign of libel becomes a political cause celebre.

Rennie, meanwhile, slowly succumbs to the charms of Linda Darnell, who feigns ailments to coax him up to her rooms; beautiful but lonely, she's acutely sensitive when Rennie discovers the club foot she takes pains to conceal. She, too, falls under suspicion, along with many others as the letters continue to come....

Preminger handles the story with slow, modulated suspense, never resorting to shock tactics; his cast uniformly delivers restrained, effective performances (Rennie has never been so good). Distant thunder crackles constantly under the lowering skies, well shot by Joseph LaShelle, adding to the claustrophobic feel of provincial insularity. Yet this superior suspense film languishes in obscurity despite being one of the often dismissed Preminger's better works in the cycle, along with Fallen Angel, Where The Sidewalk Ends, Angel Face and – of course – Laura.

The film stars out as an interesting mystery with an atypical premise. Then it deflates and gives you a disappointing ending.

Boyer is the only Quebecianite who has a French accent and as usual, he really pours it on.

A series of poison pen letters roils a small Canadian town.

Boyer and Darnell get top billing, but Rennie gets the screen time and uses it to memorable effect. His aloof Dr. Pearson is a fascinating portrait in guarded emotions. There's one scene where his steely reserve is topped. Catch the old lady, mother of the dead lad, as she brandishes a nasty looking razor while Pearson looks on, hoping it's not meant for him. It's deliciously played.

The movie's a good noirish mystery, benefiting from the Quebec locations, especially during the impressive funeral scene. This was during TCF's neo-realist period when actual locations were widely used. Then too, the French setting lends a kind of exotic air that boosts the unusual poison pen premise.

At first Darnell's role looks like one of her sexually aggressive type-casts, but then the screenplay does an effective job at winning our sympathy. At the same time, I'm impressed with the strikingly pretty Constance Smith holding up so well during director Preminger's extended hospital scene. There's not much info about her or her brief career. Too bad, she certainly had the chops—literally and figuratively—for a starring career. Took me awhile to identify Boyer as the aging doctor and a long way from his usual dashing leading man (sans toupee). After reading his bio, I expect he enjoyed this departure.

Anyway, the solution is rather complex and something of a stretch, for me at least. Nonetheless, the cast and the production carry it off, making for a very watchable 90- minutes.

I thought "The 13th Letter" was a pleasant surprise, a good mystery that keeps you guessing until the end of the picture. In hindsight, it seems a good idea to place the film in Quebec - it seemed a little quirky when the film began but you gradually get used to it. Acting was good all around, especially the two old pros, Michael Rennie and Charles Boyer. Director Preminger uses all cast members as suspects and sprinkles suspicion around liberally - so much so that you can't pinpoint the culprit until late in the movie.

As noted in the site's summary, someone is writing poison pen letters to the new doctor in town (Rennie), and copying in various and sundry townspeople. The letters accuse the doctor of an affair with the wife of the head of the local hospital (Boyer). This is a well done mystery which I can't recall as being on TV. I think it would be well-received if it were dusted off by FMC - it was produced by 20th Century Fox and must be in their vaults somewhere.