The Love Letter (1998) (TV)

Regisseur:

Dan Curtis

Drehbuchautoren (WGA):

Jack Finney (short story)
James S. Henerson (television story)

Premierendatum:

1. Februar 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Fantasy | Romanze

Werbezeile:

A love story that touches two lives....a century apart.

Plot:

Scotty Corrigan buys an antique desk and finds a Civil War-era letter inside it, written by a woman who died over a hundred years ago...

Plot Keywords:

Desk | Love | Civil War | Time Travel | Letter

Filmpreise:

1 win

Nutzerkommentare:

Oh, this was just so beautiful

Besetzung

Campbell Scott	...	Scott Corrigan
Jennifer Jason Leigh	...	Elizabeth Whitcomb
David Dukes	...	Everett Reagle
Estelle Parsons	...	Beatrice Corrigan
Daphne Ashbrook	...	Debra Zabriskie
Myra Carter	...	Clarice Whitcomb
Gerrit Graham	...	Warren Whitcomb
Irma P. Hall	...	Mae Mullen
Richard Woods	...	Jacob Campbell
Kali Rocha	...	Flossy Whitcomb
Laurie Kennedy	...	Lavinia Whitcomb
Edgar Smith	...	Potts the Postman
Cara Stoner	...	Maggie the Maid
George Gaffney	...	Bike Rider
Tom Riis Farrell	...	Scott's Boss

Alternativ:

Liebesbrief, Der (Deutschland) [de]

Länge:

99 Min

Produktionsland:

USA

Sprache:

Englisch

Farbe:

Farbe

Seitenverhältnis:

1.33 : 1

Tonverfahren:

Stereo

Altersfreigabe:

USA:Unrated

Drehorte:

Petersburg, Virginia, USA

Firma:

Hallmark Entertainment

Dies und das:

Based on a short story of the same name by Jack Finney. The story was first published in "The Saturday Evening Post" on August 1, 1959, and reprinted in the same magazine on January/February 1988.

Pannen:

Anachronismus: A contemporary "Chessie System" diesel locomotive can be seen in the background of one flashback scene at the railroad station.

Bezüge zu anderen Titeln:

Verweist auf/spielt an auf/erwähnt Gone with the Wind (1939)

Oh, this was just so beautiful

It really says something when a TV station like the Hallmark station can fund a better, more emotional and memorable film than 99% of the tripe that passes for entertainment today in the movie theaters. This little movie has real heart and class. Please seek it out and watch it.

I loved the picture. Filmed on location in Virginia (not Massachusetts where it is supposed to take place), and even showcasing a wonderful re-enactment of the battle of Gettysburg, and a charming, believable cast, it just captivates you immediately and you are drawn into its time travel plot device without any problem. It's probably most similar to "Somewhere In Time" that way, which was also lovely to look at, and boasted those period locations and authentic dress.

Campbell Scott was superb as Scotty, who buys an antique desk complete with old love letters addressed to a "mystery man" from the 1860's. Jennifer Jason Leigh was lovely as Elizabeth Whitcomb, and you feel for her character all the way. When she stops on the stairs and reaches out for Scotty (more than 100 years away from her in distance in the future), I cried. It was so bittersweet.

Estelle Parsons was great as Scotty's mom, always nice to see her. She's such a natural actress. Daphne Ashbrook was also excellent as Scotty's fiancé, who unfortunately gets hurt as the growing relationship between Scotty and Elizabeth develops. She shows a real vulnerability here and doesn't behave revengefully. Wonderful.

If I would change anything I would have had the film end with the grave scene, and not with the girl and her dog, to do otherwise is to suggest that Scotty won't be as faithful to Elizabeth as she was to him.

10 out of 10.

Addition: And to the commentator janeellen, above, who was critical of my review, I would add that even if the story was trying to suggest reincarnation, it doesn't work, and it makes the story less poignant to insist on it. Just as with cloning, no one is EXACTLY the same person or being, or has EXACTLY the same SOUL. So for Scotty to go off at the end with the modern girl and her dog, a girl without the same 19th century sensibilities or soul as Elizabeth Whitcomb, is a disappointment.

Scotty should stay just as true to the memory of ELIZABETH through the years, as she remained true to him until her death. That would have been the PERFECT ending.