The Letter (1999)
La lettre (original title)Reference View | Change View
- 1h 47min
- Drama
- 22 Sep 1999 (France)
- Movie
A well-bred, lovely, spiritual, sad young woman marries an attentive physician who loves her. She feels affection but no love. Soon after, without design, she falls in love with Pedro Abrunhosa, a poet and performance artist. He also loves...
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Director:
Writers:
Awards:
- 1 win & 4 nominations.
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Photos and Videos
Complete, Cast awaiting verification
| Chiara Mastroianni | ... |
Mme de Clèves
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Pedro Abrunhosa | ... |
Pedro Abrunhosa
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Antoine Chappey | ... |
M. de Clèves
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| Leonor Silveira | ... |
La religieuse
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| Françoise Fabian | ... |
Mme de Chartres
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Maria João Pires | ... |
Maria João Pires
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Anny Romand | ... |
Mme de Silva
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| Luís Miguel Cintra | ... |
M. Da Silva
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| Stanislas Merhar | ... |
François de Guise
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Claude Lévèque | ... |
Le médecin de Mme de Chartres
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| Ricardo Trêpa | ... |
Intrus
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Alain Guillo | ... |
Le directeur de Jouillerie
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| Jean-Loup Wolff | ... |
Le médecin de l'hôpital
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Alexandre Nanaia |
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Marcel Terroux | ... |
Le Jardinier
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Claude Sempere | ... |
Voix Off Présentateur TV
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| Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
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Marianne Bey Zave | ... |
Emploièe de Mme de Chartres
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Directed by
| Manoel de Oliveira | ||
Written by
| Manoel de Oliveira | ... | (scenario and dialogue) |
| Madame de La Fayette | ... | (inspired by the book "La Princesse de Clèves") (as Mme. de Lafayette) |
| Jacques Parsi | ... | (translation: French) |
Produced by
| Paulo Branco | ... | producer |
| Nuno Martins | ... | executive producer |
Cinematography by
| Emmanuel Machuel | ||
Editing by
| Valérie Loiseleux | ||
Casting By
| Richard Rousseau | ||
Production Design by
| Ana Vaz da Silva | ||
Set Decoration by
| Ann Chakraverty | ||
Costume Design by
| Judy Shrewsbury | ||
Makeup Department
| Emmanuelle Fèvre | ... | makeup artist |
Production Management
| Jacques Arhex | ... | production manager |
| Elisabeth Bocquet | ... | production manager (as Elizabeth Bocquet) |
| Jean-Dominique Chouchan | ... | assistant production manager |
| Philippe Rey | ... | production manager |
| Alexandre Valente | ... | assistant production manager |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
| José Maria Vaz da Silva | ... | first assistant director (as Zé Maria Vaz da Silva) |
Art Department
| Xavier Lavant | ... | second assistant decorator |
Sound Department
| Jean-François Auger | ... | sound mixer |
| Jean-Paul Mugel | ... | sound |
| Yves-Marie Omnes | ... | boom operator |
Camera and Electrical Department
| Mathieu Bertholet | ... | assistant camera |
| Alice Capronnier | ... | first assistant camera |
| Jean-Claude Lother | ... | still photographer |
| Carlos Santos | ... | key grip |
| Philippe Wegiel | ... | electrician |
Additional Crew
| Bruno Barde | ... | press attaché: France |
| Corrinne de Bury | ... | press attaché: France |
| Marielle Duigou | ... | production assistant |
Production Companies
- Madragoa Filmes (co-production: Portugal)
- Gemini Films (co-production: France)
- Wanda Films (co-production: Espagne)
- Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée (CNC) (participation)
- Canal+ (participation)
- Instituto do Cinema, Audiovisual e Multimédia (ICAM) (participation)
- Rádio e Televisão de Portugal (RTP) (participation)
- Eurimages (support)
- Wanda Visión S.A.
Distributors
- Gemini Films (1999) (France) (theatrical)
- Groupement National des Cinémas de Recherche (GNCR) (1999) (France) (theatrical) (support)
- Madragoa Filmes (2000) (Portugal) (theatrical)
- Nirvana Films S.A. (2000) (Spain) (theatrical)
- Atalanta Filmes (2003) (Portugal) (DVD)
- Alcine Terran (2001) (Japan) (theatrical)
- Filmmuseum Amsterdam (2000) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
- Mikado Film (1999) (Italy) (theatrical)
- Regina Films (2000) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
- Dolmen Home Video (2006) (Italy) (DVD)
- Europa Filmes (Brazil) (VHS)
- Kinokuniya (2002) (Japan) (DVD)
Special Effects
Other Companies
- Cerruti (costumes: for Chiara Mastroianni)
- Cerruti (costumes: for Antoine Chappey)
- Van Cleef & Arpels (thanks)
- Agnès B. (thanks)
- Arane (titles and opticals)
- Assurances Continentales, Les (insurances)
- Centre Culturel Calouste Gulbenkian (thanks)
- France Télécom (thanks)
- Hôtel Terminus Est (thanks)
- Jean-Louis Scherrer (thanks)
- Laboratoires Franay Tirages Cinematographiques (LTC) (studio)
- Le Public Système (publicity)
- Musée d'Art et d'Histoire de Saint-Denis (thanks)
- Peugeot (thanks)
Storyline
| Plot Summary |
A well-bred, lovely, spiritual, sad young woman marries an attentive physician who loves her. She feels affection but no love. Soon after, without design, she falls in love with Pedro Abrunhosa, a poet and performance artist. He also loves her. She keeps her distance from him, confessing her love to a friend who is a nun and, later, to her husband. Hunger for her love and jealousy consume him; she attends him as he wastes away. With his death, she can marry and express her passion, but what she does and how she explains herself, particularly to her cloistered friend, is at the heart of the film. Glimpses of convent life and of Abrunhosa on stage give contrast and mute comment.
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