The Letter (La Lettre) 25 years old
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.
Credits
The Letter Cast
| Name | Character |
|---|---|
| Stanislas Merhar He was 28, now 53 years old | as François de Guise |
| Françoise Fabian She was 67, now 92 years old | as Mme de Chartres |
| Antoine Chappey He was 39, now 64 years old | as M. de Clèves |
| Anny Romand She was 49, now 74 years old | as Mme de Silva |
| Ricardo Trêpa He was 26, now 52 years old | as Intrus |
| Chiara Mastroianni She was 27, now 52 years old | as Mme de Clèves |
| Luís Miguel Cintra He was 50, now 75 years old | as M. da Silva |
| Leonor Silveira She was 28, now 54 years old | as La religieuse |
| Pedro Abrunhosa He was 38, now 64 years old | as Pedro Abrunhosa |
The Letter Crew
| Name | Department |
|---|---|
| Ann Chakraverty as Set Decoration. | Art |
| Jean-François Auger as Sound Mixer. He was 78 (now 103) years old | Sound |
| Emmanuel Machuel as Director of Photography. He was 65 (now 90) years old | Camera |
| Jean-Paul Mugel as Sound Designer. | Sound |
| Valérie Loiseleux as Editor. She was 0 (now 24) years old | Editing |
| Madame de La Fayette as Writer. Madame de La Fayette was 365 (59) years old when Madame de La Fayette died | Writing |
| Judy Shrewsbury as Costume Design. | Costume & Make-Up |
| Emmanuelle Fèvre as Makeup Artist. | Costume & Make-Up |
The Letter (25 years)
- Release day: Wednesday, September 22, 1999
- Runtime: 107 minutes