The falling leaves drift by my window
The falling leaves of red and gold ...
Though it is Fall, everyone may not be feeling the results of it. It's green *everywhere* here. But at least we have Nat King Cole to put us in the frame of mind, who coincidentally also sings a version of the theme song featured in the coffee house today ...
And where there is music, there is … Cinema. This CINEMA COFFEE I'm featuring a watch that seems fit for the season. Joseph Cotten and Jennifer Jones in LOVE LETTERS (1945).
The two together in their second of four parings, including SINCE YOU WENT AWAY (1944) and DUEL IN THE SUN (1946). |
Of their four films together, LOVE LETTERS and THE PORTRAIT OF JENNIE (1948) (for my CINEMA COFFEE blog piece "Where I Come From, Nobody Knows") are the two storylines in which Jones and Cotten are the romantic interests solely to one another. And just as LOVE LETTERS is fitting for Fall, so is their last paring THE PORTRAIT OF JENNIE (1948) to a Winter watch (IMO). More on that film come Winter.
As with all my CINEMA COFFEE pieces, every film discussed has a direct connection between my Mom and I. And for she and I, Ol' Joe (as she dubbed him) and Jennifer Jones made a good on-screen couple, which is probably why we catered to the duo in LOVE LETTERS and THE PORTRAIT OF JENNIE more than SINCE YOU WENT AWAY and DUEL IN THE SUN, as with the latter, they are involved, though in SINCE YOU WENT AWAY more in a one-sided girl crush manner via Jennifer Jones, and in a "I-wish-I-were-in-love-with-you-instead-of-The-Peck" in a sign of the times stereotypical "it's in my blood" (really?) sort of a way.
If you haven't seen LOVE LETTERS it's worth the watch, and if you have, it's worth the revisit. And if you have a reservation about Jennifer Jones, as I've discovered, of which there are many who do, and I can't say she's necessarily a fave of mine in every film she's in, leave that at the door and watch LOVE LETTERS grudge free. Believe me, there's no use for it. The storyline (as with "JENNIE") is too good to let personal preferences interfere.
The film, nominated for four Academy Awards: Best Music (Original Song), Best Music (Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture), Best Art Direction, and Best Actress for Jennifer Jones, her 3rd of 4 consecutive nominations between 1944-1947, begins with its theme song by Victor Young, and opens with a letter in the process of being written … A love letter.
The film, nominated for four Academy Awards: Best Music (Original Song), Best Music (Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture), Best Art Direction, and Best Actress for Jennifer Jones, her 3rd of 4 consecutive nominations between 1944-1947, begins with its theme song by Victor Young, and opens with a letter in the process of being written … A love letter.
A letter we find written by the hand of our good friend Ol' Joe Cotten (in character of Alan Quinton), as is common in more comical forms of one guy writing a letter to another guys girl, with permission, i.e. A LETTER TO EVIE (1946), or in a change of identity sort of a way as with THE RICHEST GIRL IN THE WORLD (1934) later remade as BRIDE BY MISTAKE (1944), this is not comical. In fact, this film is far from comedy, it's tragic. Romantic, but tragic. Adapted from Christopher Massie's novel "Pity My Simplicity," (a novel Ayn Rand who adapted the book to screen, called "a holy mess") thus adapting Massie's story into a variation on Edmond Rostand's play "Cyrano de Bergerac" (the same sort of "Cyrano" layout can be found in the storyline of A LETTER TO EVIE (1946) as well), we find our film set during WWII, which in October 1945, when this film was released, the world was still feeling the effects from.
If you've been following along my CINEMA COFFEE pieces, by now you know one thing I don't do is give the film away. A pure pet peeve my Mom and I had. Even as a child, going to the movies with my folks on the weekends, one film, a remake, we went to see, came to the very end, *the very end*, when the man behind us, out loud, told what was about to happen mere seconds before the conclusion to the climax was to be revealed. I can see my Mom's face to date, clearly, as I turned to her, even as a kid, like, "did you hear that?!" … "Never mind it was a remake" (though I didn't know that at the time), my Mom said, "we didn't pay our money for some loud mouth to tell us the story, we paid to watch it!" She looked at my Dad and said, "Let's go! Let's go! I'm so mad." And to know my Mom is to know she's the most beautiful person to get along with, something I learned early on in life, and I also learned early on in life my Mom was everybody-in-the-place-is-about-to-hear-me-go-off-on-this-man-if-I-don't-get-out-of-here. Quick!
But what I will tell you about LOVE LETTERS and what drew us to liking the film so much, outside of falling in love with THE PORTRAIT OF JENNIE, which is what led us to this film, is that once you've entered the first frame, it keeps a pace and an interest into wanting to find out what's going to happen next for Alan and Singleton … "Just Singleton." Played by Jennifer Jones. Without spoilers.
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I don't think it would be giving anything away to say that that peaked interest sticks a pin in your side in the story Alan tells (whilst drunk) to the host of a party given by Dilly (played by Ann Richards, the original choice for Singleton before Jones), where he meets Singleton for the first time, albeit in a brief introduction exchange. A story about some letters he had written, signed by … Roger Morland.
Upon Alan and Singleton's second, more one on one, exchange later on, the pieces start to form as to how the story Alan tells Dilly connects to the storyline as a whole, through a story Dilly tells Alan of her own.
The film, under the direction of William Dieterle, has a solid cast, Ann Richards, Cecil Kellaway, Gladys Cooper, Robert Sully, Anita Louise, and Reginald Denny. With this group, as you can imagine, they all hold their own. Never do you catch them acting. From something as simple as Ann Richard's peeling potatoes to Gladys Cooper's confinement to a wheelchair.
The sets, which you'll find have a very THE PORTRAIT OF JENNIE-esque feel to them (or rather vice-versa), also put you at "home," in a mood to want to follow the story as it goes along. Like furnishings beckoning you to come on in, make yourself at home, and relax, you find yourself doing just that. Never feeling like an intruder, or as if you don't belong. Before you know it, you're having your second cup of coffee or chai and the night still feels young yet. All while being carried away by a story you find yourself curious to want to figure out. Like a painting on the wall in that well furnished room you've just been placed in. Everything is in order, you're comfortable, shoes off, blanket wrapped, mug in hand, but that painting has drifted your thoughts into curiosity. Before you leave, you have to find out, what is it about this painting that has you in a wonder?
LOVE LETTERS is just the puzzle to be painted your next movie night this Fall. Everything is already supplied for you, fully furnished, an A-star guest list, beautiful music, and a cup of your favorite brew. Bring your mug and come on in to the coffee house … #ForMyMom
The door is always open.
The sets, which you'll find have a very THE PORTRAIT OF JENNIE-esque feel to them (or rather vice-versa), also put you at "home," in a mood to want to follow the story as it goes along. Like furnishings beckoning you to come on in, make yourself at home, and relax, you find yourself doing just that. Never feeling like an intruder, or as if you don't belong. Before you know it, you're having your second cup of coffee or chai and the night still feels young yet. All while being carried away by a story you find yourself curious to want to figure out. Like a painting on the wall in that well furnished room you've just been placed in. Everything is in order, you're comfortable, shoes off, blanket wrapped, mug in hand, but that painting has drifted your thoughts into curiosity. Before you leave, you have to find out, what is it about this painting that has you in a wonder?
LOVE LETTERS is just the puzzle to be painted your next movie night this Fall. Everything is already supplied for you, fully furnished, an A-star guest list, beautiful music, and a cup of your favorite brew. Bring your mug and come on in to the coffee house … #ForMyMom
The door is always open.
I think very few people are happy. They wait all their lives for something to happen to them - something great and wonderful. They don't know what it is but they wait for it. Sometimes it never happens. What they want is the kind of spirit I found in those letters. A spirit that makes life beautiful. I love that man. I loved him more than my own life. I still love him … |
For my other CINEMA COFFEE blog pieces:
#ForMyMom Cinema Coffee ... | COFFEE CINEMA: Talking Streetcar | CINEMA COFFEE: "Et tu, Brute?" | CINEMA COFFEE: "La Chocolaterie" | CINEMA COFFEE: "Milk? I loathe milk!" | CINEMA COFFEE: "Elderberry Wine ..." | CINEMA COFFEE: "The choice I never had ..." | CINEMA COFFEE: "The smell of Mimosa" | CINEMA COFFEE: "Mighty like a Rose" | CINEMA COFFEE: "Don't cry on the rolls" | CINEMA COFFEE: "You're the first Kansas I ever met" | CINEMA COFFEE: "Everybody calls me Gracie" | CINEMA COFFEE: "What the devil are Belinskis?!" | CINEMA COFFEE: "Hello friends and enemies." | CINEMA COFFEE: "Stop remindin' me of heaven." | CINEMA COFFEE: "Even Gatsby could happen" | CINEMA COFFEE: "I made a wish" | CINEMA COFFEE: Audie Murphy | CINEMA COFFEE: Put The Blame on Mame | CINEMA COFFEE: "Just Singleton." | CINEMA COFFEE: "Where I Come From, Nobody Knows" | Film Therapy: Coping through Cinema | CINEMA COFFEE: Socks fall down | CINEMA COFFEE: "The moon's reaching for me" | CINEMA COFFEE: The Horne: Luso World Cinema Blogathon | CINEMA COFFEE: Aunt Bettye Lightsy | CINEMA COFFEE: I never lose | CINEMA COFFEE: "I have a mother!" | CINEMA COFFEE: THE SIGN OF GEMINI | CINEMA COFFEE: Venus Rising | CINEMA COFFEE: Stan vs Geek | CINEMA COFFEE: "Positively the same dame"
#ForMyMom Cinema Coffee ... | COFFEE CINEMA: Talking Streetcar | CINEMA COFFEE: "Et tu, Brute?" | CINEMA COFFEE: "La Chocolaterie" | CINEMA COFFEE: "Milk? I loathe milk!" | CINEMA COFFEE: "Elderberry Wine ..." | CINEMA COFFEE: "The choice I never had ..." | CINEMA COFFEE: "The smell of Mimosa" | CINEMA COFFEE: "Mighty like a Rose" | CINEMA COFFEE: "Don't cry on the rolls" | CINEMA COFFEE: "You're the first Kansas I ever met" | CINEMA COFFEE: "Everybody calls me Gracie" | CINEMA COFFEE: "What the devil are Belinskis?!" | CINEMA COFFEE: "Hello friends and enemies." | CINEMA COFFEE: "Stop remindin' me of heaven." | CINEMA COFFEE: "Even Gatsby could happen" | CINEMA COFFEE: "I made a wish" | CINEMA COFFEE: Audie Murphy | CINEMA COFFEE: Put The Blame on Mame | CINEMA COFFEE: "Just Singleton." | CINEMA COFFEE: "Where I Come From, Nobody Knows" | Film Therapy: Coping through Cinema | CINEMA COFFEE: Socks fall down | CINEMA COFFEE: "The moon's reaching for me" | CINEMA COFFEE: The Horne: Luso World Cinema Blogathon | CINEMA COFFEE: Aunt Bettye Lightsy | CINEMA COFFEE: I never lose | CINEMA COFFEE: "I have a mother!" | CINEMA COFFEE: THE SIGN OF GEMINI | CINEMA COFFEE: Venus Rising | CINEMA COFFEE: Stan vs Geek | CINEMA COFFEE: "Positively the same dame"