Part of Restoration Roundup
Madeleine Smith’s murder trial for the poisoning of her lover inspired several books, two plays and three films. The first screen treatment, LETTY LYNTON, stars Joan Crawford as a woman who flees her possessive paramour in South America and falls for American tycoon (Robert Montgomery). It was a big hit, and the white organdy gown with ruffled sleeves Adrian designed for Crawford flew off the shelves at Macy’s. MGM based the film on a 1931 novel — but the writers of a play that focused on the same case claimed that the film had too many similarities to their work, made claims for copyright infringement, and as a result the film was pulled from circulation in 1936. Now with all legal impediments extinguished and the film meticulously restored, LETTY LYNTON finally returns to the screen for the first time in 90 years, showcasing Crawford at her most glamorous.
New 4K restoration by Warner Bros. Discovery.
“One hell of a story and script and a character I could really come to grips with, thanks to Clarence Brown again. Adrian’s costuming, by the way, was absolutely gorgeous, but he was so expert that he never made me feel as though I was being used as a clothes-horse. If there is ever a Joan Crawford retrospective, I hope they show this one.” —Joan Crawford “90 years on, we can finally see Joan Crawford’s wildest film.” —The Guardian (headline) “A ‘new’ movie from a major star like Crawford isn’t something you get every day…and it’s even more rare for an unearthed obscurity to be a major work…. LETTY LYNTON is top tier Crawford, a stylish and funny romp with a dark edge that allows its star to give her talent for histrionic melodrama a real workout…. The impeccably preserved sound and image only serve to accentuate just how modern a film LETTY LYNTON was and is; how many movies can be said to justify a 90-year wait?” —Jim Hemphill, IndieWire
This series made possible with generous support from Mimi and Scott Manzler.
