Love Letters (1945)

During WWII, a soldier (Robert Sully) persuades a fellow soldier (Joseph Cotten) to write love letters for him to a young woman (Jennifer Jones) he's only casually met. Once on leave, the soldier marries the girl but the marriage ends in a violent tragedy. Based on the novel PITY MY SIMPLICITY by Christopher Massie and adapted for the screen by Ayn Rand (ATLAS SHRUGGED) no less and directed by William Dieterle (HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME). This mash up of CYRANO DE BERGERAC and RANDOM HARVEST is an unusual love story and I liked it a lot. In spite of poor reviews, the film was a box office hit and received four Oscar nominations including Jones for best actress and Victor Young for his lovely score. Its theme with lyrics became a popular standard recorded by Elvis Presley, Rosemary Clooney, Elton John, Nat King Cole and Sinead O'Connor among many others. Perhaps old fashioned with a soupcon of hoke, it worked for me. With Anita Louise, Gladys Cooper, Cecil Kellaway and Ann Richards.