The 13th Letter (1951)

☆ ☆ ☆

The 13^th Letter (1951) – O. Preminger

Otto Preminger’s remake of Henri-George Clouzot’s Le Corbeau (1943) loses a lot of the bite and bitterness (and the abortion references) but still retains enough of its mystery to be interesting.  A new young and handsome doctor (Michael Rennie) in a small town in Quebec begins to receive anonymous “poison pen” letters accusing him of having an affair with a senior doctor’s young wife.  The wife (Constance Smith) and the senior doctor (Charles Boyer, almost unrecognisable) also receive letters, as does most of the hospital staff and other people in the town.  Some are ready to believe the doctor is guilty but soon suspicion falls on the wife’s sister (Judith Evelyn), a nurse at the hospital.  When a war hero patient commits suicide after receiving a letter, the nurse is arrested because she had had a recent conflict with the patient, as well as with her sister and the young doctor.  But soon the letters continue…  even as the young doctor falls for another patient (Linda Darnell).  Filmed on location in Quebec, the film looks moody and provincial, with a bit of French spoken for good measure.  Rennie is solid as the aloof young doctor who has secrets of his own.  Still, I can’t help recalling that Le Corbeau struck me harder – I’ll have to rewatch it.