DVD Release Date: February 22, 2005

Cast: Jeanne Crain, Linda Darnell, Ann Sothern, Kirk Douglas, Paul Douglas

click here to buy this DVD from Amazon

By Sean Chavel

A Letter to Three Wives (1949) must have been a heady and provocative film for female audiences in its time. Three women – played by Jeanne Crain, Linda Darnell and Ann Sothern – commence on a boating trip but are interrupted by an unfriendly letter. Seems as if the town seductress claims that she has stolen one of their husbands, hence, have run off together. The letter doesn’t say which husband. Troubled by the prospect of what would happen if they were abandoned by their spouse, each of the women examines their relationship with their husband in a series of flashbacks.

We meet the husbands one at a time in their most unflattering, or telling, moments. We also pick up on the inadequate feelings of the women. In broad strokes, the problem with each marriage is easily perceptible: Crain’s character is a simple woman out of place among her husband’s country club socialites, Darnell is a gold digger who craves money more than affection, Sothern has a career that outshines her husband’s (Kirk Douglas, in an early role is the most recognizable of the male lead counterparts).

Despite Academy Awards for Best Director and Best Screenplay (Joseph L. Mankiewicz was the recipient for both), there’s nothing astounding that would shock any general audience of today. Instead, A Letter to Three Wives has to be considered as an artifact from a time capsule, in that respect, the film is revealing of social practices circa 1949. Women of that time were more vulnerable in a male chauvinistic world where there was virtually only one breadwinner per household, and it’s an interesting study to see the difference in how marriages were portrayed in those times. The film certainly has an asset with its three leading actresses, all delivering honest and full-bodied performances – each of them plunk with anxiety over what would happen if they were no longer a Mrs.

This DVD has been released under 20th Century Fox’s “Studio Classics” banner, and as with all their old titles, the special features are given a gold treatment. The audio commentary by historians Kenneth Geist and Cheryl Lower is statesmanlike but full of detail and biographical footnotes – very good but gets tiring after awhile. From the vault, Movietone News Footage and a Theatrical Trailer have been included. The disc also has a restoration comparison presentation to see how the film has undergone print upgrades for this home video release. But the best addition is an A&E Biography special on “Linda Darnell: Hollywood’s Fallen Angel” which has more intrigue, more intense highs and lows and more whopping dramatic power than the actual movie. Darnell’s story is an unbelievable portrait of courage, big dreams, pitfalls and tragic ends.

Movie Score: B
Extras Score: A-
Overall DVD Score: B

Click here for the "Letter to Three Wives" DVD page