The Letter

A 1940 American crime film noir melodrama directed by William Wyler, starring Bette Davis, Herbert Marshall and James Stephenson. Based on W. Somerset Maugham's play of the same name, inspired by a real-life scandal involving a Eurasian wife convicted of murder in 1911. After a woman shoots her lover to death, a damning letter she wrote raises suspicions, leading to a thrilling climax that unfolds with devastating consequences for those involved.