Letter from an Unknown Woman, from 1948, is a period drama starring Joan Fontaine and Louis Jourdan. It begins in Vienna in the early 1900's, but most of the movie is told in flashbacks. It is the tragic story of a young woman's lifelong love for a self-centered concert pianist.
The story begins with a man (Stefan Brand, played by Louis Jourdan) reading a letter which opens with the words, "By the time you read this letter, I may be dead." As he continues reading, the years fade away, and we see Lisa Berndle (Joan Fontaine), a somewhat-awkward teenager, standing outside the apartment Mr. Brand is moving into. Lisa is fascinated by all the beautiful things, including a grand piano, that are being moved into the building. Soon, Lisa is totally obsessed with all things about Mr. Brand, and after coming face to face with him one day when she opened the apartment door for him, she is totally and completely in love.
For the next few years, everything Lisa does is "for Stefan." Determined to be graceful and ladylike "for him," she takes dancing lessons, learns manners, and studies the lives of the famous musicians. She listens to him play the piano, all the while imagining him playing for her. She also watches the comings and goings of his apartment, always feeling disheartened if he happens to bring a woman home with him.
Eventually, Lisa's mother, a widow, decides to remarry and move to Linz. Of course, Lisa is devastated to have to leave Stefan behind, but she has no choice and moves with her parents. Even as the years go by, though, she remains obsessed with Stefan and cannot get him out of her mind. She even refuses the proposal of another man and decides to return to Vienna, where she keeps a nightly vigil outside Stefan's apartment. Finally, one evening, Stefan notices Lisa and approaches her.
Has Lisa's dream finally been realized? Has the man she has loved for years finally returned her love? To find out the answer to those questions, you will have to watch for yourself. I'm not sure if this movie is out on DVD or not, though it is available on VHS. I do know that when Turner Classic Movies showed it last spring, Robert Osborne mentioned that it was the very first time they were showing it. What?!!! TCM has been around for over fifteen years and they've never shown Letter from an Unknown Woman before! I wonder why? Especially because Mr. Osborne also mentioned that it has been the movie for which they've received the most requests. I would think, since it's such a popular movie, that it would be available on DVD and fairly easy to track down. I hope so anyway, as I think this is a very solid, 3-star movie that most folks will enjoy.
