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Movies / On DVD / A Letter to Three Wives
A Letter to Three Wives

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A Letter to Three Wives (1949)

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Reviews Counted:10

Fresh:10

Rotten:0

Average Rating:8.5/10

Runtime: 1 hr 43 mins

Genre: Dramas

Synopsis: Of three suburban couples suffering marital difficulties, one finds itself unexpectedly splitting when Addie Ross (Celeste Holm) runs off with one of the husbands while the wives are away on a... Of three suburban couples suffering marital difficulties, one finds itself unexpectedly splitting when Addie Ross (Celeste Holm) runs off with one of the husbands while the wives are away on a trip--but which husband? Addie's note to the wives doesn't say. Entangled in suspense as to who has flown the coop, the three wives reflect on their marriages and the stresses within them: one wife met her upper-crust hubby while in the service and fears that she doesn't belong in his social class; another is a radio soap opera writer whose career is interfering with her marriage to a university professor; and the last is a gold digger from the wrong side of the tracks, in a turbulent marriage to a coarse businessman. Sympathetic insights into the strains and insecurities inherent in every marriage bear the genuine touch of director and screenwriter Joseph L. Mankiewicz, whose renditions of complex relationships also shine in his other movies, including ALL ABOUT EVE. Kirk Douglas, Thelma Ritter, Jeanne Crain, Linda Darnell, and Ann Sothern star in this film that won Best Screenplay and Best Director Oscars for Mankiewicz. [More]

Starring: Jeanne Crain, Linda Darnell, Ann Sothern, Kirk Douglas

Starring: Jeanne Crain, Linda Darnell, Ann Sothern, Kirk Douglas, Paul Douglas, Thelma Ritter, Celeste Holm, Barbara Lawrence

Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz

Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Producer: Sol C. Siegel
Screenwriter: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Story: Vera Caspary
Composer: Alfred Newman

[See More Credits]

Reviews for A Letter to Three Wives

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1 - 14 (sorted by rotten rating; UK critics are listed first)
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Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
05/24/03
Channel 4 Film
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Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Geoff Andrew
Geoff Andrew
Time Out
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Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
03/26/09
Variety
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Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
05/20/03
Bosley Crowther
Bosley Crowther
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

No review available.

comment Comment
09/05/03
Carol Cling
Carol Cling
Las Vegas Review-Journal

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Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
03/22/01
Christopher Null
Christopher Null
Filmcritic.com

Mankiewicz's writing is bright and hard -- he's sharpening his teeth for All About Eve, made the next year -- but his acid wit is almost too much for his fragile characters to bear.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
01/01/00
Dave Kehr
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader

No review available.

comment Comment
07/26/02
David Poland
David Poland
Hot Button

Mankiewicz's plot device is brilliant and intriguing: On the way to an annual picnic, three housewives learn through a letter that the town's most desirable woman had run off with one of their husbands--flashbacks reveal the state of their marriages.

Full Review Source: EmanuelLevy.Com | comment Comment
01/24/07
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

Sharp and bright multi-character film from Mankiewicaz at his best.

comment Comment
03/29/04
Ken Hanke
Ken Hanke
Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

Much of what makes All About Eve such a brilliant film was used previously (and to good effect) in A Letter to Three Wives.

Full Review Source: Not Coming to a Theater Near You | comment Comment
10/10/04
Matt Bailey
Matt Bailey
Not Coming to a Theater Near You

No review available.

comment Comment
05/14/04
Robin Clifford
Robin Clifford
Reeling Reviews

Star-loaded film with innovative plot.

comment Comment
10/30/04
Steve Crum
Steve Crum
Kansas City Kansan

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Full Review Source: Oscar Guy | comment Comment
01/01/00
Wesley Lovell
Wesley Lovell
Oscar Guy
 
 
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