1928-29 – Jeanne Eagles
The Letter
I have to say, I really enjoyed Jeanne Eagles’ performance in this movie. This was her first sound film, and her second to last film performance. Unfortunately, the actress had problems with substance abuse and alcoholism. Heroin was apparently her drug of choice. She did one more film in 1929 called Jealousy, before she died of an overdose of chloral hydrate, which she regularly took to get to sleep.
But I thought she was a fantastic actress. I loved the expressiveness of her face, the glint in her eyes. And her voice! I am finding that many of the early talkies didn’t quite have the technique of good sound recording solidified yet. As a result, many of the women’s voices sounded high-pitched and shrill. But Eagles’ voice was a little lower, making her sound more realistic, mature, and sophisticated.
There was a touch of madness to her character that she played perfectly. It wasn’t over-the-top or exaggerated. It was believable, and just a little frightening. Perfection! There were two main scenes, however, in which she really shined. The first was the murder scene. The desperation in her eyes when her lover rejects her was so real! And then she shoots him, not once, but six times, completely emptying the gun. And there was just enough crazy in her acting to be believable.
The second scene was the climax where her husband reads the letter and learns about her infidelity. Instead of divorcing her, he condemns her to stay with him on the rubber plantation that she hates so much, in the house where the murder was committed, to be constantly reminded of her own wickedness. She loses control and begins screaming that she no longer loves her husband, and that she is still madly in love with the man she murdered. Eagles really sold the performance!
But then the movie ended strangely. After her manic declaration, the film abruptly ends, and the, “The End” card is thrown up. It seemed as though the characters were cut off in the middle of their unfinished climactic argument. It was really a shame that Eagles died later that year, and at such a young age. Had she lived, I have no doubt that her career would have been a long and successful one.