The Love Letter (1998)

No one with romantic tendencies will be able to resist The Love Letter. Campbell Scott plays a Civil War buff who buys a desk from that era. While polishing it, he discovers a secret compartment, in which sits an unmailed letter--a letter written by a young woman named Lizzie (Jennifer Jason Leigh) over a century earlier. Touched by her yearning for passion, he writes her back, egged on by his mystically inclined mother (Estelle Parsons). Magically his letter reaches Lizzie and they begin a correspondence that threatens Scott's impending marriage but promises to bring fulfilment to Lizzie. The Love Letter is absurd, yet somehow that doesn't stop it from being completely engaging and even moving. Scott and Parsons are solid, while Jason Leigh is downright rapturous--the movie may owe its success to her. The plot has surprising twists and the conclusion is sweet and satisfying. An unexpected pleasure. --Bret Fetzer Amazon.com

Incredible time-travel romance that rivals Somewhere in Time

Growing up with Somewhere in Time (Collector's Edition), I was intrigued by Hallmark Hall of Fame's Love Letter, based on a haunting 1959 short story by Jack Finney. Scott Corrigan is a Civil War buff who designs Civil War simulation games (check out the 1998 computer graphics!). One day as he and his fiancee Debra are shopping for a vintage wedding gown, he discovers an antique desk and it's love at first sight, even though he can't really afford it. Scott's also a restorer in his spare time, so when he tries to polish the desk, he discovers the (common Civil War) feature of a hidden compartment that contains a small bottle of ink, a fountain pen, and some blank stationary addressed "Elizabeth Whitcomb." He also finds a sensual, romantic letter to the imaginary man of Elizabeth's dreams, and Scott actually drafts a response using Elizabeth's pen and stationary. Scott's free spirit mother Beatrice is excited about the prospect, and finds vintage 1-cent stamps. Feeling crazy, Scott mails the letter from an Antebellum post office.

And here's where the story takes a magical turn: hoping against hope, Scott opens the secret compartment to find a response, and he and Lizzie begin a romantic correspondence across time. The film does a beautiful job with the Civil War-era furnishings and costuming, and Jennifer Jason Leigh is positively radiant as Lizzie, although she is clearly older than Lizzie, whose age is given as 29. Campbell Scott is riveting as a man coming to grips with the fact that he's essentially in love with a ghost; just as in his later performance in Follow The Stars Home, he's a master at using glances and body language to convey emotion without overacting.

Fans of Somewhere in Time will likely be drawn to Love Letter, but both stories are unique. I would have to say that Love Letter is much more bittersweet, but no less enjoyable. The DVD also features a "making of" feature. June 10, 2008

a guy loves it

You just keep thinking about this movie after you see it, then you see it again. My wife wasn't that into it, but I was. February 11, 2008

A Treasure

Totally silly but it reminds us that love sometimes makes no sense. It is a sweet movie that I will watch again and again. December 6, 2007

Something you'll watch again and again

I loved the picture even showcasing a wonderful re-enactment of the battle of Gettysburg, and a charming, believable cast, it just captivates you immediately and you are drawn into its time travel plot device without any problem.

Scotty, who buys an antique desk complete with old love letters from the 1860's. Jennifer Jason Leigh was lovely as Elizabeth Whitcomb, and you feel for her character all the way. When she stops on the stairs and feels Scotty's present (more than 100 years away from her in distance in the future), I cried. It was so bittersweet.

Estelle Parsons was great as Scotty's mom, always nice to see her. She's such a natural actress. Daphne Ashbrook was also excellent as Scotty's fiancé, who unfortunately gets hurt as the growing relationship between Scotty and Elizabeth develops. She shows a real vulnerability here and doesn't behave revengefully. Nice to see for a change!

If I would change anything I would have had the film end with the grave scene and not with the girl and her dog, to do otherwise is to suggest that Scotty won't be as faithful to Elizabeth as she was to him.

9.5 out of 10

It's a movie you'll watch again and again when the time is right :-)
November 11, 2007

I've watched this over and over

What can I say? It's a sweet love story. One major plot flaw -- how come he couldn't just send the letters back through the desk?? -- but in all a great escape that I've watched MANY times. October 8, 2007

More reviews at Amazon.com ...