Amazon.com: 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
Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: - 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 ... Read More
Rating: - 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.
Rating: - 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.
Rating: - 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.
Rating: - 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.
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