Letty Lynton

Part of our series Wild, Weird, Wicked: Films from Before the Code!

Virtually unseen for over 90 years, in a sparkling new 4K restoration from Warner Bros!

Joan Crawford gives a striking performance as Letty Lynton, a young woman caught in a web of love, betrayal, and resilience. In the high-stakes world of the 1930s social elite, Letty Lynton (Crawford) is a woman seeking an escape from a toxic, suffocating life in South America. Haunted by a volatile affair with the possessive Emile Renaul (Nils Asther), she flees toward New York, finding a chance at redemption—and true love—in the arms of the wealthy, earnest Jerry Darrow (Robert Montgomery) during a glamorous transatlantic crossing. But the past refuses to stay buried. When the ship docks, Emile is waiting with a blackmail scheme designed to destroy Letty’s future, forcing her to take matters into her own hands.

Directed by Clarence Brown with style and substance, critics and audiences embraced the film, which gave Crawford the opportunity to take advantage of sleek gowns provided by MGM’s famed designer Adrian. The acclaim for Letty Lynton, released only weeks before another impressive star turn in the studio’s Grand Hotel, firmly established Crawford status as a screen superstar.

“MGM based the film on a 1931 novel, Marie Belloc Lowndes’ Letty Lynton, but the writers of a play that focused on the same case claimed that the film had too many similarities to their work, made claims for copyright infringement, and as a result the film was pulled from circulation in 1936. While the film was a critical and financial success upon release, those legal complications precluded further distribution for over 90 years. Now with all legal impediments extinguished and the film meticulously restored, Letty Lynton finally returns to the screen, showcasing Crawford at her most glamorous.” – TCM Classic Film Festival