AUGUST 2026 ROUND-UP
TOTAL FILMS SEEN IN AUGUST: 2
(see the film posters at the bottom of the post, arranged in watching order)
NEW-TO-ME: 2
REWATCHES: 0
Joan Crawford in a publicity still for Letty Lynton
Another pitiful amount of films for August. Only two. Classic Hollywood has taken a backseat and just isn't at the top of my priority list anymore. (I attempted novel writing again and I'm also still in K-dramaland.) This doesn't mean that I don't have a huge watchlist still, and I do crave a classic film now and then.
August was sort of eventful classic-movie-wise because I was finally being able to watch Letty Lynton (1932) in a sharp print. I'm glad this was a first watch and that I was never tempted to settle for one of the horrible, bootleg copies roaming the internet. I've been wanting to watch this film ever since seeing the beautiful stills of Joan Crawford, in gowns designed by Adrian and photographed by the legendary George Hurrell. The 'Letty Lynton dress' — a white cotton organdy gown with big puffy sleeves at the shoulder — became very popular at the time and didn't go unnoticed by Macy's department store. They copied the dress and sold more than 50,000 of their $10 commercial version.
Joan Crawford in the famous Letty Lynton dress by Adrian
The fashion was one of the two reasons Letty Lynton became famous. The other reason was its 90 years unavailability because of a copyright issue. The film's screenplay was based on the 1931 crime novel of the same name by British author Marie Belloc Lowndes, and the novel in turn was loosely inspired by the 1857 trial of Madeleine Smith, a Scottish socialite accused of poisoning her lover. The play Dishonored Lady (1930) by Edward Sheldon and Margaret Ayer Barnes was based on the same true-crime case of the 1857 Scottish murder. After Letty Lynton had already been released to the public, the similarities between the film's script and the play prompted the playwrights to take legal action. The film became involved in a plagiarism and copyright infringement lawsuit against MGM. Ultimately, in 1936 the court ruled in favour of Sheldon and Barnes, and Letty Lynton was shelved, basically being a lost film.
Joan Crawford for Letty Lynton
Fortunately, on 31 December 2025, the copyright for the play Dishonored Lady expired after 95 years, and it became a work in the public domain. In April 2026, Warner Bros, the owners of the film, announced that the 4K restoration of Letty Lynton had been completed. The film was shown at the TCM Film Festival in May 2026 and thereafter released on Blu-ray by the Warner Archive Collection. My thoughts on the film itself will be shared below but I just wanted to give you a little backstory on the film's journey to the public, also to accompany the lovely stills for the film.
Joan Crawford in Letty Lynton
Now let's move on to my 'list' of 2 watched films this month!
NOTE: Read notes with caution as they might contain spoilers; with ratings going from ½ to ★★★★★ and watched date.
After the 1936 court ruling which stated that LETTY LYNTON (MGM, 1932) was guilty of copyright violation, it had been unavailable to the public for ninety years. It became a sort of enigma, a film nobody had seen (unless you wanted to watch it so badly that you tried a bootleg copy) but wanted to watch because of Joan Crawford. Her stunning photo stills available online made you want to see this film even more. Film lovers thought they'd never see the day, but here it is, a clear copy. I didn't have any expectations of this pre-code, and luckily it was better than I thought it would be. I love the meet-cute of Joanie and Robert Montgomery (pictured, three photos) at the dinner table and their playfulness. I love Robert Montgomery, and this reminded me to watch more of this 1930s films. I would have loved for this to be a rom-com with just them teasing each other and being all adorable. But it's a crime story where Joan poisons her ex-lover Nils Asther. She initially wants to drink the poison herself, to commit suicide, but Nils takes the glass and drinks it instead. The denouement at the D.A.'s office is quite unbelievable. Suddenly everyone provides Letty with an alibi. Robert Montgomery, her mother May Robson, and her maid Louise Closser Hale. D.A. Lewis Stone drops the case immediately, and all ends well. There are of course much better pre-codes, but Letty Lynton will always be a bit special. Directed by Clarence Brown. ★★★ / 17.08.2026
In the mystery drama THE MYSTERY OF MR. X (MGM, 1934), Robert Montgomery plays a sophisticated jewel thief, who robs a diamond from a safe on the same evening that a cop is stabbed to death nearby with a sword cane. Scotland Yard is trying hard to solve the cop serial killings while Montgomery finds time to court the police commissioner's daughter. Montgomery and Elizabeth Allan (pictured, two photos) have some nice scenes together. Nothing special but entertaining. Support by Lewis Stone (as the Inspector), Ralph Forbes, and Henry Stephenson (as Allan's father), and directed by Edgar Selwyn. ★★★ / 30.08.2026
Following is the breakdown in decades of the 2 watched films:
1890s - 0
1900s - 0
1910s - 0
1920s - 0
1930s - 2
1940s - 0
1950s - 0
1960s - 0
See you with the next round-up!
