Letty Lynton

Introduced via Zoom by George Feltenstein, Library Historian at Warner Bros. Discovery

Withdrawn from circulation in 1936 over a copyright dispute, the barely seen Letty Lynton returns to theaters for the first time in ninety years in a brand new 4K restoration. This glamorous and at times characteristically sordid pre-Code drama stars Joan Crawford as the titular Letty Lynton, a socialite whose marriage to the wealthy and charming Jerry Darrow (Robert Montgomery) is threatened by the arrival of her spurned ex-lover, Emile Renaul (Nils Asther). Besides the fame generated by its longstanding unavailability, Letty Lynton is most remembered today for its sartorial impact. Crawford’s gowns in the film, made by MGM’s mononymous head costume designer Adrian, spurred such fervor upon the film’s release that tens of thousands of replicas of Lynton’s signature white organdy dress with puffed sleeves flew off department store shelves in a couture craze. Legendary designer Edith Head considered it to be the “single most important influence on fashion in film history.”

Restoration Credits
New 4K restoration by Warner Bros. Discovery sourced from a second-generation safety fine grain master positive, scanned at 4K resolution on a 16-bit Lasergraphics Director film scanner. Warner Bros.’ preservation team carefully analyzed the surviving film element, which was manually cleaned frame by frame to remove any dirt, damage or debris. The film’s surviving optical soundtrack was also restored, using modern tools to remove any audio anomalies from the feature, while retaining the distinct and rich qualities of the original 90-year-old audio.