A victim of respectable but somewhat patronizing reviews at the time of its original release, Letter from an Unknown Woman has achieved classic status during the past decade, both as one of the two or three best examples of what used to be called “the woman's picture” (Molly Haskell discusses the film at length in her excellent “From Reverence to Rape”) and as perhaps the most impressive showcase of the camera wizardry that distinguished Max Ophuls' direction. “Max and his tracks” were legendary, and the Ophuls tracking shot would follow the characters into rooms, out of rooms, and through the walls of rooms as if the cameraman had the mobility of a ghost. Even beyond the camera movements, Planer's use of lighting provided the director with a look of opulence appropriate for this story of lifelong, unrequited love.