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The Letter · 1940 — 第 11 / 15 章 · 4'27" · B2

Howard Tells Bob to Buy the Letter, Explained：get hold of

It looks like one friend steadying another. Howard breaks the news that Leslie wrote to Hammond, then proposes buying the letter back from Hammond's widow. The moral is stated plainly: “I don't think it's right, but I think it's expedient.” Bob's answer is trust, not judgment, and the defense quietly turns into a cover-up.

あらすじ

At their club over gin slings, Howard Joyce tells Robert “Bob” Crosbie that Leslie wrote to Hammond the night he died. The letter is now with Hammond's widow, who threatens to hand it to the prosecution. Howard wants Bob's permission to buy it, and Bob gives it, trusting his lawyer to decide what is right.

CourtroomPartiesExplainingPersuadingLawyer & clientB2fastamericanClean
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注目の表現

as a matter of facta good dealget hold ofjust as well

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このシーンの表現

get hold of

obtain; get one's hands on

When Bob asks what to do, Howard says they must get hold of the letter first.

I need to get hold of a copy before Friday.

このシーンの他の表現

  • as a matter of fact

    actually; in fact

  • a good deal

    a great deal; considerably

  • just as well

    it is just as well; no harm done

  • put something out of your mind

    stop thinking about something

  • take your mind off

    distract yourself from something

このシーンのメモ一覧

83 行のセリフに 25 件のメモ

表現 · A2nothing to worry about

nothing to be anxious about

I guess you've finally convinced me there's nothing to worry about.
表現 · A2something comes up

arise; crop up

Well... as a matter of fact, something's come up, Bob.
発音matter of fact

Run matter of fact together, with of almost swallowed.

Well... as a matter of fact, something's come up, Bob.
表現 · B1have a talk with someone

talk with someone

Oh, nothing important, but I thought I'd better have a talk with you about it.
表現 · B2have no communication with someone

have no contact with someone

But that's impossible. You heard her say she'd had no communication with him for weeks before it happened.
文法 · B1she'd had no communication

past perfect: The past perfect places the silence before the killing, fixing the order of events.

But that's impossible. You heard her say she'd had no communication with him for weeks before it happened.
表現 · A2later on

later; afterwards

In the excitement, she forgot about the letter and then later on was afraid to say she'd made a mistake.
表現 · B1turn something over to someone

hand something over to someone

And she threatens to turn it over to the prosecution.
表現 · B2in the minds of someone

in someone's view

Well, yes, but don't you see, Bob, that it might alter things a good deal in the minds of the jury if Hammond came to your house by invitation.
発音don't you

The t in don't you often drops, blurring into doncha.

Well, yes, but don't you see, Bob, that it might alter things a good deal in the minds of the jury if Hammond came to your house by invitation.
表現 · A2deal with something

handle something

Juries can sometimes be very stupid, and it's just as well not to worry them with more evidence than they can conveniently deal with.
文法 · B2more evidence than they can conveniently deal with

comparative clause: The more-than comparison says the evidence exceeds what the jury can cope with.

Juries can sometimes be very stupid, and it's just as well not to worry them with more evidence than they can conveniently deal with.
表現 · B1pretend to do something

claim or pretend to do something

Howard, I don't pretend to understand.
表現 · B1do as you think best

do what you judge best

You go ahead and do as you think best.
表現 · A2after the trial

after the court case ends

Dorothy, don't you think it might be more appropriate if you wrote your invitations after the trial?
文法 · B2if you wrote your invitations

subjunctive: Wrote signals a tentative suggestion, not a fact about what she has done.

Dorothy, don't you think it might be more appropriate if you wrote your invitations after the trial?
スラング · B1fussing

making a fuss — Fine between friends; too blunt for polite company.

Oh, do stop fussing.
表現 · A2send something out

mail or distribute something

I won't send them out until tomorrow evening, of course.
発音going to stay

Going to reduces to gonna, with the stress landing on stay.

Nonsense. We're having the party, and you're going to stay.
スラング · B1Nonsense

rubbish; that's absurd — A blunt way to dismiss an idea; can sound rude.

Nonsense. We're having the party, and you're going to stay.
表現 · B1go on doing something

keep doing something

You mustn't go on doing that out here.
表現 · B1hang around

loiter; wait idly

There's no point in you three hanging around.
表現 · A2be off

be leaving

Well, I guess we'd better be off.
スラング · A2be off

be leaving — Casual farewell line; keep it for friends.

Well, I guess we'd better be off.
表現 · B2off the premises

off the property

I'm not allowed off the premises, you know.

「Howard Tells Bob to Buy the Letter」を読み解く

What's really going on

The scene frames itself as friendship, but it is really a negotiation about evidence. Howard's phrase “I don't think it's right, but I think it's expedient” tells the audience exactly what kind of lawyer, and what kind of case, this is: he will do the useful thing even when it is not the honest one. His reasoning is almost casual — “Juries can sometimes be very stupid” — and Bob never pushes back; he simply says he will pay and leave the details to Howard. The real tension is that everyone in the room knows an innocent woman would not need a letter bought. The cover-up begins here, politely, over drinks.

Theme

JusticeThe lawyer chooses what is useful over what is right, and the jury is kept in the dark.
CorruptionBuying a letter to keep it from the prosecution turns the defense into a quiet cover-up.

このチャプターで学べること

  • A lawyer says expedient out loud so he never has to call it right.
  • The letter matters less than who is allowed to hold it.
  • Dorothy's party is a small act of denial about the trial.

発音のポイント

  • matter of fact — Run matter of fact together, with of almost swallowed.
  • don't you — The t in don't you often drops, blurring into doncha.
  • going to stay — Going to reduces to gonna, with the stress landing on stay.
I don't think it's right, but I think it's expedient.

Howard admits the plan isn't moral but argues it will work, summing up the film's bargain between right and useful.

Juries can sometimes be very stupid, and it's just as well not to worry them with more evidence than they can conveniently deal with.

His justification for hiding evidence: jurors are easily confused, so giving them less to think about is simply practical.

Well, yes, but don't you see, Bob, that it might alter things a good deal in the minds of the jury if Hammond came to your house by invitation.

The letter matters because it changes how the jury reads the shooting, turning Hammond from an intruder into an invited guest.

But that's impossible. You heard her say she'd had no communication with him for weeks before it happened.

Bob's instinct is to trust Leslie's account, and the letter is the first sign that her story is not the whole truth.

Nonsense. We're having the party, and you're going to stay.

Dorothy refuses to let the trial set the household's schedule, insisting on the party and on Leslie staying.

このシーンについての質問

Why does Howard want to buy the letter?

If the jury learns Hammond came to the house by Leslie's invitation, it undercuts her story of being attacked, so Howard would rather keep the letter out of court.

Is buying the letter illegal?

The film treats it as morally wrong rather than simply illegal: Howard calls it expedient, and the payment is arranged quietly through the widow.

Does Bob believe the letter is real?

Yes. Howard tells him Leslie did write it, explaining it was about a birthday present, and Bob accepts his lawyer's account.

What does “expedient” mean here?

It means useful and convenient rather than right. Howard is admitting the plan is ethically wrong but practically effective.

Who is the party for?

It is meant to be held in honor of Robert and Leslie after the trial, and the scene shows the household trying to act as if normal life can continue.

The Letter · 全 15 章

すべて見る →
次のチャプター · 第 12 章put all your eggs in one basketRobert Announces the Move to Sumatra
第 1 章riddled with bulletsLeslie Confesses After the Shooting第 2 章put my back upLeslie Recounts the Night Hammond Died第 3 章the last strawLeslie Describes Shooting Hammond第 4 章like grim deathJoyce Questions Leslie About the Body第 5 章go to blazesOng Brings Joyce a Delicate Matter第 6 章put a different complexion onOng Brings Joyce the Letter第 7 章a hairsbreadthHoward Confronts Leslie Over a Letter第 8 章talk very plainlyHoward Confronts Leslie About the Letter第 9 章save your neckHoward Refuses to Buy the Letter第 10 章go to the devilOng Chi Seng Names His Price再生中 · 第 11 章get hold ofHoward Tells Bob to Buy the Letter第 12 章put all your eggs in one basketRobert Announces the Move to Sumatra第 13 章throw cold water onRobert Learns What the Letter Cost第 14 章in love withLeslie Confesses Loving Hammond第 15 章good sportLeslie's Party After the Trial
第 11 / 15 章 · 残り約 13 分