Review of Le Corbeau (1943) by Familiar S — 10 Dec 2010

Somewhere in an unspecified small town a series of poisen pen letters are distributed to the town folk. The malicous letters are signed by Le Corbeau (the Raven). Half truths and lies are spreading fear and suspicion. The letters have such a strong impact on the locals that they lead to riots, vandalism, suicides, murder and other such diabolical acts. The main target is Dr Vortez (Piere Larquey) a new arrival who is accused of being a back street abortionist. His affairs are at the centre of the gossip.

Shot in 1943 when France was under German occupation, this dark mystery thriller was critised from both the political right wing and left. The Catholic Church denounced it's morbid subject matter and The Communists objected to what they percieved as a Nazi propaganda piece portaying the French in a less than flattering light. Because Henri- George Clouzet, the director made the film under a German owned studio he was banned from making films for two years after France's liberation. He eventually got to make another film and Le Corbeau was rereleased, this time to a better reception. Clouzot would go on to have a successful career directing classic thrillers such as Les Diaboliques (1955) and Wages Of Fear (1954), even gaining the nickname as a French Hitchcock.

I find that many French films have a matter of fact detachment from the audience as opposed to British and American films which are often more involving. But there is a romantic undertone and beauty and Le Corbeau, underneath it's morbid subject matter is no exception. What I love about French cinema is it's mixture of tragedy and romance, it's realism and fantasy. Contradictions that gave us Poetic Realism, a precursor to Film Noir which came about several years before the release of Le Corbeau. The unravelling of the mystery is the main focus of the plot but the ineffectual male authorities are shown to be weak. Perhaps this is a critique of the French government before and after the Fall of France. Unlike many other Film Noirs Le Corbeau is shot mainly during the day in stark contast to it's murky plot and this helps add atmosphere and tension as the otherwise normal town is seemingly on the verge of a breakdown.

Overall this is a well acted, gripping thriller with many red herrings. Recommended.