Le Corbeau (1943)

8 out of 8 people found the following review helpful:

the work of a master

graham cuming from london uk, 1st September, 2006

Le Corbeau is a fascinating film. Universally reviled by the authorities of every political and religious persuasion at the time it was a big hit with the cinema-going public. It is not difficult to see why. The movie addresses the issue of malicious scandal and the prurient and even violent response this can evoke from all strata of society. It plays out like a whodunnit, but it also explores the sort of dark group-dynamics that can develop if left unchecked - a la macarthy and salem. From a technical perspective the expressionistic use of lighting and camera angles is excellent - most notably when a nurse suspect is being hounded by the inhabitants of the town. Yet this is just one of a number of remarkably good set-pieces within the film. Le Courbeau has been unjustly neglected, mainly because of Clouzot being accused as a collaborator during the war - this film being one of the chief pieces of evidence used against him as it was made during the Occupation. The knowledge that Clouzot would actually be forced to endure the sort of public vilification seen in the film gives it an even darker edge than it already has. In the end Clouzot was banned from making any more movies during the initial post-Occupation period. Finally, a big thanks to Optimum who have released this DVD. It also includes an exemplary piece of film analysis as part of the Extras. An introduction which should be a model for any subsequent releases.

Read all highest rated reviews

5 out of 5 people found the following review helpful:

Could this be the first film noir?

Colette from , 22nd October, 2005

A gem of a film, I would highly recommend watching the extras for an excellent commentary on the historical background of this extraordinary film made in occupied france during the 2nd World War.

It can be seen as criticism of the bourgeoisie just as well as one of the conflicts generated by the occupation, the denonciations, suspicions, lies. It is also refreshingly free from the usual cliches and gender roles one is used to find in other films made in the 1930's and later.

Read all highest rated reviews

4 out of 4 people found the following review helpful:

Rural France

Peter Walker from Herts, England, 19th July, 2005

The small French village, local relationships come to a head when poison letters flow in the village. One can smell the garlic in this beautifully directed film of French village life when tension grows between the inhabitants from the poison letters . The story unfolds keeping your attention until the culprit is discovered, with a few twists on the way. Nostalgia for some, but 90mins of compulsive viewing sub titles well done for those who need them.

Read all highest rated reviews

3 out of 3 people found the following review helpful:

Masks of Respectability

FrankIV from , 4th July, 2005

This is quite a wicked, subversive little film, on the surface like an Agatha Christie mystery as citizens of a small town are plagued by a series of poison pen letters, but actually exposing the secrets and lies beneath the respectable surface presented by the town's bourgeoisie.

There is telling dialogue about the grey areas between good and evil, and some amusing moments as everyone in the town is revealed as duplicitous in one way or another - even a little girl who lies about having seen a piece of paper. Unusual and interesting - recommended.

Read all highest rated reviews

Wagging tongues and poison pens

A Customer from Preston, 13th November, 2008

This controversial film presents a sick view of humanity. I found it engrossing as a whodunnit, but dispiriting in its assumptions as to the venomous undercurrents either to be found or all too ready to surface in small town or village life. But the director, Henri-Georges Clouzot, could be given the benefit of the doubt as to possible subtleties in a film made in Nazi occupied France. The atmosphere one can visualize in real life there, with informants, whisperings, and arrests during the night, must surely have been subtly suggested and of necessity masked by him in the making of the film.

Read all recent reviews

Clouzot's best film?

A Customer from Lewes, 8th September, 2008

A masterly portrait of a community disintegrating under a wave of poison pen letters revealing all the townspeople's nasty little secrets, it is no wonder that it was censured by all the authorities when it came out in 1943. Set in a French provincial town, the story has a universal application - the prologue refers somewhat ingenuously to the location as 'ici ou ailleurs' (here or somewhere else) - and it is a social study which can be set next to Fritz Lang's 'Fury' as being of continuing relevance. The characters are sharply drawn and Clouzot casts a withering glance on French provincial society. His misanthropy ensures that there is not one wholly admirable character in the whole film - even the children are shown to be deceitful and untrustworthy. With an intelligent and amusing script and sharp visuals it is as enthralling as a Hitchcock thriller and wears much better than his more famous 'Les Diaboliques' or the rather overblown 'La Salaire de la Peur'. A slight weakness in the plotting of the denouement (who exactly wrote the final letter and why?) is only apparent at a second viewing. Rivetting, and great entertainment!

Read all recent reviews

Death and deceit in a French Town

A Customer from England, 28th November, 2007

A film that challenges the small town mentality everywhere. Lies, deceit, secrets, murder, love. This film has it all. It keeps you giessing until the very end. It is aesthetically pleasing and uses shadows extremely well to illustrate complex points. Well worth watching - in fact, we've just bought it, it's that good!

Read all recent reviews

Not bad but the ending is weird

Chantal from , 23rd February, 2007

A good depiction of a little village mentality but the ending is an anticlimax

Read all recent reviews