Le Corbeau (1943)
Genre: Drama / Crime
Duration: 92 minuten
Alternative title: The Raven
Country:
France
Directed by: Henri-Georges Clouzot
Stars: Pierre Fresnay, Ginette Leclerc and Micheline Francey
IMDb score:
7,8 (11.833)
Releasedate: 28 September 1943
This movie is not available on US streaming services.
Le Corbeau plot
"One of the Most Discussed Films in the History of French Cinema!"
The inhabitants of a French village get the fright of their lives when all kinds of gossip letters go around. Gossip and fear make everyone suspect each other. The secrets of several villagers are revealed, but who the writer of the letters is remains a mystery...
Actors and actresses
Le docteur Rémy Germain
Denise Saillens
Laura Vorzet
Marie Corbin, l'infirmière
La mercière
La mère du cancéreux
Rolande Saillens
Michel Vorzet
Saillens, le directeur de l'école
Le substitut
Reviews & comments
Filmkriebel
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- 10012 messages
- 4678 votes
Le Corbeau is an authentic, gloomy and grim film noir. Clouzot, almost the French Hitchcock, had the film produced by the Germans, with the result that the film was banned. The values in the film did not correspond with those of the Vichy regime and the church.
That didn't stop the film from taking a place in film history. Clouzot provides a different kind of realism, one that portrays people with pernicious morals, and that was not tolerated. An anonymous individual spreads gossip letters in a village, targeting the person of a doctor and alluding to adultery and forbidden activities. Even prominent villagers are targeted by the numerous letters.
The acting is fine, with a misanthropic doctor played by Pierre Fresnay and the crippled Denise, who occasionally takes a lover into her bed to forget her disability for a while. The story remains a whodunnit until the last minute and unfolds in a denouement that is, if possible, even darker than all the other private revelations in the story.
Le Corbeau gets its strength from ambiguous dialogue, well-developed characters, an unhealthy atmosphere and professional acting. The only downside is the confusing narrative style: it is a film that is not easy to follow and feels long-winded due to its sober direction.
Translated from Dutch · View original
scorsese
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- 13235 messages
- 11125 votes
Good film in which the residents of a town receive various letters with gossip and accusations. The film looks like a whodunit (only this time without murder). How the letters hold the town in its grip is well depicted. A bit complicated at first because of the many different characters. A small 3.5 stars.
Translated from Dutch · View original
mjk87 (moderator films)
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- 14596 messages
- 4552 votes
Nice film, but towards the end it was a bit too much of the same for me, which made the film feel a bit long-winded, despite its fairly short length. The film doesn't really excel anywhere either. Thematically fine but not overwhelming, visually okay but not necessarily spectacular, the atmosphere in that village and the acting okay, but that's about it. Some scenes stand out in terms of entertainment, for example when many people have to write a letter in such a room. Curious to what extent Wicked Little Letters (Film, 2023) was also inspired by this. Although this French film is a lot better in terms of tone. 3.0*
Translated from Dutch · View original
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