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Credits
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Summary
The peace of a small French village is mysteriously shattered by an outbreak of poison
pen letters, signed "Le Corbeau" (the Raven), which create suspicion and misery.
The prime target of these scandalous letters is Dr Germain, who is accused of having an
affair with the wife of one of his colleagues and of practising abortion. Although
much is revealed about the hidden lives of the village’s inhabitants, the identity of
the letters’ author remains a mystery...
Review
Le Corbeau is regarded today as a masterpiece of French cinema it created a storm
of controversy when it was released. The film was banned after the war because of
its perceived subversive and immoral overtones. The story was based on a real-life
case which took place in the French town of Tulle in the 1920s.
The film is an excellent suspense thriller, easily in the league of Clouzot’s subsequent films of this genre (Le Salaire de la peur and Les Diaboliques). Clouzot’s great skill as a director is in weaving a torturously compelling story in an atmosphere-laden setting, and this film gives the great director ample opportunity for that. Some of the scenes attain a dramatic intensity which is shocking to watch, even today (for example, the assault on the obvious suspect, Marie Corbin), whilst the mounting tension towards the end of the film as the poison-pen letter writer is revealed is mercilessly compelling. The reason why the film suffered at the hands of the censor may have had something to do with the judgement it makes on modern society. The activities of the poison-pen letter writer in Le Corbeau expose a shocking malaise which goes way beyond the evil scheme of one individual. Wherever the finger of suspicion points, it unveils some fault, some flaw which poisons the tranquillity of the sleepy country village. As the film states with chilling clarity, there are no absolutes in morality, no black and white, no clear distinction between right and wrong. © James Travers 2000 Write a review for this film... |
 
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