Le Corbeau: French Film Guide (Cine-File French Film Guides) by Judith Mayne

by Judith Mayne

Le Corbeau stands as the premier film about the German occupation of France. Judith Mayne's book analyzes the film's brilliant visual style and dark tone, and provides a guide to its many possible interpretations (in line with the period's "cinema of paradox").

Paperback

First published April 9, 2007

Reviews

[Joe M · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a terrific critical analysis of “Le Corbeau” (“The Raven”), a classic ‘40s French film directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot (who later directed the masterpieces “Wages of Fear” and “Les Diaboliques”). In “Le Corbeau,” a small town is inundated with sadistic, poison-pen letters from the elusive (and seemingly omnipresent) ‘Raven.’ Typical of Clouzot’s work, it is a dark film with a pessimistic view of human nature. Before reading this, I had thought of “Le Corbeau” merely as a great mystery film, but Judith Mayne reveals its almost equally interesting context, one I hadn’t known about previously: it was produced by Continental Films, a Nazi-financed company that dominated French cinema during the Occupation. Mayne does a superb job of discussing the complexities and paradoxes of that time and place, and the film as a product of that era. She also provides interesting insights about the film itself and key themes; for example, how the film’s gender politics broke with tradition and could have influenced its reception. If you ever watch the movie: my favorite scene is the one with the globe and the swinging light. (originally written April 25, 2008)