Gathering up films to watch last year that were affected by the Nazi Occupation of France,I found out about a title from Henri-Georges Clouzot which angered both the Nazis and the Resistance,and led to Clouzot being banned from film making for 3 years! Deciding to spend the next few months watching French cinema,I felt that it was time to finally open the raven's letter.
The plot:
Working in a small town,Dr Rémy Germain gets a "poison pen" letter from someone called "The Raven" who claims that they know about Germain having an affair with psychiatrist Dr. Vorzet's wife Laura,and also of performing illegal abortions. Trying to keep the letter under wraps,Germain finds his attempts to fail,as The Raven sends letters around town,publicly revealing peoples most personal details. Initially limiting the letters to peoples private lives, The Raven catches the town by surprised horror,when a letter causes a patient of Germain to kill himself.
View on the film:
Inspired by a real "poison letter" case that took place in Tulle, Limousin (signed "The eye of the tiger") in 1917,the screenplay by co-writer/(along with Louis Chavance) director Henri-Georges Clouzot sends the letters to the gripped with fear Occupied France.Openly having a character state "Evil is a necessary thing.",the writers tear the town up with a ruthlessly allegorical Film Noir,by making the search for The Raven,one where everybody is covered in grave doubts,and the "resistance" to the letter is torn down by mistrust and deceit. Getting on the wrong side of everyone, (with "The Raven" being revived in real life letters on the Clearstream affair,leaking details about French politicians secret bank accounts.)
The writers strike a brutal punch against the Nazis, (who ran Continental Films studio) by making the letters drying up info being given to the self-appointed,ruling elite in the town.Leaving this work as a mark for 3 years,director Clouzot & cinematographer Nicolas Hayer fly with the raven into the darkest areas of the town.Opening up the anxiety with each new letter,Clouzot sweeps across the town with ultra-stylish tracking shots which turn on every suspect in town.
Unveiling the secrets,Clouzot soaks the title in an intense Film Noir atmosphere of dread,by superbly making the decayed shadows shining down on the residences subtly reflect the "grey" world they are trapped in.Joined by a stunning Micheline Francey (who got banned from acting for a year after appearing here!) as the unsteady on her feet Laura Vorzet, Pierre Fresnay gives an extraordinary performance as Germain,thanks to Fresnay trimming Germain's "clean cut" image as secrets fly out of his hand,and turn Germain into a Film Noir loner in the wilderness of the town,as the mysterious letter writer quotes The Raven,never more.
The plot:
Working in a small town,Dr Rémy Germain gets a "poison pen" letter from someone called "The Raven" who claims that they know about Germain having an affair with psychiatrist Dr. Vorzet's wife Laura,and also of performing illegal abortions. Trying to keep the letter under wraps,Germain finds his attempts to fail,as The Raven sends letters around town,publicly revealing peoples most personal details. Initially limiting the letters to peoples private lives, The Raven catches the town by surprised horror,when a letter causes a patient of Germain to kill himself.
View on the film:
Inspired by a real "poison letter" case that took place in Tulle, Limousin (signed "The eye of the tiger") in 1917,the screenplay by co-writer/(along with Louis Chavance) director Henri-Georges Clouzot sends the letters to the gripped with fear Occupied France.Openly having a character state "Evil is a necessary thing.",the writers tear the town up with a ruthlessly allegorical Film Noir,by making the search for The Raven,one where everybody is covered in grave doubts,and the "resistance" to the letter is torn down by mistrust and deceit. Getting on the wrong side of everyone, (with "The Raven" being revived in real life letters on the Clearstream affair,leaking details about French politicians secret bank accounts.)
The writers strike a brutal punch against the Nazis, (who ran Continental Films studio) by making the letters drying up info being given to the self-appointed,ruling elite in the town.Leaving this work as a mark for 3 years,director Clouzot & cinematographer Nicolas Hayer fly with the raven into the darkest areas of the town.Opening up the anxiety with each new letter,Clouzot sweeps across the town with ultra-stylish tracking shots which turn on every suspect in town.
Unveiling the secrets,Clouzot soaks the title in an intense Film Noir atmosphere of dread,by superbly making the decayed shadows shining down on the residences subtly reflect the "grey" world they are trapped in.Joined by a stunning Micheline Francey (who got banned from acting for a year after appearing here!) as the unsteady on her feet Laura Vorzet, Pierre Fresnay gives an extraordinary performance as Germain,thanks to Fresnay trimming Germain's "clean cut" image as secrets fly out of his hand,and turn Germain into a Film Noir loner in the wilderness of the town,as the mysterious letter writer quotes The Raven,never more.