christopher-underwood Powerful and involving with a solid cast, Clouzot has a very firm hand on this one as we race from incident to incident and character to character. Splendid Blu-ray print belies the film's considerable age and allows us to enjoy this seemingly simple tale that becomes more and more complex. Nasty, accusatory anonymous letters fall like confetti in this small French village , that the opening advises us, could be anywhere. No doubt that it is France though and with the Germans in occupation at the time Clout is careful not to be too explicit but his upset and anger is certainly evident. Always interesting the final half hour becomes a whirlwind of emotions and activity as we change our minds several times as to who we consider the perpetrator.

gavin6942 A French village doctor becomes target of poison-pen letters sent to village leaders, accusing him of affairs and practicing abortion.The film caused serious problems for its director after World War II as it had been produced by Continental Films, a German production company established near the beginning of the Occupation of France, and because the film had been perceived by the underground and the Communist press as vilifying the French people. Because of this, Clouzot was initially blocked for life from directing in France and the film too was suppressed, although both bans only lasted until 1947.I wonder how that works... you're a director in World War II. Your country is taken over by the Germans. Do you work with them to keep working, or do you stop working... or just go underground? Frankly, I'm surprised that Germany allowed the French to make films at all. You might think there would be more important things to do while occupying a country. But then again, Hollywood never let a war slow them down... (not really a fair analogy given that not once has Hollywood been under assault).

Alex da Silva There is a pest in a small French town who is writing letters to people and insulting them as well as spreading some unwanted scandal on their behalf. It's quite a good way of getting to people. New doctor in town Pierre Fresnay (le docteur Remy) seems to be the main target and the audience begin to question his past as he doesn't seem to have a good record when it comes to performing abortions. We are taken through a cast of characters who are related to each other or having affairs and can you guess the culprit? I found some of the relationships confusing so pay attention or you may get relatives and girlfriends mixed up as I did. The cast are good and we get a varied selection of characters. You'll definitely change your mind as to who is the guilty party even if you do eventually guess correctly. There is also a twist at the end, which you may also guess as the clues are there for you. It doesn't matter though as I found things resolved in a refreshingly satisfying way. Hollywood at the time wouldn't have let this ending pass so the film scores points for that.The film delivers some tense scenes, eg, the funeral and fate of nurse Helena Manson (Marie) – it's quite an overbearing sequence – and some humorous moments, eg, the dictation that takes forever. It's the exam from hell that never finishes. You just keep going. Ha ha. The dialogue is good and my favourite of the cast is the village tart Ginette Leclerc (Denise). It's an absorbing film and I know people blab on about some sort of significance in relation to freedom and the Nazi party, but it is basically an entertaining story and can be watched as precisely that without reading in anything else to the proceedings.

Spikeopath Le Corbeau is directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot and co-written by Clouzot and Henri Chavance. It stars Pierre Fresnay, Ginette Leclerc, Pierre Larquey and Micheline Francey. Music is by Tony Aubin and cinematography by Nicolas Hayer.We are in a small French town, the actual name of which is not known and is inconsequential. A series of poison pen letters are being sent out to the town dignitaries, accusing them of all sorts of inappropriate operations. The letters are signed by someone calling themselves Le Corbeau (The Raven), and pretty soon the town starts to implode as suspicion and mistrust runs wild.Famously it was the film that saw Clouzot banned from making films, the then young director receiving flak from all quarters of the Vichy Government - Catholic Church - Left Wingers and others too! The asides to the Nazi occupation of France at the time not being acknowledged until some years later. That very theme obviously holds considerable weight, but it's not the be all and end all of Clouzot's magnificent movie.Clouzot and Chavance tap into the troubling fallibility of the human race, portraying a town quickly submerged in moral decay. There is caustic observations on the higher echelons of society, a clinical deconstruction of a town quick to cast aspersions without thinking of consequences, while the script boasts frank intelligence and no fear of censorship. That a town so ripe in respected denizens could become so diseased, so quickly, makes for powerful viewing. All are guilty as well, nobody escapes, even the youngsters are liars or cheats, thieves or rumour spreaders, this be a Hades town where negativity runs rife and leads to broken bodies, broken souls and broken human spirits.Very much a bastion of proto-noir cinema, it's photographed with an awareness to marry up to the acerbic thematic at work. Shadows feature prominently, even in daylight, canted angles are used to great effect, broken mirrors perfectly imbuing the fractures of the human psyche. A number of scenes are startlingly memorable, a funeral procession and a church service interrupted by one of The Raven's letters are superbly staged, the pursuit of a nurse through the cobbled streets is menacing, and the finale is hauntingly raw. Top performances across the board from the cast brings further rewards, whilst simultaneously adding more plaudits to Clouzot's direction. All in all, a remarkable, fascinating and potent piece of cinema. 9/10