Le Corbeau: The Raven
(1943)
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Le Corbeau: The Raven
(1943)
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| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
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Pierre Fresnay | ... |
Le docteur Rémy Germain
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Ginette Leclerc | ... |
Denise Saillens
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Micheline Francey | ... |
Laura Vorzet
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Héléna Manson | ... |
Marie Corbin, l'infirmière
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Jeanne Fusier-Gir | ... |
La mercière
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Sylvie | ... |
La mère du cancéreux
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Liliane Maigné | ... |
Rolande Saillens
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Pierre Larquey | ... |
Michel Vorzet
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Noël Roquevert | ... |
Saillens, la maître d'école
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Bernard Lancret | ... |
Le substitut
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Antoine Balpêtré | ... |
Le docteur Delorme
(as Antoine Balpétré)
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Jean Brochard | ... |
Bonnevie, le trésorier de l'hôpital
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Pierre Bertin | ... |
Le sous-préfet
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Louis Seigner | ... |
Bertrand
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Roger Blin | ... |
François, le cancéreux du 13
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A vicious series of poison-pen letters spreads rumours, suspicion and fear among the inhabitants of a small French town, and one after another, they turn on each other as their hidden secrets are unveiled - but the one secret that no-one can uncover is the identity of the letters' author... Written by Michael Brooke <michael@everyman.demon.co.uk>
"Beware! I see all and tell all." So quoth the Raven, the pen name of the mysterious writer of poison pen letters that has plagued a small town in France with suspicion, fear and anxiety. Since this film was made by a Frenchman under a German controlled studio during Nazi occupied France in 1943, there is a subtext not necessarily explicit in the film itself, but nonetheless pervades its very essence. In Le Corbeau, Dr. Remy Germain becomes a victim when letters start circulating that accuse him of having an affair with a married woman and of being an abortionist. Both of these accusations are false but do contain half-truths, and it is the unfortunate tendency for groups of people, usually motivated by fear, to assume the worst. Furthermore, Germain is an outsider, in that he refuses to participate in gossip and avoids social clicks, which ironically makes him a target. Soon he will find himself under suspicion and alienated. Since virtually every member of the community has some skeleton in their closet, they would much rather turn their ire on the accused than risk having their own affairs aired by The Raven. And so the drama escalates to a crisis where Clouzot does not even spare the victim of blame. By assuming a position of detachment, Germain has turned a blind eye and thereby contributing to ignorance which only provides fuel for the Raven and the lies and deceit spread like a plague.