Black and white film seems to suit the Film Noir genre, from the moral ambiguity to the focus on acting and tension created by a well-written screenplay instead of meaningless explosions. Le Corbeau is no exception. Popular in Vichy France but banned after the liberation, it covers the disintegration of a small town when an anonymous letter writer begins accusing public figures.
Henri-Georges Clouzot uses a great deal of light and shadow to show the difference between right and wrong. Like Plato’s parable of The Cave, the viewer is left wondering about the true nature of each character: the real person or the shadow that they often cast. The Raven who observes the town and casts aspersions seeks to show that nobody is entirely good or evil; a shade of grey abound.
There are many clues as to who might be the letter writer and members of the town council each claim that they will solve the mystery. Like occupied France, the leadership has failed the citizens. Someone has betrayed the town but nobody can right the situation. When private citizens take the law into their own hands, mob rule ensues. A mother of a suicide victim swears vengeance, a nurse is falsely accused and expelled from the town, and a reputable doctor is accused of performing abortions. A Plague engulfs the town.
After a funeral, a furious mob pursues the nurse through the town. Church bells ring, a horde chants for blood, glass is shattered, and the nurse’s footsteps echo through the cobblestone streets. The din overwhelms her and the town, fervor overcomes logic and results in a miscarriage of justice. The writer may be correctly identified but the citizens cannot recover after falling from their perch. ****