Le Corbeau

Unsigned letters begin circulating in a French town. First they accuse a doctor, then everyone; the town starts informing on itself. The film does not make finding the writer its real subject; the narrative shows how denunciation spreads and how quickly people take to it. The scene with the swinging lamp states directly that good and bad cannot be separated. Henri-Georges Clouzot directed. It was made during the occupation inside a German-financed company; after the war the director was barred from working for a time and the film was argued over for years. Before watching: knowing the conditions it was made under changes the narrative markedly. Euthanasia and suicide are also dealt with directly.