Reign of Terror

Anthony Mann's 1949 film is set in the French Revolution of 1794 but is a noir rather than a period picture. Robespierre has consolidated his power, made the guillotine an instrument of government and is close to dictatorship; his opponents plant a man named D'Aubigny among the Jacobins to bring him down. What they are after is the black book in which he has written the names of those he intends to have executed. The film has no interest in historical detail, building a chase out of dark corridors, low angles and hard contrast. John Alton's cinematography is its real identity, with scenes constructed almost entirely from shadow. Its presentation of the revolution as a police state was read alongside American politics of the time. Who it's for: viewers who like noir and visually ambitious productions. Who it's not for: anyone expecting historical accuracy; the film uses the period as a set.