Remy Germain is a doctor in a French town who becomes the focus of a vicious smear campaign, as letters accusing him of having an affair and performing unlawful abortions are mailed to village leaders. The mysterious writer, who signs each letter as “Le Corbeau” (The Raven) soon targets the whole town, exposing everyone’s dark secrets. This allegorical film was highly controversial at the time of its release, and was banned in France after the Liberation.
Category: Film Noir
A man who owns a diamond importing business goes out for a night on the town with his girlfriend, her brother and her brother’s fiancé. The group stops by a circus to see the act of a trapeze artist who’s a friend of the man’s girlfriend. The performer suggests that all the men go out for a few drinks, and the next thing the businessman knows, he’s waking up in his apartment with a terrible hangover and a dead body in his room.
George McAllister, the black sheep of a wealthy family who has squandered his share of the family inheritance, and lives in constant jealousy, hatred and resentment of his half-brother Barry, who has been supporting him. George gets his girl friend, Carlotta Duval, a job as Barry’s nurse with the plan of eventually marrying him. She does, but instead of going ahead with the original plan or getting rid of Barry, inheriting his money and marrying George, she finds that she is really in love with Barry.
The editor of a sleazy tabloid newspaper has been borrowing money from his lover, the wife of a rich theatrical producer, and promises to marry her when she gets a divorce. However, the husband refuses to grant her a divorce, and takes back all the money and jewelry he has given her. The editor sees her husband leaving her apartment and, seeing his opportunity, kills her, takes all his IOUs (and the jewelry) and frames the husband for the murder.
Insurance investigator Dan Sullivan is trying to gather clues from a payroll heist. Someone doesn’t want Sullivan to solve the case, as witness the number of times he’s beaten black-and-blue. The film’s bizarre climax takes place at the hideout of gang boss Frankie Mantell, where Sullivan, posing as a doctor, is expected to operate on the wounded criminal! Director Boetticher is at his best in the closing reels, slowly and methodically building tension upon tension as Sullivan seeks an avenue of escape.
Joan Summers enters the office of jewel merchant Montclaire closely followed by Kendal Wolf. Each recognizes the other to be a jewel thief, and wordlessly they team together to steal a $30,000 diamond. Searched and questioned when the gem is missed, they are released….with the gem. Detective Sharpe is still suspicious and so is the head of Jeweler’s Indemnity, who puts two underworld men on to retrieve the diamond.
A narcotics agent convinces a convict he helped send to Alcatraz go undercover with him to help expose a heroin drug smuggling ring. The unlikely pair travels from San Francisco to Vancouver and finally to a dude ranch in Tucson which is run by mob bosses. They end up getting help breaking the case from the gang leader’s dingy blonde girlfriend, who falls for the narcotics agent during the sting.
Two orphans, Polly and Doug, live with their stepmother Lynne; Polly collapses with the same mystery symptoms that killed her father. The kids’ visiting uncle, Whitney Cameron, is warned that the symptoms match strychnine poisoning, but that poisoners are seldom detected and rarely convicted. Sure enough, no case can be made against the obvious suspect; so what can Whitney do to save the next victim?