Le Corbeau

French classic that used to be controversial for reasons that are mostly contextual. Watching it now, it's a pretty dull and stuffy mystery that may appeal to classic (noir) cinema fans, but I doubt if the film has surviving qualities beyond that. At least it's not too long, so adventurous souls don't lose 2+ hours having a go at it.

Things are brewing in a small rural French town. A mysterious person, signing his letters under the name of Le Corbeau, is spreading rumors about various people in the village. Some are true, others are pure fabrications. People don't know what to believe, or who this mysterious troublemaker is.

The film offers little beyond its premise. The performances are pretty stiff, the film leans heavily on dialogues and even though the mystery is upheld until the very end of the film, I never really cared about the identity of the shit stirrer. Slow, bland, and uneventful cinema, maybe if you buy into the deeper layers it could be something a bit more inviting.