Film Critique “Le Corbeau: A Period Piece” Candace Rich April 31,2010 Media Tech II
“Le Corbeau (1943) A Period Piece” Candace Rich Period 7 April 30, 2010 Le Corbeau A Period Piece
Though seen today as merely a piece of art, Le Corbeau by Henri Georges Clouzot was, at the time of its release, a very controversial film said to be symbolic of the paranoia caused by the Nazi takeover. Over time the French film has become more popular gaining for the star, Pierre Fresnay, a magazine entitled Cinémonde that focused on retelling the story of a film through the eyes of the main character. The use of techniques such as lighting and camera angles to emphasize character relations, and Clouzot’s use of setting and mood coupled with the occasional reliance on dialogue to emphasize issues such as gender relations and self discovery, make Le Corbeau a film that’s more than just a storyline. This film explores the realm of the human psyche as well as symbolism. As the story develops and the poison pen letters run rampant through the town, each character must face their true self. In some cases they are forced to face their past as in the case of Dr. Germain and Ms. Denise Saillens whose characters turn out to be hiding a secret which might cripple their reputation. Throughout the movie it is unclear who “Le Corbeau” is or why they are writing the letters but Clouzot handles foreshadowing well enough through dialogue and lighting techniques to create a cinema masterpiece. The impact or meaning of a film for the audience changes, sometimes drastically, depending on the audience and their backgrounds. At the time of the first release of Le Corbeau, films were primarily filtered through the Paris-based; German administered and financed production company Continental Production Company. It was through this
company that Le Corbeau was screened and thus the movie was taken to be a statement on behalf of the German government of the time. "Occasionally the same film was championed...or decried (for example Le Corbeau) by both conservative right and the various clandestine Resistance factions, so that it has simply not been clear whether any specific, readily assignable set of ideological values at all is being promoted or opposed by a particular film." Some speak of this time period as a "Golden Age" in French Cinema because it is seen to have produced more purely French films than ever before or to come. Le Corbeau is an example of one of these period pieces that at the time could have set a viewer into believing that the story actually happened, and in this case there was no denying this truth. Le Corbeau is set in a little town in France known only to the viewer as "anywhere" however Clouzot has been said to have loosely based his film on the town of Tulle in France, 1917 where an anonymous letter writer accused notable figures in the town of having affairs. In the beginning of Le Corbeau it is unclear who is the protagonist and antagonist however as the story goes on it becomes clear that the main target of the poison pen letters, the newcomer in town, Dr. Remy Germain, is the protagonist. Though lighting and camera technique may make a movie, the script, thus the dialogue, is what makes the characters. The film begins with Dr. Germain exiting the house of a family. His hands are covered in blood and he walks to the well to wash them. As he is washing his hands, one of the lady’s who was standing by the door he exited walks up and offers him his coat as she asks about the woman and her child. It becomes clear that Remy has been called to deliver a baby however he must confess to the lady that he chose to abort the baby in “all good conscience,� to save the mother. Unfortunately for Dr. Germain, this is not the first time since his arrival that he has
been called to handle such a situation. Though he has confessed he did this in good conscience, Dr. Germain appears disquieted by the action he has had to take as he is confronted in the lobby of the hospital by a couple of his colleagues. The dialogue between the doctors is concise and to add to the tone set by the dialogue Clouzot uses quick jump cuts from the conversation between Dr. Germain and his colleague to the other doctor who enters. These three begin a conversation and Clouzot recognizes the use of the three main characters as the strongest shot composition, breaking the shot up with the rule of thirds. The placement of the three doctors and the order of their dialogue aids in keeping the viewer concentrated on the conversation, as there is never a dull moment. This is only one example of the use of certain angles and lighting to aid the dialogue in developing the characters of the little town. Later when Remy enters his place of board Rolande, the 14-year-old daughter of his landlord, meets him at the door. Here, as Remy walks up the stair after finishing a conversation with Rolande, Clouzot uses an angle that places the diagonal of the staircase so that it points toward the place in which Rolande is standing. The shot is cropped so that the viewer does not see her character however the conversation between the two has continued and as Rolande introduces the letter soon to be recognized as the first from “Le Corbeau” Clouzot jumps to a stand up shot of Rolande where she was before. This strong use of diagonal allows for a clean jump cut to a shot of Rolande as the Point of focus almost as if jumping to Remy’s perspective of the scene. Again this has set Clouzot up to cut back to a shot of Remy only this time rather than from the side of the banister, the viewer is apparently receiving the thanks from Remy through the eyes of Rolande. These two point of view shots allow the viewer to get into the story as a character rather than a bystander. It is after this shot that the viewer is introduced to the character “Le Corbeau” and the plot of the movie takes
off. The mystery of “Le Corbeau” haunts the town and Clouzot recognizes this haunting, almost ere feeling with his use of light and camera technique. The town is set into a trust-noone attitude. Lovers begin to doubt one another and family members turn against each other, even patients won’t use Dr. Germain because of his reputation due to the poison pen letters. In one scene, Clouzot uses lighting to emphasize a mood of distrust between the head doctor and the bookkeeper. The lights are dim outside of the bookkeeper’s office and the head doctor, Dr. Delorme, addresses an issue discussed in one of the poison pen letters. The two have both received a letter advancing that the other has in some way disgraced them. The dialogue between the two has already set a distrustful tone however Clouzot adds a touch more of this shadowy disposition by using low lighting and jump-cuts from extreme closeups on each character as they present their ideas. As the tensions begin to settle, if only slightly, and Dr. Delorme begins to leave, Clouzot picks up with wider shots leaving more open space, as if to insinuate visually the lifting of the tensions. Clouzot uses techniques like this throughout the film to emphasize certain aspects including thoughtful moments and intimate ones as well. In the heat of the problem that the letters have caused, the main character, Dr. Germain, begins to unravel his inner feelings in a conversation with Ms. Denise Saillens. The dialogue alone would have done to set a mood of thoughtfulness but Clouzot wanted to create the visual elements that would help evoke these feelings in the viewer. Here he has his cinematographer, Nicolas Hayer use a foreshortening shot that centers the viewer's attention on Dr. Germain as he bears a thoughtful look, and leaves Ms. Denise Saillens in the background, out of focus. This thoughtful shot is brightly lit to add a sense of serenity and relaxation associated with reflecting upon the past. A strong
key light does the trick, leaving a shadowy spot to the back of Dr. Germaine. Instantly after Dr. Germain has made his point, by mentioning that two souls haunt him, Clouzot’s editor Marguerite Beauge cuts to a plain shot of Rolande standing at the door as she interrupts which breaks this moment of serenity to lead into the mysterious, foreshadowing conversation to come between Dr. Germain and Dr. Vorzet. In this scene, Clouzot uses both camera and lighting tricks to make the viewer feel as though there is more room on stage and to aid in the fluidity of the transition from one scene to the next. As the two doctors are leaving, Clouzot has his Beauge, his cinematographer, break up the shot with Dr. Germaine and Dr. Vorzet both in the right of the shot. Dr. Vorzet then walks across the shot and exits down the stairs on the left, leaving Dr. Germain in the foreground on right third of the shot. Here Clouzot incorporates a lighting technique in which he has the foreground set with three point lighting and an additional light set up below the banister by the exit of the door through which Dr. Vorzet is exiting. Instead of having the dialogue take up space on stage, Clouzot had Pierre Larquey finish his lines, and exit the scene by walking down the stairs making him out of sight of the camera that stays focused on Dr. Germaine. The extra light in this scene casts a long shadow silhouette of Dr. Vorzet along the wall and up the stairs as he leaves. The shadow pauses and turns before exiting to directly address Dr. Germaine and once he is gone, or his shadow that is, the scene can continuously flow from that of the conversation between the doctors to Dr. Germaine entering the room of Ms. Denise Saillens. Throughout Le Corbeau Clouzot used these types of lighting and camera tricks in order to make sets appear larger and more elaborate. This is a good example of the stunning abilities of Henri Georges Clouzot because he was not able to afford a large and elaborate set
because of the restriction of the Continental Film Company through which he had to work. Viewers have seen, "Henri-George Clouzot's...account of the way a poison-pen letter campaign turns the occupants of a small French town against each other... as his comment on the way France reacted to the German occupation of France during the Second World War." Uniquely all these opinions had great repercussions on Clouzot's life as a director. Immediately after the end of the German occupation, critics smeared Clouzot for the production of Le Corbeau because he produced it through the help of Continental Productions, which was a German run production company. Ironically, it was only because of Clouzot's position as artistic director for the Continental Production Company that his movie Le Corbeau was able to get " Past the pre-production stage, much less passed Vichy censorship." Later, after these issues that faced Europe had settled, Otto Preminger remade Le Corbeau as The 13th Letter that was better accepted by the public. “So sharp was its portrayal of small-town hypocrisy that the German authorities gleefully exhibited it as anti-French propaganda. After the war, Clouzot was banned for a short period from making films.� Though apparently this destroyed the reputation of Clouzot, later other directors such as Jean Cocteau came to the rescue and helped him rebuild his career by supporting his work in short films. This eventually built up to his work as a feature length director.
Works Cited 1. Eimer, David. “Le Corbeau.” The Sunday Times natl ed.: n. pag. Ebscohost News. Web. 30 Apr. 2010. <http://wearch.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nfh&AN=7EH2644937218&si te=ehost-live>. 2. Mayne, Judith. “Henri-Georges Clouzot’s Le Corbeau adn the Crimes of Women.” Journal of The 20th Century Contemporary French Studies 4.2 (2000): 319-42. Ebsco Host. Web. 30 Apr. 2010. <http://search.ebscohost.com/login.sdpx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=4420355&site=ehost -live>. 3. Quart, Alissa. “Le Corbeau.” Cineaste 1995: 54. Vocational and Career Collection EBSCO. Web. 30 Apr. 2010. <http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=voh&AN9508246303&site=ehost-live>. 4.Sims, Gregory. “Henri-Georges Clouzot’s ‘Le Corbeau’ (1943): The Work of Art as Will to Power.” MLN 114.4 (1999): 743-79. JSTOR. Web. 30 Apr. 2010. <http://jstor.org/s tale/3251362>. 5.Visual Arts. “French Films With Hearts of War.” Toronto Star Canada ed.: n. pag. EBSCO Newspaper. Web. 30 Apr. 2010. <http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nfh&AN=6FP1695234234&sit e=ehost-live>.