THE BLACK BOOK – 1949I finally got around to this one, and I was rather surprised just how much I enjoyed it. Even though I'm a fan of the director, and director of photography, the French Revolution just never grabbed me as a possible venue for a noir, so I avoided this one for years. Boy was I wrong to do that.Loved the look of the whole production, I'd swear that John Alton lit the entire film with the refection of a lit cigar off a quarter.Robert Cummings and Richard Basehart headline with great support from, Arnold Moss, Beulah Bondi, Charles McGraw, Arlene Dahl and Richard Hart. Look close and you can see long time bit players, John Doucette, Dabbs Greer, Dan Seymour and Royal Dano.The story is about a group of patriots out to stop the evil Robespierre, played by Richard Basehart. The man has been on a spree of trials and executions of everyone opposed to his rule. He wants to be named dictator of all of France. This of course does not sit well with many.It seems that Robespierre has a book with all his enemies, real or perceived in it. If the Patriots can obtain said book, they can expose Robespierre as the murdering swine that he is. Robert Cumming plays the main agent of this underground group.Produced by budget minded Eagle-Lion studios, this one sure gives full value. Well worth a watch, though some of the prints out there are not that great. I caught this one off TCM. Director Anthony Mann strikes again!

Robert Cummings, Richard Basehart, Arlene Dahl, and Norman Lloyd star in this excellent little tense thriller set during the French Revolution. I went into this knowing nothing, and really the viewer doesn't need to know anything. If you love fast-paced espionage films, this is the one to see. With great production values supervised by director Anthony Mann, this has to be one of the best movies made in 1949, even though it's been forgotten in the years since. Robert Cummings is looking for a certain book, obviously, to bring down Richard Basehart, who's in power and control over the people. And, Arlene Dahl has never looked lovelier. One of the film's best attributes is in creating the mood and moment as it heightens the tension, while the law is looking for Bob and Arlene at an old farmhouse and the quiet scenes are very memorable and tense. From there on, the film is on another plane entirely and is better than one would expect from such a little film. If you've never seen this, you're missing one of the best films to come from director Anthony Mann.

It's funny to watch how Hollywood treats French history .Historically this terror evocation leaves a lot to be desired .Nothing for instance concerns the reason why the terror was instituted:at the time the country had to fight two enemies :the foreign countries and the royalists .At the beginning ,the terror was "useful" ,although they killed a lot of innocents (including the genius Lavoisier who virtually invented chemistry ,the poet Chénier and the suffragette Olympe de Gouges ,one of the first women to claim sexual equality).In the movie,Barras ,who played a prominent part in the fall of RObespierre has a minor part ,except in the final scenes .Instead we have a chivalrous noble (Robert Cummings) and his gorgeous mistress Madelon (Arlene Dahl).For good measure they hint at the unfortunate late Marie-Antoinette and Bonaparte appears in the flesh towards the end ,as the messiah (?).PLus "La Carmagnole" "AH CA Ira! and ,all the same ,"La Marseillaise " (earlier "Le Chant Des Marseillais" ) which was at the time a revolutionary song.They seem to promise a brighter future if we are to believe the screenwriters Take it for what it is :pure entertainment and forget French history!

This film, beautifully wrought (cinematographer John Alton must be responsible for much of this), makes me long to return to the days of black and white films and the stunning art that can be made in shades of gray.From the first shot of a tiny distant rider silhouetted against massive lowering storm clouds, we are pulled into the mood of the film. The smallness of the rider is the smallness of the protagonist in the face of the overpowering events of the French Revolution. The use of light and shadow, the low shots and unusual closeups of actors: all of this made me feel I was in the hands of a master of his art. My breath was literally taken away by many of these images.The story is serviceable and the acting quite good, but what sticks with me is the imagery of the film, the beauty of it.