Reign of Terror (1949)
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76% of users liked it
(74 ratings)
Also known as Reign of Terror, The Black Book is a bold effort by director Anthony Mann to film a French Revolution epic on a "B" detective picture budget. Robert Cummings stars as Charles D'Aubigny, who has been engaged by a group of political moderates to retrieve a little black book… More Also known as Reign of Terror, The Black Book is a bold effort by director Anthony Mann to film a French Revolution epic on a "B" detective picture budget. Robert Cummings stars as Charles D'Aubigny, who has been engaged by a group of political moderates to retrieve a little black book from Revolutionary leader Robespierre (Richard Basehart). The book allegedly contains evidence that Robespierre has been acting in his own interest rather than on behalf of the new government. D'Aubigny is compelled to deal with the tangible threat of Robespierre's chief henchman (Charles McGraw) as well as his uncertainty concerning the loyalties of those working with him. The Black Book is retrieved, but not before Robespierre has self-destructed on his own. The cheapness of The Black Book works in its favor, especially its overuse of shadows; while this photographic device was intended to disguise the seediness of the sets, it accurately conveys a "dark" period in French history that here is literally as well as figuratively dark. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Directed By
- Anthony Mann
- Genres
- Drama, Action & Adventure, Classics
Unrated,
- In Theaters
- Oct 15, 1949 Wide
Critic Reviews
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Sean Axmaker, Seanax.com
... the strangest of genre mixes, a costume crime thriller with a continental setting and an American pulp sensibility.
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Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
It's a French Revolutionary drama made like one of Mann's film noirs.
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Fernando F. Croce, Slant Magazine
Noir visits the French Revolution, as the emphasis on vicious brutality suggests an account written by the Marquis de Sade.
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Cast
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Robert Cummings
as Charles D'Aubigny
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Arlene Dahl
as Madelon
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Richard Hart
as Francois Barras
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Arnold Moss
as Fouche
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Richard Basehart
as Robespierre
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Jess Barker
as Saint Just
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Norman Lloyd
as Tallien
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Wade Crosby
as Danton
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William Challee
as Bourdon
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Georgette Windsor
as Cecile
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Charles McGraw
as Sergeant
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Ellen Lowe
as Farmer's Wife
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John Doucette
as Farmer
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Frank Conlan
as Gatekeeper
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Beulah Bondi
as Farm Wife
