The Black Book

In this 1949 period drama, director Anthony Mann adopts an American urban film noir sensibility for a tale set in 18th-century Paris during the fury of the French Revolution, with guys and dames in flouncy costumes and flamboyant hats talking like gangsters and street thugs while sneaking through cobblestone streets by torchlight. Robert Cummings stars as double agent Charles D'Aubigny, who is sent to Paris in the midst of the Reign of Terror, and Arlene Dahl costars as Madelon, a former lover who turns out to be D'Aubigny's Paris contact. But the villains own the film: Arnold Moss's mercenary Fouché is ready to sell out anyone and everyone for his own gain, while Richard Basehart's Robespierre is an icy criminal mastermind mob boss who is killing off his rivals (the film's title refers to the book in which Robespierre keeps his list of those destined for the guillotine). Mann creates a claustrophobic milieu of conniving characters, hard-boiled dialogue, shadowy visuals, and extreme camera angles in the alleys and dungeons of Paris in the 1700s—conceived, of course, on studio backlot sets, and brought to life by John Alton's inky, expressionist cinematography. Film Chest's restored edition is better than many previous releases, but it simply isn't up to the standard set by Sony's 2012 issue, which is preferable. Not a necessary purchase. (S. Axmaker)