Lovesusti The Worst Film Ever

Evengyny Thanks for the memories!

GurlyIamBeach Instant Favorite.

Juana what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

clanciai A gorgeous dramatization of the French revolution in its dying phase with all the leaders going down, Danton, Robespierre and St. Just, with Robert Cummings as a kind if French pimpernel working for Lafayette to unsettle the revolutionary establishment that has derailed into terror. It's a marvellous intrigue, with a beautiful lady at the centre, of course, and with some great acting that should be noted, especially Richard Baseheart (!) as Robespierre - it's impossible to recognize him. Can you see Captain Ahab's number one Starbuck or Fellini's jester in La Strada in this Robespierre? Equally outstanding is Arnold Moss as Fouché, oiling his ways into and out of intrigues and finally facing Napoleon. To all this comes a terrific score by Saul Kaplan. It's almost expressionistic and gives a very sharp impression of the drama of the French revolution.What then is failing? It's just slightly out of any realism. It's too adventurous, too much turned into an artificial thriller, and unfortunastely Jess Barker is totally miscast as St. Just - he is not convincing at all, and St.Just was not like that. He was an effeminate dandy and no soldier.Still, it's a brilliant film with terrific action all the way, that can't disappoint anyone.

gordonl56 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!

Martin Teller The period noir is a rare thing. Off the top of my head I can only think of a few others... the 1944 GASLIGHT, and the John Brahm pictures THE LODGER and HANGOVER SQUARE. While I love all of those it's hard to think of them as noir. This one fits the bill pretty well, though, a variation on the "infiltrating the organization" theme with an impostor trying to bring down Robespierre. Mann and Alton is always a good combination, and the film is loaded with stark visuals, vicious brutality, elaborate deceptions, suspenseful tension and brisk action. It's a little slow to get started, but once the protagonist gets introduced it moves swiftly with a lot of intriguing turns. The weak link is Robert Cummings, an actor I almost never enjoy, and he fails to bring enough weight to this role. Richard Basehart is also a disappointment, without very much to do. However, Arnold Moss (who would reappear in BORDER INCIDENT, another Mann/Alton film) shines as the slimy, duplicitous Fouché. Ultimately, the tight script and stunning cinematography overcome the somewhat weak casting and whatever historical inaccuracies there may be.

GManfred The Black Book is an unknown gem from one of Hollywood's more obscure studios. Eagle-Lion may not have had a lot of money but they showed impeccable taste when hiring a director and photographer. They got Anthony Mann to direct and the incomparable John Alton as their cinematographer for this thrilling noir about the French Revolution. What more could they have asked for?Well, they might have gotten a better leading man as well as a female lead. Apparently the money was running out when they signed up Bob Cummings and Arlene Dahl. Cummings was never an action hero, a Stalwart, so to speak. He was a light comedy supporting actor, diffident and indecisive, and it was tough sledding trying to imagine him as a two-fisted tough guy. Arlene Dahl was breathtakingly beautiful but a limited actress, even though she was better here than any other role of hers that comes to mind. Had they acquired better stars I think I could have upped my rating, because Mann has created a minor classic in 'The Black Book'. The supporting cast is better than the leads, especially Arnold Moss as Fouche and Richard Basehart as Robespierre.I'm surprised this picture doesn't have a better following, with just a few hundred votes, so if you see it you can count yourself among the lucky few.