Plot: A series of poison pen letters sows suspicion, fear, and rumors in a small French village. The Village leaders attempt to uncover the culprit.
Pluses: Tight, well-written Script, Acting, Good Characterization, Photography and set design
Minuses: A tad unrealistic - isn't there one good person in the village? Slightly rushed at the end.
Brilliant and powerful the movie held my interest for the entire 92 minute run. Clouzot does an excellent job of keeping us in suspense regarding the real culprit. At times every lead character seems a plausible candidate. The characterization and attention to detail are very good. Also, the movie is full of satirical and/or black humor. Included in the cast is a 14 year-old girl who reminded me of the little girl in “Shadow of Doubt”. Clouzat and Hitchcock often seem on the same wavelength. The only criticism is that everyone, even the little kids, are malevolent in some way - although surprisingly - I was rooting for the Ice Cold Doctor and his tramp girlfriend. Note: Although made in 1943 there is no mention of the war or the Germans. Most reviews have a lot of blah, blah about the symbolism but you can safely ignore it and enjoy the movie.
Summary: One of the best movies of 1943, Hitchcock could not have done better. Rating ****
