The Black Book [Reign of Terror] *** (1949, Robert Cummings, Richard Basehart, Arlene Dahl, Beulah Bondi, Richard Hart, Arnold Moss, Norman Lloyd, Charles McGraw) – Classic Movie Review 3324

Anthony Mann’s 1949 film noir-shot adventure drama The Black Book has a complex plot and a well-researched French Revolution background. 

Director Anthony Mann’s 1949 film noir-shot black and white adventure drama The Black Book [Reign of Terror] is a highly intriguing, appealing and enjoyable historical romp with a satisfyingly complex plot and a well-researched French Revolution background, during the Reign of Terror.

Heading the effective B-movie cast, Robert Cummings does well as Charles D’Aubigny and so does Arlene Dahl playing Madelon, as well as Beulah Bondi as Grandma Blanchard, Richard Hart as François Barras, Arnold Moss as Fouché, Norman Lloyd as Tallien and Charles McGraw as the sergeant.

Richard Basehart plays Maximilian Robespierre, the power player in the French Revolution, and there is a plot by a secret sect to replace him with someone moderate and plants a spy among the revolutionaries. Both sides are after a secret book with vital information – The Black Book of the title – a death list of those marked for the guillotine. Robespierre sees it as a key to his plot to become French dictator – his political ruin and death could result if it fell into the wrong hands – so he sends his agents to get it back.

There’s plenty of lively action and an excellent feel for pace, mood, atmosphere, place and the period from expert director Mann, as well as strong writing by Philip Yordan and Æneas MacKenzie [Aeneas MacKenzie] and outstanding, stylish noir black and white cinematography by John Alton.

Also in the cast are Jess Barker as Louis Antoine de Saint-Just, Wade Crosby as Danton, Russ Tamblyn as Pierre’s oldest son, William Challee, Georgette Windsor, Ellen Lowe, John Doucette, Frank Conlan and Dabbs Greer in his uncredited film debut as the Bridge Guard.

It was economically shot on sets left over from Joan of Arc (1948).

Richard Basehart in his costume as Robespierre.

It was initially released as Reign of Terror, but when it played in New York later it was changed to The Black Book, though the earlier working title can be seen as Bastille in the Wardrobe Department picture of Richard Basehart in his costume as Robespierre.

Yordan won a Best Writing, Motion Picture Story Oscar for Broken Lance (1954). He was a front for friends and other writers who had been blacklisted during the McCarthy era. His Paris basement was filled with blacklisted writers working in cubicles. Compare his story with Dalton Trumbo’s in the movie Trumbo (2015).

The story are screenplay are by Philip Yordan and Æneas MacKenzie. Yordan recalled that MacKenzie’s original script was ‘nothing but speeches, Robespierre and all this.’ He told Mann: ‘You can’t follow the script unless you’re a student of the French Revolution.’ So Yordan suggested the story was simplified to be about Charles D’Aubigny (Cummings) tracking down a black book containing the names of anti-Revolutionaries before Robespierre (Basehart) could get it.

Filming started on 23 August 1948 and ended in early October 1948. The Black Book was made by Walter Wanger Productions and United Californian, premiered in New Orleans, Louisiana, on 16 June 1949, and was released by Eagle-Lion Films on 15 October 1949 in the US.

Producer Walter Wanger signed Cummings to star in the film in August 1948 in return for it being a co-production with Cummings’s production company, United Californian. Wanger planned make a low-budget epic using Broadway stars and shooting on sets only costing $40,000. The whole budget was $771,623. Unfortunately, this plan didn’t come off, as the film took only $692,671 at the box office.

© Derek Winnert 2016 Classic Movie Review 3324

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