The Black Raven (1943)
One dark and stormy night, an escaped convict, an embezzler, a runaway daughter, her intended and her father, and a gangster take refuge in a remote inn called "The Black Raven" after the nickname of a second gangster who owns it; and murder ensues.
- Sam Newfield
- Melville De Lay
- Fred Myton
Rating: 5.4/10 by 15 users
Alternative Title:
0 Corvo Negro - BR
Le corbeau noir - FR
Casa del mal agüero - MX
Corvo Negro - PT
Чёрный ворон - SU
Crni gavran - YU
Country:
United States of America
Language:
English
Runtime: 01 hour 01 minutes
Budget: $0
Revenue: $0
Plot Keyword: gangster, escaped convict, murder, fugitive, embezzler, corpse, old dark house, corrupt politician, elopement, handyman, former gangster
George Zucco ("Bradford") owns a remote inn that one stormy night finds itself home to a quite a few unscheduled guests - a runaway couple and a disgruntled bank clerk making off to Canada with the day's takings. The arrival of the absconding girl's father - who happens to be a judge, brings Zucco's criminal alter ego "The Black Raven" into play and what now ensues is a gently paced cat and mouse thriller that sees each resident hope to get their hand on the loot - oh, and to manage to stay alive. The score imbues this with a certain mischievous jollity, and the constant storm raging outside gives what is essentially a pretty stage-bound enterprise just a little bit of extra menace. At just over the hour, it packs quite a lot in - there are plenty of suspects, and much of the film is spent presenting us with a whole load of red herring scenarios that tell us little, but keep it all moving along nicely. Who did what to whom? Well, that doesn't really matter - it's just a bit of fun!
