The Raven (France, 1943)
Crime film about anonymous and libellous letters in a provincial town. Was remade by Fox in 1951 as The Thirteenth Letter. Smart dialogues and convincing acting IMHO. The protagonist (a middle aged gynaecologist) is a man of duty and a tad dull, but this is made by up the colourful characters who surround him: a pithy psychiatrist, corrupt provincial officers and ofc women who fall for the doctor's allure.
The movie was originally surrounded by controversy, as it was made in Occupied France by a German production company. Moreover, the Resistance accused the director (Henri Georges Clouzot) of vilifying the French people. The film was banned and Clouzot was not allowed to work again (both prohibitions were lifted in 1947).
Although making movie with the money of an occupying force is murky business indeed, watching the movie today you don't feel it had propaganda as its intent. Just the opposite, the producers had (I suspect purposefully) removed any possible reference to war and international diplomacy. The movie could have easily been set in any part of interwar Europe and you would not have not noticed the difference.
There might be something to the accusation of vilifying French people as everyday people are portrayed as mean and with a herd mentality; a theme that resonated well with fascism. Still, although it's good to keep these precautions at the back of your mind, this remains a well made and entertaining movie, certainly worth seeing.
Paths of Glory (USA, 1957)
Antiwar film by Stanley Kubrick. France, WWI, three soldiers are accused of cowardice by a corrupt military establishment, and an idealistic colonel (Kirk Douglas) takes up the task of defending them. Kubrick's script was based on a true story about four French soldiers who were exonerated in 1934.
Kubrick's anti-militarism is evident as he depicts the officers partying while the soldiers struggle to survive in the trenches. Unsurprisingly, the film was not welcomed in France where it was banned until 1975. The movie was similarly banned in Spain, Switzerland and American military bases in Europe. If Kubrick wanted to p--- off the military establishment, that was spot on.
Leaving aside the movie's anti-militarist message, the theme of the powerless but idealistic individual against higher powers is beautifully depicted here.
As a side note, I enjoyed the performance of Timothy Carey as one of the accused soldiers. Looking him up in Wikipedia, I came across this gem:
"Carey was reportedly disruptive and tried to draw more attention to his character. Due to this behavior, a scene in which Carey and the other actors were served a duck dinner as a final meal before execution took 57 takes to complete. Carey then faked his own kidnapping to generate personal publicity, which prompted Kubrick and producer James B. Harris to fire him. As a result, the film does not depict the three condemned soldiers during the battle scene, and a double was used during a scene in which a priest hears Carey's character's confession." Quite a character.