The Black Book (aka Reign Of Terror) (1949)

As Robespierre (Richard Basehart) prepares to declare himself dictator of France, a plot is set in motion by patriots to prevent this. The plan entails a volunteer (Robert Cummings) to take the place of the bloodthirsty prosecutor (Charles Gordon) that Robespierre has invited to assist him even though he has never met the man. This low budget historical drama suffers from an anemic leading man (Cummings) but other than that, it's a grand piece of entertainment enhanced by Anthony Mann's skillful direction and John Alton's (ELMER GANTRY) evocative B&W cinematography plus some fine performances. Notably Basehart's Robespierre but Arnold Moss's unscrupulous secret chief of police too. If you're a French revolution history buff, that should only add to your enjoyment of the film. For some reason that escapes me, this film is often referred to as historical noir. With Arlene Dahl, Beulah Bondi, Richard Hart, Jess Barker, Norman Lloyd and Charles McGraw.