At the end of the film, what was the significance of Patient Number 13's mother in Vorzet's home? I know that she had to become a maid again, but what was she doing in his house? I mean she could have very well been dusting--maybe Clouzot put her there to add even more doubt on the viewer as to who the Raven was? But it seems too fishy to me (again maybe that was the purpose of her presence--to give doubt). Anyone else have an idea?
shareHUGE SPOILER ABOUT THE ENDING!!!!
STOP READING IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE MOVIE....
Just as she promised, she avenged her son's suicide by killing Vorzet with the same razor Patient 13 used to kill himself. There is a shot of the desk where you can see the half written letter Vorzet was writing, and the blood-stained razor. The ink and the blood mixing in the paper. So, Vorzet was the Raven. His wife helped him out, writing and delivering some letters. Maybe a few copycats settled some scores too, taking advantage of the situation. But the mother is, for lack of better words, a dark angel of vengeance. Notice that she is also wearing black. Like a raven. Maybe there is no difference between the metaphorical killing Vorzet did with words and the actual physiological killing inflicted upon he.
Pardon my halting english. Hope this helps!
JC
Yes, that helps & makes sense. Thanks JC!
shareI don't think Vorzet's wife actually helped Vorzet, she was forced to deliver and write all of those letters
shareAt the end of the film, what was the significance of Patient Number 13's mother in Vorzet's home?
Plot-wise it's an unanswered question but that's what makes Le Corbeau a great film. The avenging, grieving mother stabbing and killing him essentially becomes an angel of death(as her walking down the street at the end of the film makes clear), it's more poetic than literal.
...maybe Clouzot put her there to add even more doubt on the viewer as to who the Raven was?
He pulled that stunt to campy results at the end of Les Diaboliques but I don't think it's the same case as in this film. Bear in mind that the film shows us entirely from Pierre Fresnay's point of view and we don't know as much about the other characters.
And also denying the usual pay-off of hero capturing the bad guy by deliberately making him a spectator(and making him unwittingly send a poor woman to an asylum).
"Ça va by me, madame...Ça va by me!" - The Red Shoes
It's not unanswered in terms of the plot. She has already said that she has strong suspicions about who was responsible for her son's death, that she is waiting for final confirmation of the Raven's identity, and that she will use her son's razor to kill the perpetrator when she has her suspicions confirmed. This is just what she ends up doing.
There are many points of ambiguity in the ending, but this is not one of them. It's made explicit.
At the end of the film, what was the significance of Patient Number 13's mother in Vorzet's home?
Moralistic? Pah!
The ending was very dark and amoral!!
For starters, we never know what was true and what was a bunch of lies. For example, there is a letter saying #13 didn't commit suicide but was killed - what if he was killed out of mercy?
We do not know who wrote the letters, we only know who became the Raven, and that was the doctor - regardless of who started it and who continued it.
Remember that Denise says in the end Laura was close to the Raven but did not know who he was and feared him? That' because the raven was present in everybody, and even she was unaware if her husband was the raven or just a bandwagon jumper.
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