Reign of Terror (reissued as The Black Book) is a 1949 American historical thriller film directed by Anthony Mann from a screenplay by Aeneas MacKenzie and Philip Yordan, and starring Robert Cummings, Richard Basehart and Arlene Dahl.

Set during the French Revolution, the film follows a plot to bring down Maximilien Robespierre and end his bloodthirsty Reign of Terror.

Reign of Terror is noted by critics for applying film noir sensibilities to a period setting.

Robespierre informs D'Aubigny that his black book, containing the names of those he intends to denounce and have executed, has been stolen.

Strangely, their rooms have not been ransacked in search of the book, leading D'Aubigny to surmise that it was never stolen in the first place, and that Robespierre is using the alleged theft to distract his foes.

Before news of his impersonation spreads, D'Aubigny returns to Robespierre's private office—located in the back rooms of a bakery—to look for the book.

He and Madelon hide out at the farmhouse of fellow conspirators, the Blanchards, who are either under arrest in Paris or already dead at the hands of St. Just's Sergeant.

Outside the bakery, Fouché starts talking with an army officer as the crowd celebrates the death of Robespierre.

The cast list includes:[6] In August 1948, Wanger signed a deal with Cummings to star in the film.

[9] Producer Walter Wanger, director Anthony Mann, cinematographer John Alton, and production designer William Cameron Menzies used their combined talents to make a low budget "epic" using Broadway stars and shooting on sets only costing $40,000.

Yordan says he told Mann "you can't follow the script unless you're a student of the French Revolution" so he suggested the story be simplified to be about Cummings tracking down a book containing the names of anti-Revolutionaries before Robespierre could get it.

[12][6] Mann said it was only through William Menzies' "ability that we were able to achieve any style, feeling or period" under the limited budget.