The Scapegoat

8/6/19591h 32m

Theatrical Release (US)

~ He took another man's name... lived another man's life... loved another man's woman! ~

Overview:

An Englishman in France unwittingly is placed into the identity, and steps into the vacated life, of a look-alike French nobleman.

Director:

Robert Hamer

Status:

Released

Language:

English

Buget:

$0.00

Revenue:

$0.00

Key words:

chauffeur
france
upper class
drug addiction
marriage contract
murder
countess
look-alike
mistress
death
assumed identity
dowager
drugged drink
englishman abroad
nobleman
rich wife
new life
young daughter
chateau
vanished man

Cast

Alec Guinness

~ as ~

John Barratt / Jacques De Gue

Bette Davis

~ as ~

Countess

Nicole Maurey

~ as ~

Bela

Irene Worth

~ as ~

Francoise

Pamela Brown

~ as ~

Blanche

Annabel Bartlett

~ as ~

Marie-Noel

Geoffrey Keen

~ as ~

Gaston

Noel Howlett

~ as ~

Dr. Aloin

Peter Bull

~ as ~

Aristide

Leslie French

~ as ~

Lacoste

View full cast & crew

Reviews (1)

CinemaSerf
Written 3 year(s) ago
6
Alec Guinness walks into a bar where he encounters his doppelgänger. They might be twins. His "Barratt" character is a teacher of French at an British university, his mirror image an impoverished local aristocrat. The two drink together, then end up sharing the latter man's hotel room. In the morning, "Barratt" wakes up and there is no sign of his roommate. Next thing, a chauffeur arrives and, assuming he is the aristocratic version of himself, takes him to their chateau where he meets the (his) family. Clearly he is being manipulated, but why and by whom? It does not take him long to realise that this family is pretty dysfunctional - lead by the morphine-addicted "Countess" (Bette Davis in her best Elizabeth I form), with his wife , his mistress and his daughter all adding to this familial maelstrom. Guinness is quite good here, but somehow the premiss didn't quite gel for me. He accepts the fake life and it's people all too readily. There are no protestations or police visits; his narrative (spoken throughout) does not reconcile easily with his actions and the ending, though I did quite like it, was all just a bit too rushed and convenient. The photography with them both on screen at the same time is flawless, and Bronislau Kaper's score fits well with the story too, but it's all just a little lacklustre.