The Scapegoat (1959)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Robert Hamer

Writers:

Daphne Du Maurier (novel)
Robert Hamer (screenplay)

Release Date:

6 August 1959 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Mystery

Plot:

A French count schemes to kill his wife and implicate a mild-mannered English schoolteacher whom he resembles

Plot Keywords:

Death By Falling | Glass Blowing | Chauffeur | Imposter | Murder

Cast

Alec Guinness	...	John Barratt / Jacques De Gue
Bette Davis	...	Countess
Nicole Maurey	...	Bela
Irene Worth	...	Francoise
Pamela Brown	...	Blanche
Annabel Bartlett	...	Marie-Noel
Geoffrey Keen	...	Gaston
Noel Howlett	...	Dr. Aloin
Peter Bull	...	Aristide
Leslie French	...	Lacoste
Alan Webb	...	Inspector
Maria Britneva	...	Maid
Eddie Byrne	...	Barman
Alexander Archdale	...	Gamekeeper
Peter Sallis	...	Customs Official

Runtime:

Israel:89 min | USA:91 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | USA:Unrated

Filming Locations:

MGM British Studios, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Company:

Du Maurier-Guinness

Trivia:

A rejected score consisting of classical selections plus original music by Douglas Gamley was recorded in England.

Goofs:

Continuity: The position of the bottle of wine on the table and the amount of wine in the glass changes between shots When John Barratt and Jacques De Gue are talking after they first meet.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Customs Official: You have the intention of staying long in France, Mr. Barratt?
John Barratt: I don't know. That is to say that I didn't know there was any restriction apart from the question of money.

Not one of Sir Alec's best.

Alec Guinness once again plays a dual role. In this one, his two personas are that of a wicked French count and a benign Englishman. Despite some interesting supporting cast, including a very Baby Janeish Bette Davis, the story seems somehow only half told, and the two Guinness characters remain frustratingly underdeveloped. We sense a conflict between good and evil, but we are never made to understand why this is nor how it came about. The ending is frustrating in the extreme.

I decided to write this primarily to point out the appearance of Donald Pleasence as a desk clerk. Up till now, he remains uncredited.

All of this said, I would still recommend watching this oddity the next time it happens to come around. It is Alec Guinness, afterall.