IMDb RATING
6.8/10
2.4K
YOUR RATING
An English schoolteacher meets his lookalike, a French count; and unwillingly swaps identities with him.An English schoolteacher meets his lookalike, a French count; and unwillingly swaps identities with him.An English schoolteacher meets his lookalike, a French count; and unwillingly swaps identities with him.
Ernie Priest
- Man
- (uncredited)
Jack Sharp
- Cafe Bar Patron
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThis was a very troubled production. Writer and Director Robert Hamer was struggling with the alcoholism which would eventually kill him only a few years later, and had so much difficulty with Bette Davis that he had several lapses during filming, with only the support and kindness of his friend Sir Alec Guinness (who had insisted on him as director) getting him through the ordeal. Davis, whose career was in a major slump, was angry at being restricted to a cameo and was unpleasant to everyone on-set. Guinness later commented that her legendary professionalism was "largely a myth". Daphne Du Maurier, the author of the original novel, had also created difficulties by interfering with the filming and offering complaints at perceived deviations from her original story. MGM had no faith in the movie and extensively re-edited it after shooting was completed, also imposing a score which Hamer did not want composed by studio veteran Bronislau Kaper.
- GoofsThe 1950 Delahaye 135 MS Cabriolet belonging to Jean is made in France and has Paris plates but the steering wheel is on the right, indicating an export model for England or other countries that drive on the left.
- Quotes
[last lines]
Bela: What are you doing here?
John Barratt: Fate has made a beautiful mistake and we are together when we might have been apart.
- Crazy creditsOpening credits are shown over various images of the book by Daphne Du Maurier.
- ConnectionsRemade as The Scapegoat (2012)
Featured review
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.
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.
helpful•178
- herzogvon
- Aug 9, 2005
- How long is The Scapegoat?Powered by Alexa
Details
Box office
- Budget
- $943,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 31 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content