Scaramouche (1952)

After Andre Moreau finds he is the secret bastard son of a recently deceased noble, he realizes that it his own sister that he's romantically drawn to.

Director:

George Sidney

Writers:

Ronald Millar (screenplay), George Froeschel (screenplay),

Stars:

Stewart Granger, Eleanor Parker, Janet Leigh

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Stewart Granger	...	Andre Moreau
Eleanor Parker	...	Lenore
Janet Leigh	...	Aline de Gavrillac
Mel Ferrer	...	Noel, Marquis de Maynes
Henry Wilcoxon	...	Chevalier de Chabrillaine
Nina Foch	...	Marie Antoinette
Richard Anderson	...	Philippe de Valmorin
Robert Coote	...	Gaston Binet
Lewis Stone	...	Georges de Valmorin
Elisabeth Risdon	...	Isabelle de Valmorin
Howard Freeman	...	Michael Vanneau
Curtis Cooksey	...	Fabian
John Dehner	...	Doutreval
John Litel	...	Dr. Dubuque
Jonathan Cott	...	Sergeant

Storyline

Andre-Louis Moreau is a nobleman's bastard in the days of the French revolution. Noel, the Marquis de Mayne, a nobleman in love with the Queen, is ordered to seek the hand of a young ingenue, Aline, in marriage. Andre also meets Aline, and forms an interest in her. But when the marquis kills his best friend Andre declares himself the Marquis's enemy and vows to avenge his friend. He hides out, a wanted man, as an actor in a commedia troupe, and spends his days learning how to handle a sword. When de Maynes becomes a spadassinicide, challenging opposing National Assembly members to duels they have no hope of winning, Andre becomes a politician to protect the third estate (and hopefully ventilate de Maynes).

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Plot Keywords:

nobleman | friend | marquis | french revolution | love | 

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama | History | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 June 1952 (USA)

Also Known As:

Scaramouche - Der Mann mit der Maske

Filming Locations:

Château de Pierrefonds, Pierrefonds, Oise, France

Box Office

Budget:

$3,500,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), Loew's

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In Sabatini's original novel, the Lenore character was Binet's daughter and was at one time engaged to Andre. He ultimately shot Binet, but he survived.

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Goofs

During the final sword fight between Scaramouche and the marquis, when Andre falls off the balcony, a safety rope is visible under his cape.

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Quotes

Lenore: Ah, diamonds!
Michael Vanneau: I thought of your eyes and I went right out and bought them.
Lenore: Just my eyes? How sweet - I must see that you start thinking about all of me.

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Connections

Referenced in Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)

User Reviews

A great film, they dont make them like that anymore

Scaramouche was and remains one of my all-time favorite films. It may not qualify as a deeply thought-out criticism of the social situation in France at the time preceding the revolution, but it does not intend to. It gives us a perfectly presented adventure with all the trimmings -revenge, disguises, hidden identities- plus the wonderful duel at the end. Stewart Granger and Mel Ferrer are both excellent. The entire cast presents the film while avoiding any slip into comedy and parody. The highly improbable story is presented seriously and here lies the beauty of this film. I have to admit being biased: I have always been a Stewart Granger fan and there is very little of the work of his "good years" that I do not like.