A Scandal in Paris (1946)

Born in a French prison in 1775, François Eugène Vidocq becomes a professional thief and is later appointed chief of Parisian police.

Director:

Douglas Sirk

Writers:

François-Eugène Vidocq (memoirs) (as Eugene Francois Vidocq), Ellis St. Joseph (adaptation)

Stars:

George Sanders, Signe Hasso, Carole Landis

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
George Sanders	...	Eugéne François Vidocq
Signe Hasso	...	Therese De Pierremont
Carole Landis	...	Loretta de Richet
Akim Tamiroff	...	Emile Vernet
Gene Lockhart	...	Prefect of Police Richet
Alma Kruger	...	Marquise De Pierremont
Alan Napier	...	Houdon De Pierremont
Jo Ann Marlowe	...	Mimi De Pierremont
Vladimir Sokoloff	...	Uncle Hugo
Pedro de Cordoba	...	Priest
Leona Maricle	...	Owner of Dress Shop
Fritz Leiber	...	Painter
Skelton Knaggs	...	Cousin Pierre
Fred Nurney	...	Cousin Gabriel
Gisela Werbisek	...	Aunt Ernestine (as Gisella Werbiseck)

Storyline

The autobiography of elegant criminal, François Eugène Vidocq, from his birth in a French jail in 1775 to his appointment as chief of police of Paris where he intends to rob the city bank. Along the way, he escapes from jail with Emile, who becomes his partner in crime, poses as a lieutenant to rob a showgirl of her ruby garter, and steals the jewels of a marquise in whose home he's a guest. He's also posed as an artist's model for a portrait of St. George (Emile's face is the dragon's), and the marquise's granddaughter falls in love first with his visage and then him. Can she help him slay his own dragons, especially when the showgirl reappears and the bank vault beckons?

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Plot Keywords:

eugene francois vidocq | male female relationship | husband wife relationship | cousin cousin relationship | shop owner | 

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Taglines:

Every man has his price... and every woman pays it.

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Genres:

Adventure | Crime | Romance | Comedy

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Certificate:

Passed

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film was first telecast in both St. Louis and Baltimore and Boston Friday 14 January 1949 on KSD (Channel 5) and on WAAM (Channel 13) and on WBZ (Channel 4), in Los Angeles Tuesday 15 February 1949 on KNBH (Channel 4), in New York City Wednesday 4 May 1949 on WPIX (Channel 11), in Atlanta Sunday 18 September 1949 on WSB (Channel 8), and in Cincinnati Wednesday 16 November 1949 on WKRC (Channel 11).

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Goofs

Vidocq is seen reading the memoirs of Casanova at the time of Napoleon's Egyptian campaign (1798-1801). The memoirs were not published until 1822.

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Quotes

Eugéne François Vidocq: In crime, as in love, there are only those who do, and those who don't dare.

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Crazy Credits

[prologue] Vidocq, Eugene Francois, born 1775, spent the first thirty years of his life in every kind of villainy, probably as a preparation for the work of detecting criminals which was to occupy the remainder of his life. He published two volumes of what purported to be the true history of his adventurous career...Encyclopedia Britannica.

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Connections

Referenced in Vidocq (2001)

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Soundtracks

Flame Song
Music by Hanns Eisler
Lyrics by Paul Francis Webster
Sung by Carole Landis

User Reviews

Witty Costume Comedy

A kind of anti-Les Miserables, this sophisticated period comedy inverts conventional morality, following a thief/scoundrel as he rises to become the chief of police of Paris. This makes an ideal showcase for George Sanders at his peak of suavity, which he maintains even in a blond wig while posing for a portrait of St. George [this evolves into a theme of the film: "In all of us there is a St. George and a dragon"]. Naturally, Sanders effortlessly spins aphorisms: on adultery, he murmurs, "Sometimes the chains of matrimony are so heavy they have to be carried by three".

Very much a production of displaced Europeans [Sirk, Shuftan, Eisler, Pressburger], the story celebrates a continental tolerance ["No man is a saint"]. Douglas Sirk clearly enjoys the subversive charm of the criminal mind which stays sharp by exploring all the possibilities for larceny. However, Sirk is not cruel: the provincial victims are not buffoons; they are just not sharp enough to see all the angles in each situation. He does not mock the cheerful dowager [Alma Kruger] who is eager for more adventurous company, and even the bumbling cuckold [Gene Lockhart] is ultimately touching when he disguises himself as a canary-merchant.

Like its contemporary, Renoir's DIARY OF A CHAMBERMAID, this sometimes seems like a European film trapped in Hollywood. However, while the first hour sometimes strains to be "naughty" [as in a decorous skinny-dipping scene], Sirk is able to unify the tone more successfully than Renoir. If Signe Hasso seems a bit old [at 30] as the wide-eyed ingenue, and Carole Landis struggles through her music hall number, Sirk guides both of them to satisfying moments, justifying their casting. The plot – involving a garter made of rubies, a monkey called Satan, and a Chinese carousel with a giant Pekinese to ride -- develops increasingly clever and surprising twists, to a pleasing conclusion.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 July 1946 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Story of Vidocq

Filming Locations:

Hollywood, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Arnold Pressburger Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1