Like in his previous " le mystère saint-val " (1944), René Le Henaff ,an editor turned director ,smartly blends light comedy with whodunit cum film noir.
And "scandale " is really entertaining,you can trust Kinsayder ,a genuine connoisseur of le cinema français .
Why "scandal" ? because a woman running a nightclub in the forties ,it was not proper ; this bossy lady was first horribly stuck-up , taking piano lessons with a handsome and tight-up teacher , phoning to would be countesses ;when she learns she 's Jo Le balafré (scarface Jo ) 's heiress ,she is first contemptuous ; she finds it hard to be a shady person's niece ,and she reluctantly accepts to run the place .
It may have feminist accents,but she has to pretend to be an influential mysterious wealthy man's wife to be fully accepted .The thriller takes a back seat to comedy in the first two thirds of the movie : and it superbly works;Odette Joyeux has talent , beauty and dynamism going for her ,and she can teach a lesson or two to those tough guys .Philippe Lemaire ,wearing glasses which makes him look intellectual, although cast against type, gives a good portrayal of a young clumsy man, still under his papa's thumb (many of his scenes end with "yes,papa") .Paul Meurisse's appearance is a long time coming,but he is true to himself ,with his famous deadpan look (he has no equal in the French cinema ): he's an actor subtle enough to disturb us: is he a villain (as in "les Diaboliques") or a villain -in-disguise (such as his memorable part of a prosecuting attorney in "La Vérité") or the heroine's protector ?
The last third comes back to whodunit and suspense ,although disturbed by the young teacher 's appearances ;those comic relieves are not pivotal, for the comedy side predominates:the whodunit side looks like a farce ,when you know who pulled the strings.
You do not change a winning team : nonchalant Meurisse and peppy Joyeux would meet again the following year in another comedy-cum-thriller " Dernière Heure Edition Spéciale"
