Scandale

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"

... the incredible Paul Meurisse doesn't appear sooner in this entertaining comedy with some dark sequences (wah, the beginning looks like a Ric Hochet shot). He is so cynical and he's a hit. I'm always looking for his movies and if this title is far from being a masterpiece, it's rather entertaining. I never refuse these French quality movies.

For those who appreciate Paul Meurisse, and they must be thousands, I advise his autobiography "Les éperons de la liberté", a must to read.

Someone is murdering the owners of a string of nightclubs, one of which, The Plantation, is unexpectedly bequeathed to a student (Odette Joyeux) on condition that she manages the club in person for a month. In order to give herself some authority, she poses as the wife of a wealthy Englishman, Steve Richardson. But then the mysterious Mr Richardson (Paul Meurisse) shows up in person...

"Scandale" is a comedy thriller that doesn't really get going until the arrival of Paul Meurisse over halfway through the picture. From that point on, though, it's pure gold, with the ditzy Joyeux and the dapper Meurisse forming a wonderful pair of romantic sparring partners. There's an obvious Hollywood influence in this comedy relationship, and it's all to the good.

In one scene Meurisse shoots his way into Joyeux's bedroom, twirls his gun, pours himself a drink, then removes her shoes and tickles her toes to revive her from a pretended faint. And all without a flicker across his face. Though best known internationally as the evil headmaster in "Les Dialobiques", Meurisse really excelled at these deadpan comedy roles, importing a British style of dry black humour into French film.

Sadly, the first half of the picture, in which Joyeux's comic partner is a talking parrot, is not nearly so good.