Movie

The Scapegoat

1959 · 92 min

A slow-burning, unsettling identity swap that keeps you quietly tense, with a melancholic air and a lingering sense of unease.

Directed by: Robert Hamer
Genres: Mystery, Crime, Thriller
Starring: Alec Guinness, Bette Davis, Nicole Maurey

Tagline: He took another man's name... lived another man's life... loved another man's woman!
Overview: An Englishman in France unwittingly is placed into the identity, and steps into the vacated life, of a look-alike French nobleman.

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In the UKNo streaming, rental or purchase options known.

Directed by: Robert Hamer
Genres: Mystery, Crime, Thriller
Starring: Alec Guinness, Bette Davis, Nicole Maurey

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How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone: tensestrength 2 of 3
melancholicstrength 2 of 3
eeriestrength 1 of 3
darkstrength 1 of 3
Pacing: measured, 2 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention: engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes: identity
deception
family
class
betrayal
Places: single country house
small town
countryside
Era: contemporary
Audience: adult
Form: twist ending
Content intensity: Gore none
Language none
Violence mild
Sex mild

All scales, 0 to 10

Scales, 0 to 10
Scale	Value	0 to 10
Action	2
Horror	1
Humour	2
Realism	7
Romance	3
Tension	6
Darkness	6
Complexity	6
Emotional weight	6

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Where to watch in the UK

No UK streaming, rental or purchase options are known.

Streaming data from JustWatch.TMDB

Details

Genres: mystery, crime, thriller
Directed by: Robert Hamer
Written by: Robert Hamer
Starring: Alec Guinness, Bette Davis, Nicole Maurey, Irene Worth, Pamela Brown, Annabel Bartlett, Geoffrey Keen, Noel Howlett
Music: Bronislau Kaper
Cinematography: Paul Beeson
Runtime: 92 min
Country: United Kingdom
Languages: English

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The Scapegoat

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Where to watch in the UK

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