★★★
A Scandal in Paris doesn’t quite gel the way Sirk’s later
Hollywood melodramas would, and it’s not quite as playful as its contemporary
Lubitsch comedies, but there are a few elements of both in it. There’s an artful deftness in Eugéne Vidocq
that has the attraction of some of Lubitsch’s villians: the guys are bad, but
you can’t help having at least a little sympathy with them. And when it comes down to it, they aren’t completely bad. Also, the film has the structure of
sophisticated comedy with complex plot turns and surprises like the Vidocq’s
evolution from criminal to police chief and his discovery that an old conquest
is now married to the police chief he ousted and looking to restart her relationship with Vidocq.
And there’s melodrama here, too, that would become Sirk’s
trademark. After a formulaic first
two-thirds, A Scandal in Paris does a sudden shift in tone from witty crime to melodrama. In a particularly compelling scene, former
police chief Richet disguises himself as a bird seller and, while spying on his
wife, discovers that she is planning to cheat on him with Vidocq. An intense argument ensues with both speakers
being as cutting and hysterical as they can while the bird chirping on the
soundtrack gets louder and louder. The
scene peaks with Richet shooting Loretta in a fit of rage, the bird sounds declining, and the hapless man being led
off to jail by the very man who wrongly ousted him from his post. This type of over-the-top melodrama is what I
expect from Sirk. And I ‘m not surprised
at the ending of the film either, as Vidocq confesses his sins, gets absolution from the
minister, and marries the girl.
A Scandal in Paris is not what I would call vintage Sirk,
but there are plenty of elements to engage. And you don't' have to look hard to see where Sirk is going.
