FILMS… The Scapegoat (2012)

#2010s #AllPosts

 

There’s double trouble after a man meets his doppelganger…

 

An unemployed school teacher is mistaken for his lookalike, a rich man with complicated work, family and love life.

 

Rhys and May, Smith and Orr-Ewing

The Scapegoat

The Scapegoat (2012) Trailer, IslandPicturesFilmTV and photos © ITV

 

As a kid, many of us will have watched that film, TV show or TV Movie with that well-known trope where a character has an exact lookalike. The lookalikes then swap places leading to more complications of the more dramatic or comic kind. And things usually have a happy ending for one or both lookalikes.

These plotlines were seen and enjoyed in films such as The Prince and the Pauper (1962), The Parent Trap (1961), Dave (1993) and the TV Mini-Series Deceptions  (1985). These telling of a prince and his lookalike, reunited identical twin sisters, a man being a stand-in for a critically ill US President and finding love with your identical twin sister’s husband (with a catchy Pointer Sisters title track) and other shenanigans respectively.

But what if, after meeting your lookalike, you woke up to find they’d stolen your clothes and your wallet. You only discover this after you were mistaken for them by someone who knows your double.

This is the premise of one of the most enthralling and thrilling movies I’ve seen, the 2006 adaptation of the Daphne Du Maurier tale, The Scapegoat (2012). This film has Matthew Rhys in a double role, supported by a sterling cast of British lovelies.

The story outlines fictional events in England, in 1952 as Britain prepares for the coronation of the soon to be Queen Elizabeth II. The women of the aristocratic Spence family are excited as a mysterious box is delivered to their palatial stately home.

This is revealed to be a TV, which the housemaid and nurse, Charlotte (Phoebe Nicholls) dismisses as “the work of the devil”. Meanwhile John Standing (Matthew Rhys), a teacher is down in his luck as he is dismissed from his job as a Greek language teacher at a prestigious boy’s school. He tells his young pupils he now plans to go on a walking trip.

En route, Standing hits the bar. He then becomes confused when the barman tells him his room is ready and gives him some change. Whilst at the bar, Standing notices his double image, a man later revealed as Johnny Spence (also Matthew Rhys). The men meet in the washroom and both are shocked by their mirror image looks.

The men return to the bar, talk more and gain a rapport, finding out they couldn’t be more different. Standing is a poor but university educated man from Wales. Spence from the apparently rich English aristocratic family we met earlier. The recently unemployed, Standing is near alone in the world with only a maiden aunt. Spence envies him and tells of Standing he’s away on the family business from his insufferable family.

The morning after Standing wakes up nursing a hangover. Spence has gone and has taken Standing’s wallet, coat and identity A chauffeur (Pip Torrens) arrives to collect Spence, and Standing is mistaken for Spence.

After Standing fails to convince the chauffeur he’s not who he thinks he is, the chauffeur says he’ll drive him home. Standing sleeps for the journey waking up at the Spences’ home. After failing to make right the mix-up with Spence’s family, Standing goes along with the situation. Standing slowly pieces together Spence’s current situation in love, life and business.

The family are keen to hear about his business trip. Standing (as Spence) indirectly suggests that a contract was signed to save their family home and their company’s employees’ jobs. Spence’s family and employees are overjoyed, as he saved their failing business, a glass foundry.

We learn that Spence is known as the prodigal son to his bed-bound, pain killer dependent mother Lady Spence (Eileen Atkins) and hated by his sister Blanche (Jodhi May) for some (then) unknown reason.

In time, Spence is revealed as a nasty piece of work. This is learnt through comments, reactions and the behaviour of his family and others as they believe he is Spence. Spence’s wife, Frances (Alice Orr-Ewing)  is nervous, unconfident and scared of his temper. His young daughter Mary Lou (Eloise Webb) is desperate for his attention and he has two mistresses (one of these women is his sister in law, Nina (Sheridan Smith)).

On Standing meeting Spence’s other mistress Bela (Sylvie Testud) by chance on a trip to town, she notices a change in the personality of her lover. However, she and Standing get on so well that they deepen the relationship and they make love. Standing also indirectly convinces Spence’s unappreciated brother, Paul (Andrew Scott) and the family priest (Anton Lesser) that he is Spence. But not convincing the family dog.

Standing warms to and then grows to love and respect Spence’s family and both his mistresses. This is reciprocated due to “Spence”‘s genuineness, kindness and honesty. These are all qualities that the real Spence apparently does not possess. However, the family and his mistresses continue to be unaware of “Spence”‘s true identity.

They change their views on this new “Spence” accordingly. Standing spends time and gets attached to Mary Lou. He also encourages Lady Spence not to depend on her morphine injections and to spend time outdoors and spend time with her family.

We learn Spence married Frances, as in time she will inherit a large amount of money. She will get this money only if she gives a male heir before she turns 50, or this money will go to her husband should she die before this. However over time Standing (as Spence) opens up to her on family matters, thus leading to a closer and loving relationship between them.

This love leads to Standing kissing her one night, and her responding to her “husband”. This same night, a familiar face is seen returning to his family home and greeted enthusiastically by his dog. We discover it’s Spence as this man. He looks in on his wife, to see her sleeping peacefully in Standing’s embrace. The next morning Spence’s pistol is observed to be missing before the Spence brothers go on a fox hunt…

As much as I’d love to tell you the rest of this story, I won’t (and please no spoilers in my comments for those who haven’t seen this yet). Through Standing’s ignorance of Spence’s current circumstances, he (and we) learns more about his doppelganger. We piece together Johnny Spence’s true reality and learn more about his complex character.

This gives more meaning to the film’s title in that you wonder just how much of his failings he’ll blame Standing for on his return. But will say that this story leads to nail-biting moments, more than a few tears (if you sob at movies like I do) as there are more twists and turns in the tale. The story, I believe has an enigmatic ending.

Although I haven’t read the novel or seen the 1959 film, I’ve read more about both and seen the trailer for this version of the story. Du Maurier reportedly insisted on Alec Guinness for the dual role, as opposed to Cary Grant who had been originally chosen.  This is Guinness reminded her of her father, an actor.

Daphne Du Maurier was also reportedly on set for this 1959 movie. Reports say she was unhappy with her perceived deviations in the plot of her novel. I’m wondering how she would have felt about this interpretation. This is with the setting, some important plotlines and the ending changed (but I believe for the better).

For this wonderful captivating movie, the film set was Knebworth House. Knebworth House is a familiar English film location of many a period drama from film and TV or pop concerts. This setting adds to the plot as Standing orientates himself to his new (but assumed by others’ familiar) surroundings and in this, we learn more of Spence’s relationships with his family.

This film held my attention throughout and I recommend it if you want a period mystery tale with crime, romance and suspense elements. Watching it I became involved with this story, through those credible moving performances from the cast. Each character from this dysfunctional family developed and grew as Standing “joined” their family. All responded to his character positively and in unexpected ways.

Rhys in his double role was initially sympathetic in both roles. Spence appeared oblivious to his actions on his family and appreciated their needs. These insights were immediately felt by the outsider, Standing as he took over this role as he unintentionally improved their lives. As we learned more about Spence, he was seen as manipulative, cruel and uncaring to all the others in his life.

Rhys showed these men’s contrasting differences. Standing seen be gentle, trustworthy, and caring side. He seemed an honest man with everyone from Spence’s child to his mistresses. Spence with a different accent, arrogance and air was a bounder and a cad. When Spence returned to the plot, I was apprehensive about the final outcome knowing more about his character and hearing much more about him.

I felt the ending was ambiguous – although others suggest differently – with my possibly unique ending made. This role surely gave Rhys, a perfect double act, standing him in good stead for his future dual leading acting role in The Americans (2013-18). This TV Series is set during Cold War America. Rhys stars with his now real-life actress wife, Keri Russell playing his on-screen wife in this show.

Rhys plays one of two married sleeper Russian Spies posing as American citizens. Their young children are unaware of their parent’s true identities, with this family also with a neighbour working for the FBI. I read that Rhys and his on and off-screen wife even dined at a State Dinner, with a US President and a Prime Minister, which certainly gives your imagination food for thought.

 

Weeper Rating:  😦 😦 😦 😦 😦 😦 😦 😦 😦 /10

Handsqueeze Rating:                /10

Hulk Rating: ‎  ‎/10

 

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The Calls of Cornwall: The Daphne du Maurier Blogathon 2019, No 36

This post was added to Pale Writer′s The Calls of Cornwall: The Daphne du Maurier Blogathon. Other reviews with this cast include,

• Matthew Rhys in The Americans, Archer and more
• Anton Lesser in The Crown, Wolf Hall and more.
• Pip Torrens in Star Wars VI: The Force Awakens, Doctor Who and more.
• Eileen Atkins in I Don’t Want to be Born.
• A book about doppelgangers including those in pop culture is reviewed HERE.

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