Review of The Scapegoat

. . . as a lack of affect infects BOTH of his indistinguishable characterizations in THE SCAPEGOAT. "John" is plagued by boredom, and "The Count" suffers from ennui, which hardly makes for a riveting picture. Apparently "Bela" (the Count's mistress) can tell them apart because one of these johns is cut, but Bela's off-screen discovery does nothing to help viewers distinguish between two of the most phlegmatic personages ever expected to carry a plot. At least REBECCA kept us guessing until the end as to whether it was Col. Mustard in the boathouse with a sea anchor or Elvira Gulch in the attic with her candlestick. But since MGM's trailer for the Picturization of Daphne the Muddier's later pin-the-tail-on-the-scapegoat novel contends that this yarn "is Twice as Exciting on the screen" as it is in the book, viewers are likely to rush out of Revival Theater Showings eager to ditch any unread Book-of-the-Month Club copies of THE SCAPEGOAT in their nearest Goodwill Recycling Bin.