Death of a Scoundrel

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Death of a Scoundrel

I don't see who else the producers could have chose for this role: maybe Zachary Scott or Vincent Price. But George Sanders is the perfect actor for such a character. Yvonne De Carlo was not that much used to play in dramas, such a this one, she usually was seen in adventure yarns, shot in Technicolor. But here she is fine, convincing. However I prefer the features directed by Albert Lewin concerning Sanders' roles; he was then more abivalent, exquisite, you could be fascinated by him, as by a snake, a reptile. Here he is just a villain whom you enjoy to dislike, not even hate. Good drama, especially for Sanders and De Carlo. I don't remember another film starring both; maybe there is at least one....

The rags to riches script is ludicrous but this film's saving grace is the talented actors. Sanders, DeCarlo and even Gabor play their type to the hilt. I have never seen such perfect casting, especially in a B film such as this.

When Clementi Suborin is found murdered, his secretary recounts to the police the story of his rise from Czech refugee to ultra-rich New Yorker. The tale of betrayal, womanizing and fraud confirms that almost everyone who knew him wanted him dead. "Death of a Scoundrel" is a fictionalized adaptation of the life and mysterious death of Serge Rubinstein. He was a stock and currency manipulator, a playboy, Café society denizen, convicted draft-evader and murder victim. I had never heard of hi, but now i want to know more. The film is quite good, but somewhat misleading. It is presented as a film noir, but really is more of a biopic. Within the first minute or two we get a heinous murder, but the remainder never gets gritty like you would expect from the opening.

George Sanders was a fine actor that just isn't that well-known to Americans today. In this movie, he is completely in his element playing a charming but morally bankrupt jerk. He uses EVERYONE around him and is the complete sociopath until eventually he gets his due. His character was created as a WARNING against being conned by the likes of him and he is NOT glorified in any way, nor does he ultimately get away with this behavior. I loved the picture and it sure gave me a lot more than I was expecting. By the way, if you would like to see a couple more of Sanders' best movies, try "All About Eve" or "Village of the Damned". Also, for a similar film to "Death of a Scoundrel", try "The Great Man" or "A Face the Crowd". Finally, it was interesting to see Sanders in the same movie as his wife, Zsa Zsa Gobor (though whether or not they were married to each other at the time, I don't know) as well as his brother, Tom Conway.