***SPOILERS*** Off the wall but at the same time interesting story about this French/English teacher John Barratt, Alec Guinness, on a vacation in French-just checking out the sites-runs into his double Franch nobleman Jacques De Gue, also played by Guinness, who seems to take a shine to him. Not that George looks just like him but that he want's him to impersonate him while-from what I can see-going on a two month hunting and fishing vacation as well as trying to locate and photograph "Big Foot" in the great Canadian North-West.
Getting John drunk and leaving him alone in a hotel room he got for him Jacques checks out and leave the poor and confused John even more confused to face life as Jacques De Gue on his own. Driven to his château in the French countryside by his loyal chauffeur as well as shoeshine boy Gaston, Geoffrey Keen, as hard as John tries to convince his new found family that he isn't Jacques they refuse to believe him even having the family doctor Aloin, Noel Howlett, declare him to be suffering from schizophrenia! Finally accepting his fate as being a rich French nobleman with all the money and fixing that goes along with it John soon finds out that his mom the Countess, Bette Davis, is a morphine junkie and his wife Francoise, Irene Worth, is suspicious that he whats to have her knocked off in order to get his hands on her money. On top of all that his or better yet his wife's glass factory is on the verge of bankruptcy which he doesn't help by him promising the workers there a hefty raise in their next contract.
***SPOILERS*** All this confusion soon comes together when Francoise is thrown to her death out of her two story bedroom window at the château with John herd but not seen arguing with her before her death just moments before it happened by his sister Blanche,Palela Brown,who overheard the conversation. It now becomes apparent that the missing Jacques was behind his wife's murder and used the totally out of touch Jack who was nowhere near the murder scene and had proof of having driven with Gaston down to the town of Villars to go sightseeing at the time of the murder! The ending is a bit crazy with, this by now is getting so confusing, Jacques now coming out of the shadows trying to reclaim his identity from John who's, by having a taste of the good life, now not at all willing to give it up.
P.S The only way were able to destinies between the two John & Jacques at the final moment of the movie is a bandage or dressing covering the right hand of one of them that if you blinked or fell asleep by then you'll miss it!
Getting John drunk and leaving him alone in a hotel room he got for him Jacques checks out and leave the poor and confused John even more confused to face life as Jacques De Gue on his own. Driven to his château in the French countryside by his loyal chauffeur as well as shoeshine boy Gaston, Geoffrey Keen, as hard as John tries to convince his new found family that he isn't Jacques they refuse to believe him even having the family doctor Aloin, Noel Howlett, declare him to be suffering from schizophrenia! Finally accepting his fate as being a rich French nobleman with all the money and fixing that goes along with it John soon finds out that his mom the Countess, Bette Davis, is a morphine junkie and his wife Francoise, Irene Worth, is suspicious that he whats to have her knocked off in order to get his hands on her money. On top of all that his or better yet his wife's glass factory is on the verge of bankruptcy which he doesn't help by him promising the workers there a hefty raise in their next contract.
***SPOILERS*** All this confusion soon comes together when Francoise is thrown to her death out of her two story bedroom window at the château with John herd but not seen arguing with her before her death just moments before it happened by his sister Blanche,Palela Brown,who overheard the conversation. It now becomes apparent that the missing Jacques was behind his wife's murder and used the totally out of touch Jack who was nowhere near the murder scene and had proof of having driven with Gaston down to the town of Villars to go sightseeing at the time of the murder! The ending is a bit crazy with, this by now is getting so confusing, Jacques now coming out of the shadows trying to reclaim his identity from John who's, by having a taste of the good life, now not at all willing to give it up.
P.S The only way were able to destinies between the two John & Jacques at the final moment of the movie is a bandage or dressing covering the right hand of one of them that if you blinked or fell asleep by then you'll miss it!