A SCANDAL IN PARIS, based on the autobiography of Francois Eugene Vidocq, follows the life story of a suave French thief from his birth in a prison to his unlikely rise to the position of Paris's chief of police. After spending much of his young adulthood in the house of his birth, Vidocq (George Sanders) escapes from jail and embarks on a series of nervy crimes that eventually, through political cunning, deception, and seduction, climaxes with his ascension to the position of chief of police of Paris, which he intends to abuse to execute his most daring heist. Director Douglas Sirk, displaying his burgeoning skills in one of his first American films, shapes Vidocq's story into a charming romantic classic full of urbane wit, sophistication, and sultry musical numbers.
