The Scoundrel (1935)

“When a book and an head come into contact, and one sounds hollow. Is it always the book?”. Noël Coward is the rather superior publisher “Tony” who is surrounded by acolytes who are little more interested in him than he is in them. Even his most loyal stalwarts are mere pawns in his successful business. Then he meets the down-to-earth “Cora” (Julie Haydon) whose approach to his caddish behaviour leads him to believe that she has to be girl for him. She has no intentions on that front though, and absconds to Bermuda. He sets of in pursuit but, well you know what they say about that triangle! Now he has one month to get someone to cry a genuine tear for him else he will face a fate worse than death. He realises now, as do we, just how false his life has been and at how shallow a character “Tony” is, but unless he can manage to find “Cora”… Though sometimes quite witty, this is still a little wordy for the first half hour. Coward exudes a superciliousness and pomposity right from the get go, so I’m not sure we needed too much more of the character establishment part, but once we reach the more metaphysical aspects of the story, it becomes quite a poignant look at hypocrisy and double standards, venality and yes, even a little pity and love. As to the miracle, well that’s down to a gently effective effort from Haydon who actually does well to make her presence felt in the ambit of Coward.