The Champagne Murders (Le Scandale)

Claude Chabrol made the French film Le Scandale, known internationally as The Champagne Murders, in 1967. Some sources call it a crime thriller and others a psychological detective story; a vein of mystery and suspense runs through both descriptions. Shot in French, it runs 105 minutes, and Universal is credited as the production company. In Spain it was released as Champaña por un asesino, in Argentina and Mexico as Burbujas de terror, and in Germany as Champagner-Mörder.

The film is based on a story by William Benjamin, with a screenplay by Claude Brulé. Anthony Perkins takes the lead, with Maurice Ronet beside him. The cast also includes Stéphane Audran, Yvonne Furneaux, Catherine Langeais, Catherine Sola, Colin Drake, Denise Péronne, Dominique Zardi, Henri Attal and Henry Jones.

Perkins was best known for Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho, and Chabrol admired Hitchcock more than any other director. Le Scandale was the first of two films Chabrol made with Perkins. For his part in it, Maurice Ronet won the Silver Shell for Best Actor at the San Sebastián International Film Festival.