by Hal Erickson
synopsis
Per its title, the all-star Derriere la Facade (Behind the Facade) exposes the truth about a group of supposedly respectable citizens. Enraged that his jurist father is keeping a blowzy mistress, the judge's son heads into the Parisian "demimonde" to set things right. In short order, the mistress is murdered and the son is accused of the crime. A pair of ambitious police detectives think that there's more to the case than meets the eyes, as indeed there is. Characters essential to the action include a naïve young soldier, a nimble-fingered card sharp, a sinister knife thrower and a slimy gigolo. Oh yes, Erich von Stroheim is also on hand for intermittent moments of menace.
