Mistaken Identity/Scapegoat/Brat

One of the most fascinating plots in fiction is that in which two people look exactly alike and their paths cross unhappily. The situation intrigues me so, that, when a friend years ago said she'd seen my double working at the airport in Amsterdam, I wanted to fly there to see this creature for myself, anticipating not indulging in the unhappily part.

Of course, I didn't make that trip. Instead, I enjoyed reading such a story called The Scapegoat by Daphne Du Maurier. Not grand literature exactly, and not so well known as the author's Rebecca, it was well worth my reading it several times (and Rebecca only once). The Scapegoat became a film, a 1959 release, starring Alec Guinness, but I haven't yet found a source from which to acquire it. If any of you can locate it for me, I'll be happy to have a comment from you about it.

Another great story of look-alikes is a modern classic: Brat Farrah by Josephine Tey, shown on the PBS program "Mystery" several times. I won't say more about these intricate plots, for I don't want to ruin the surprises for you.

Most of you, I hope, studied A Tale of Two Cities by Dickens in high school. Do you remember that Charles Darnay and Sydney Carton looked enough alike that one of them gave his life under the blade of the guillotine to save the life of the other? They both loved the same woman but she loved only one of them, the one whose life the other saved.

I wonder if mistaken identity in real life ever happens to the extent it does in any of these intricate tales. Someone should make a study of it (could be for a master's thesis). Several movies concern the topic, though they may not spring from books. "A Stolen Life" comes to mind, with Bette Davis, a 1946 release.

If you know of other fiction with mistaken identity of look-alikes, I would appreciate the titles and authors in a comment.