The Scarlet Pimpernel (1982)

Memorable, crazy movie

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

When it comes to revolutions it's possible to go too far, and they have gone it. They're chopping off head after head while the crowd cheers. It's the aftermath of the French revolution, the 1780s, and the Reign of Terror prevails, perhaps another case of the cure being as bad as the disease. Most social movements follow a similar path only in revolutions the results are more dramatic. Fidel Castro worked his way down to government mailmen. I'm going to call this "revolutionary inertia." Inertia means an object continues its motion until acted upon by an opposite force. The Salem witch trials resulted in more than twenty hangings and only stopped when he girls started accusing community leaders. That's all for now, and thank you for your kind attention.The citizens have deposed the King and taken over France and the first thing they do is start beheading whatever aristocrats they can find reason to. Everybody's getting it in the neck, and the guillotine is in the public square, the executions surrounded by screaming mobs of the newly empowered and bloodthirsty. Intolerable.So a wealthy Englishman, Anthony Andrews, while posing as an effete and shallow fop, periodically disguises himself, visits Paris, and with the help of some comrades smuggles handfuls of aristos out of the country. The Committee on Revolutionary Protocol or whatever it's called is furious with this mysterious "Scarlet Pimpernel" who seems intent on helping suspects escape the bloodbath. We don't actually see any heads tumbling into baskets, thank God. There is a good deal of action and suspense that underlines the intrigues we see developing in the story -- clattering tumbrils, galloping horses, an occasional knife duel.Especially annoyed is Ian McKellen as the Minister of Executions or whatever he's called. And he SHOULD be. Andrews, still in his guise of a peacock, has managed to swipe McKellar's beloved Jane Seymour. Seymour, of course, knows nothing of Andrews' secret persona and neither does anyone outside of Andrews' small circle of conspirators.Jane Seymour is delicious in her 18th-century finery, despite a fright wig of such proportions that it carries its own weather system. Andrews is all right with both identities except that NOBODY in his right mind could endure the presence of Sir Percy Blakeney, Andrews' fop identity, for more than one or two awkward moments. Really, the guy could clear a room without using a gun. "They seek him here, they seek him there. Those Frenchies seek him everywhere. Is he in heaven? Is he in hell? That damned elusive Pimpernel," is some doggerel he improvises in the presence of the revolution's head honchos, much to their annoyance. Sir Percy struts around in his meticulous dress carrying a tiny magnifying glass through which he examines persons of a lesser breed, his head tilted back, his nostrils quivering.Best performance is by Ian McKellen who is truly in love with Jane Seymour and is emotionally damaged by seeing her drift away into the arms of that English snob. But he does an extraordinary job of projecting his anguish, torn between his love for Madame Seymour and his allegiance to Madame Guillotine. You know something -- McKellen is a youngish man here, not the wrinkled and wretched fairy of "Gods and Monsters." In fact he's handsome and rather rugged. He resembles Leonard Nimoy so much that there were times I thought it WAS Leonard Nimoy. Is it possible that McKellen and Nimoy are one and the same person? No? Has anyone ever seen the two of them together in the same room? I thought not.

This is probably one my favorite movies. I have seen it a million times and I will watch it another million. The acting is great for the time period it was recorded in which would be the early 80's. Also the wardrobe is awesome. Some of the effects they used are eye opening. Makes you wonder how they did it back then and who was in charge of the makeup and costumes. Some people will write this movie off before even giving it a chance just from reading the description. I encourage you to watch this movie if you are on the fence. I was trying to describe it to someone before and the best way I could think was this... This movie is V for Vendetta during the French Revolution. It is a must watch if you have not seen it!

As other reviewers have said the exceedingly handsome Anthony Andrews seems born to play this role. He is an excellent actor with an upper-class accent who can just nail a foppish dandy like Sir Percy Blakeney (aka The Scarlet Pimpernel) with ease. Jane Seymour is a pretty good actress & is just about as beautiful as a woman can possibly be. She too makes the most of her role as Marguerite St Just. James Villiers was another actor with an upper-crust background & he too is perfectly cast as Baron De Batz. Same goes for the other principle role of Chauvelin played by Ian McKellen. The classic story by Emma Orczy is well known as British spy The Scarlet Pimpernel tries to save french noblemen from the guillotine in late eighteenth century revolutionary France, but this production has been done with real style & panache. Anthony Andrews received enormous critical acclaim for his performance as the alcoholic turned dipsomaniac Lord Sebastian Flyte in Brideshead Revisited but in this, in my opinion, he is even better. If you haven't read the book, don't bother, just get hold of a copy of this 1982 made-for-television production. You won't be disappointed!.

This is one of the most often watched movie by my 15 year old daughter and me. And I watched it over and over even before she was born. It has drama, suspense and comedy. Oh, and it is SO romantic!Also, watching this and similar movies has bolstered my kids' knowledge of history. When they study the French Revolution, for instance, it isn't as boring as it would have been otherwise.It would also be interesting for fans of Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman since Jane Seymour co-stars here. And fans of Lord of the Rings and X-Men will be interested to see a younger Ian McClellan (Gandalf/Magneto) as Chauvelin.