The Scarlet Pimpernel [Hong Kong]

Overview

Swordplay, secret messages, and the rustle of ballroom finery make this 1982 adaptation of The Scarlet Pimpernel a gala bash. Anthony Andrews heads the cast as English nobleman Sir Percy Blakeney, a conceited but amusing fop in the drawing rooms of British high society. But beneath his veneer of lacy impertinence is a man of bravado and derring-do. In disguise, he becomes the Pimpernel -- ta-da! -- and steals into France to rescue aristocrats condemned to the guillotine during the French Revolution. After each rescue, he leaves behind a scarlet pimpernel, a flower whose petals close at the approach of stormy weather. He also uses a signet ring engraved with a scarlet pimpernel to identify himself on the sealing wax of letters to compatriots. It is all jolly-good intrigue. Because he cloaks his schemes in great secrecy, not even his new wife Marguerite (Jane Seymour) realizes he is anything more than an innocuous dandy. Frustrated, the French send the ruthless Chauvelin (Ian McKellen) to England to serve as ambassador and ferret out the elusive Pimpernel. In a plot that ensnares Marguerite and closes the Pimpernel's petals, Chauvelin finally confronts his clever adversary, and it's en garde -- parry and thrust!

Product Details

Release Date:	04/10/2007
UPC:	4897007030620
Original Release:	1982
Source:	Imports
Language:	English
Sales rank:	13,082

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Anthony Andrews	Sir Percy Blakeney
Jane Seymour	Marguerite Blakeney
Ian McKellen	Chauvelin
James Villiers	Baron de Batz,Lord Anthony Dewhurst
Eleanor David	Louise
Malcolm Jamieson	Armand
Dennis Lili	Count de Tournay
Richard Morant	Robespierre
Julian Fellowes	The Prince Regent
Timothy Carlton	Count de Beaulieu
David Gant	Fouquet
John Quarmby	Ponceau
Gordon Gostelow	Duval
Carol Macready	Mme. Duval
Tracey Childs	Suzanne
Joanna Dickens	Aunt Lulu
Dominic Jephcott	Sir Andrew Ffoulkes
Geoffrey Toone	Marquis de St. Cyr
Sean Mathias	Dispatcher
Daphne Anderson	Lady Grenville
Tony Caunter	Pochard
Nick Brimble	Bibot
Mark Drewry	Lord Timothy Hastings
Barrie Houghton	Executioner
Kate Howard	Countess de Beaulieu
Richard Charles	The Dauphin
Preston Lockwood	Duke
Derek Deadman	Handler
Martin Wyldeck	Marquess
Ann Firbank	Countess de Tournay
Robert Cobert	Composer
Nick Bicât	Composer

Technical Credits

William Bast

Clive Donner	Director
Mark Shelmerdine	Executive Producer
David Conroy	Producer
William Bast	Screenwriter
Rose Tobias Shaw	Casting

Editorial Reviews

In this rousing romp of a film, Anthony Andrews plays the dual role of Sir Percy Blakeney and the Scarlet Pimpernel with gusto and panache. As Percy he is a conceited coxcomb who wears lacy cravats and recites poetry. As the Pimpernel, he is a daring hero who rescues French nobles in the age of the guillotine. For fans of swashbuckling intrigue, his schizoid shenanigans make for rambunctious fun and frolic. He is, in short, a pip of a Pimpernel. Portraying his adversary, the dastardly Chauvelin, is Ian McKellen. Unaware of the identity of the Pimpernel, he travels to England in the capacity of ambassador to skulk and lurk -- and McKellen is a master in this regard -- in an attempt to unmask his clever foe. His plot involves Percy's wife, the beautiful Marguerite, portrayed with elegance and charm by Jane Seymour. Secret meetings and a climactic sword fight ensue, but not before director Clive Donner gives the viewers a taste of the haut monde: colorful costumes, period music, and ballroom repartee with a zing, thanks to scriptwriter William Bast. Authentic English settings include Blenheim Palace, Broughton Castle, Milton Manor, and Ragley Hall.

All Movie Guide - Mike Cummings