Clayton Van March (Hallows_Eve_Chocologic)
I just finished watching it on TV, it was shown minus the commercials too, so that was excellent.The film is so incredibly real. Although it is black and white, this is the closest thing you are going to get to that period of time. More so than most modern period pieces, I feel. Most modern period pieces are so full of special effects, unbelievable characters and situations that push the boundaries of suspension of belief too far, and most importantly, often overlong running times, that you do not find yourself engrossed in the film as much as you should.This is not the case here. Oh, by golly no! When you see this film, you not only behold spectacles of rich and of splendour, of dense halls, candlelit niches of magic in all it's purest...foggy waters, great barges, and damp cabins that force you to breath in the salty winds of the sea. Oh no, you go back in time. You go on a highly pleasant outing back in time to dwell for a little while--in the realm of dreams.
Space_Mafune
Sir Percy Blakeney is leading a secret double life. Pretending to everyone in the public eye, including his own wife, that he is a silly British fop, he is in reality the dashing Scarlet Pimpernel, a man devoted, despite the threat to his own head, to helping free the innocence condemned to the guillotine during the French Terror! Overall this is very well done and features a very capable cast particularly lead Leslie Howard in the challenging dual role and Raymond Massey, who has a great turn as lead villain/spy for the French Republic Citizen Chauvelin for which he seems perfectly cast. Merle Oberon too does quite well and looks quite fetching as Blakeney's befuddled wife.The problem with this is it feels a bit too static, a bit too talky as was often the case with many early sound pictures. There's just a bit more exposition at times than really seems necessary. This slows the action down a bit to the point things actually get a little dull on occasion. That said, there's enough fun to be found in this one that makes it well worth watching especially those scenes featuring Howard's Blakeney, particularly when he uses some means of disguise or another to fool those pursuing him or uses his foppish charm to throw Chauvelin off his trail.
Clifford04
I first saw this movie when black and white-television had first arrived, and was captivated by the plotting as well as by Leslie Howard's genius and beautiful Merle Oberon's eyes. This is romantic adventure at its peak, and considering the early stage of the industry in which it was made, sound still a novelty, it remains magnificent. I have seen it since, of course, although it has been some time now. And, oh yes, the greatest villain of all times is here too. Who could ever have done better than Raymond Massey in the role of Citizen Chauvelin, whom I also remember as Sherlock Holmes in The Speckled Band (1931)? And the eminently lovable Nigel Bruce, later paired with Basil Rathbone in a whole series of memorable Sherlock Holmes movies. I may be nostalgic, but have they ever been bettered? Anyway, he is a suitably silly Prince of Wales here, adding some of that comic relief that could easily spoil an adventure if not rightly done, but this one, like Leslie Howard's acting balances on the finest of edges with supreme precision. They will never do stuff like this anymore. Too bad.
Neil Doyle
LESLIE HOWARD and MERLE OBERON both shine in this thoroughly entertaining film classic about the man who was an effete British gentleman by day (Sir Percy) and a noble avenger who saved many of his countrymen from the guillotine. As the dandy, Leslie is an unmitigated delight, delivering some ripely amusing lines with great flair. And Merle Oberon is a vision of loveliness as his wife who almost gives his identity away before she realizes who he actually is.It's photographed in crisp B&W splendor with elegant costumes and settings and given a rich supporting cast of players including RAYMOND MASSEY as the Frenchman anxious to trap The Scarlet Pimpernell, NIGEL BRUCE, MELVILLE COOPER and many others.The brilliant script has many memorable lines, most of them given to Leslie Howard's character when he's playing the dandy seemingly oblivious to the hunt for the disguised Pimpernell. Especially riveting are the opening scenes depicting the ugly public executions during the French Revolution and the crowds that delighted in them.There's never a dull moment. Well worth watching and should give fans a new impression of just how great an actor LESLIE HOWARD actually was.
AD
