The Scarlet Pimpernel (1999)

"They seek him here. They seek him there. Those 'Frenchies' seek him everywhere. Is he in heaven? Or is he in hell? That damned elusive Pimpernel."

I am a big fan of the French Revolution. Not because of the freedom in brought to the common French people from the aristocracy that oppressed them and not for the inspiration it's ideals brought to revolution in North America. Those things are well and good and I am enjoying the by-products of living next to a Republic in a democracy where our Monarch is merely a figurehead.

For me, the French Revolution was about everyone getting what was coming to them. The wasteful and arrogant aristocracy were literally removed from having power over the poor and those who lead the rebellion (and then were corrupted by it) ended up being the last victims of the most horrific symbol of the French Revolution, Mademoiselle Guillotine.

Of all the Literary heroes ever created, the Scarlet Pimpernel is one of my favorites. He is the precursor to all 'masked heroes' like Batman and Zorro. At a time when anyone with any noble blood could be marched to their death, the author of the story, Baroness Emmuska Orczy, imagined a hero who rescued any members of the aristocracy that he could by smuggling them out of France and to England where they were much safer from the French leader Robespierre and his 'Reign of Terror.


The Pimpernel wore a mask, fought with a sword and had an organization of 20 like minded associates - The League of the Scarlet Pimpernel ('one to command and nineteen to obey') who protected his identity (if they knew it) to the death. He even wore that cool reversible ring that changed him from Hero to Dandy. He was an actor who took delight in living among those who actively sought his alter-ego's death. His name came from the flower he used to sign all the messages he left as calling cards to taught his foes after each rescue.

This production of the oft-told tale stars Richard E. Grant as Sir Percy Blakeney and was told in 12 one hour episodes.

The setting, costumes and dialogue are all top notch as you would suspect from a historical BBC production. In such a long story you get time to learn the motivation behind why Percy takes on the guise of the Pimpernel and how truly corrupt and evil the leaders of the French Revolution actually were.


I also enjoyed the personal relationship Percy has with his estranged wife Margaritte. She is an actress and sees her husbands as a weakling, a coward and a spoiled aristocrat. For her safety and his, she must be kept in the dark about her husbands heroics. He suffers from her insults and comparisons to the Pimpernel, who she admires. It kills him that he can't just come out and take credit for the good he is doing.


To complicate matters, The Pimpernels' chief enemy, Citizen Chauvalin (Martin Shaw), has a letter implicating Margaritte's brother Armand and is using it to blackmail her for information about the Pimpernel. She once unknowingly betrayed a noble french family and they were sent to thier deaths. That has always been a wall between them. Love and mistrust are powerful themes in this story and both Grant and Elizabeth McGovern as Margaritte are excellent in their roles. All the actors in the production fit the time and you are not pulled out of the story for a second.


Some of the best scenes occur when Percy is playing the role of fop and must say what he means without revealing the true strength of his character. Grant is fantastic in a role that is the very model of the playboy hero. Like with Batman, The Scarlet Pimpernel is the true face of Percy. The fop is his Bruce Wayne. The face he wears to distract. Grant is brilliant as both sides of the character.

This is a great adventure made by filmmakers working at the top of their game. The gamesmanship between hero and villain in this turbulent time in European history is exciting to watch. A&E released the whole series several years ago on DVD and the search of your local library is well worth the effort.