screenman Don't let the vintage dissuade you. Like the similarly aged 'Mutiny On The Bounty', 'Scarlet Pimpernel' is an excellent piece of work.Other contributors have explained in worthy detail the merits of this movie so I'll be brief. Leslie Howard is perfectly cast for the part. Not a handsome man in the way we might employ the term today, he nevertheless conveys a tremendous presence and authority despite so-often playing the buffoon. He gets excellent lines and delivers them with panache and timing that is simply a masterclass. I particularly like his seeming obsession with dress, especially cravats, to emphasise his foppish credentials.Other actors fit their roles to a nicety, but Howard is the man to both watch and hear. The way he shifts between his shallow persona and the shrewd and scheming alter-ego is wonderful to behold. He is like Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson combined.Filmed in Black & White, and with nice production values with regard to costume and location, this is a classic interpretation of a hero. Though its age now necessitates some sound-track repair. A re-mastering would be a blessing, though its lack of popularity make it unlikely.Easily the best Pimpernel and highly recommended.

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.

Daniel Kincaid "The Scarlet Pimpernel" takes place during the Reign of Terror in the aftermath of the French Revolution. It is the story of Sir Percy Blakeney, an English aristocrat that rescues condemned French aristocrats from the guillotine under the secret identity of "The Scarlet Pimpernel". The film features nice sets, scenes and costumes that fit the period.Leslie Howard leads the cast as Sir Percy Blakeney. Howard definitely delivers the outstanding performance of the film. He is equally good as playing the two sides of his character, public fop and secret hero. It is quite enjoyable to see Howard in the various disguises of the Pimpernel. Merle Oberon also gives a fine performance as Lady Blakeney and the relationship between her and Sir Percy is well-developed. Raymond Massey is decent, but not outstanding villain as Citizen Chauvelin.This film develops an interesting story with intrigue and memorable dialogue. However, I found that the film was unevenly paced and somewhat tedious or bogged down in ceremony at times. This version is decent overall, but I preferred the 1982 version in all aspects: the casting (even though Howard is excellent, I prefer Andrews as Sir Percy), the pacing, the development of the rivalry between Percy and Chauvelin and the ending.

bkoganbing There are some including previous reviewers here who would argue that The Scarlet Pimpernel afforded Leslie Howard his finest screen role. I wouldn't argue the point.This Pimpernel guy, a sort of English Zorro/Lone Ranger is one tricky fellow. He's declared his own private war on the French Revolution and while not prancing about Regency society, he's over in France rescuing as many aristocrats as he can from Madame Guillotine.Like Zorro in order to throw off suspicion, Sir Percy Blakeney affects the guise of a fop so that no one will think him capable of anything bold. Unlike Don Diego De La Vega, Blakeney's a married man, married to a French woman played by Merle Oberon who has her own dirty little secrets she's keeping. Come to think of Don Diego and Sir Percy were operating in roughly the same period.There's a guy named Chauvelin who's got a mission from the head guy at the Revolution, Robespierre himself. Bring back the Scarlet Pimpernel to face Revolutionary justice or you will. That's one great incentive.Raymond Massey is a ruthless hunter as Chauvelin. And he believes in his mission. As another reviewer quite plainly put it Massey well remembers all the excesses that the aristocrats indulged in for centuries. He's pretty good too, but Leslie Howard is a tad better.Leslie Howard is one of those players you can listen to and never be bored. He had that marvelous ability to make some of the most trite dialog sound like Shakespeare. As did his fellow British players Ronald Colman and Robert Donat. No one ever played the jaded world weary soul quite the way Howard did, whether it was Alan Squire, Ashley Wilkes or Percy Blakeney. The Scarlet Pimpernel after over 70 years holds up well as classic entertainment. No one, but a jaded regency fop could not like this film.