The Scarlet Pimpernel 

During the turmoil of the French Revolution, English aristocrat Percy Blakeney, often aided by his League of friends, secretly undertakes various daring missions as the Scarlet Pimpernel.

Stars:

Richard E. Grant, Ronan Vibert, Gerard Murphy

1 nomination.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Richard E. Grant	...	Sir Percy Blakeney / ... 6 episodes, 1999-2000
Ronan Vibert	...	Robespierre 6 episodes, 1999-2000
Gerard Murphy	...	Planchet 5 episodes, 1999-2000
Jonathan Coy	...	Prince of Wales / ... 4 episodes, 1999-2000
Ron Donachie	...	Arturo Mazarini / ... 4 episodes, 1999-2000
Milton Johns	...	Fisher 4 episodes, 1999-2000
John McEnery	...	Sir William Wetherby 3 episodes, 2000
Beth Goddard	...	Lady Suzanne Ffoulkes / ... 3 episodes, 1999
Anthony Green	...	Sir Andrew Ffoulkes 3 episodes, 1999
Martin Shaw	...	Chauvelin 3 episodes, 1999
Elizabeth McGovern	...	Lady Marguerite Blakeney 3 episodes, 1999
Christopher Fairbank	...	Fumier 3 episodes, 1999

Storyline

During the turmoil of the French Revolution, English aristocrat Percy Blakeney, often aided by his League of friends, secretly undertakes various daring missions as the Scarlet Pimpernel.

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Plot Keywords:

aristocrat | french revolution | revolution | adventurer | heroic | 

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama

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Details

Official Sites:

Official A&E site

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 January 1999 (UK)

Also Known As:

A vörös Pimpernel

Filming Locations:

Barrandov Studios, Prague, Czech Republic

Box Office

Budget:

£5,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

A&E Television Networks,BBC Birmingham,London Film Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

540 min 270 min (DVD)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

4:3

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Scarlet Pimpernel was filmed in Prague, Czech Republic, for its resemblance to 18th century Paris (and absence of satellite dishes).

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Quotes

Percy Blakeney: To love your wife, frightfully unfashionable.

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Connections

Followed by The Scarlet Pimpernel: A King's Ransom/The Scarlet Pimpernel and the Kidnapped King (1999)

User Reviews

Not very faithful

I am not quite sure I agree with the director of this version of The Scarlet Pimpernel. I imagined Sir Percy Blakeney a very calm, seemingly lazy aristocrat. This particular Sir Percy Blakeney appears to be teeming with overwhelming energy and volatility. I did not appreciate the Houdini, James Bond, Mission Impossible style escapes that Sir Percy engineered either. In the previous versions, wit was the tool for escape, not technology. Neither were the characters of Marguerite and Chauvelin adequately portrayed. There seemed to be little energy or chemistry in the interaction between the characters.

I do not wish to assign any blame, for perhaps the reason for my dislike of this movie might simply be a matter of difference in interpretation. Had the director's interpretation coincided with mine, perhaps I might not have been irritated by what seemed to me bad character portrayals.

I much preferred the version from 1982. Anthony Andrews was quite efficient as the imperturbable, calm fop. So were Jane Seymour and Ian McKellen. In my opinion, the style of this period piece seems to have been lost with this latest adaption. I recommend sticking with the previous versions, either the one from 1934 or the one from 1982.