La primula rossa

Adventures based on Baroness Orczy's famous novels about wealthy Chamaleon aristocrat who is not the fool he seems and confounds the French revolutionaries ; indeed , he masquerades as the daring adventurer , the soldier of fortune and rescuer of those persecuted by the French Revolution and the guillotines . Exciting exploits set on the Reign of Terror with Sir Percy Blackeney against a sinister Chauvelin , while the French Republicans seek him , there and everywhere . This is one of the innumerable versions of the much-filmed adventure classic with the immortal hero named Scarlet pimpernel ( Anthony Andrews), and again the English aristocrat engaged in the underground effort to snatch out from under the blade of the guillotine Frenchmen caught in the Reign of Terror ( 1792 ) . This time the terrible Committee of Public Safety assigns to Chauvelin the mission to track down Pimpernel in England . As Chauvelin ( ideal baddie cast Ian McKellen ) travels towards England where resides Percy and his wife ( Jane Seymour ) who was once involved with Chauvelin . The astute Chauvelin attempts to discover the rogue's identity and involve Percy's French wife Marguerite in his scheme , furthermore is plotting to win back his previous love . Pimpernel returns to Paris and then Sir Percy hides his activities under various guises . Pimpernel and wife head to France to save the son of the king from the clutches of Saint Just . Then Scarlet gets trapped , so quite a lot of rescuing needs to be freed . His ruse may throw off the French authorities but the elusive Pimpernel is also attempting to free his wife , though he is suddenly caught by Chauvelin.

Anthony Andrews plays it to perfection , fitting the role like elegant glove , he does a dashing hero leading several characters and posing as an officer , pauper old woman or revolutionary . Andrews match up efficiently to the popular conception of the Pimpernel who remains the archetypal acting , catching exactly the false foppishness as well as the mythical qualities which make the personage seem so invincible .In the film appears historical characters as Saint Just , Fouche and Robespierre and is developed an intrigue about the little boy prince Louis XVII , guillotined king Louis XVI's son . This lavish production results to be a good TV adaptation with spectacular production design , 18th Century costumes , intrigue , damsels in disgrace , nice scenarios and the impressive sets , too , are superb . Stellar cast plenty of known actors with Jane Seymour ,Ian McKellen and James Villiers. This is almost as good as the classic rendition and being stunningly directed by Clive Donner .

Other versions about the supposed dandy of the English court who assumes the identity of foppish Sir Percy in order to outwit the French republicans and aid innocent aristocrats and based on classic novels by Baroness Orczy are the following : First and the best swashbuckling vintage (1939) produced by London Films and directed by Harold Young with Leslie Howard and Leslie Caron ; The Elusive Pimpernel (1950) by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger with David Niven , Cryl Cusack and Margaret Leighton and TV series( 1999 ) by Patrick Lau with Richard E Grant and Elizabeth McGovern and another series (1955) starred by Marius Goring as Sir Percy , the Scarlet Pimpernel .

I have loved this movie since I was a child, but even more so now having re-watched it after reading the two books it is based upon. Anthony Andrews perfectly captures the dual nature of Sir Percy - the lazy eyelids, drawly voice, and then the flashes of passion when alone with Marguerite. His appearance is always impeccable, and his disguises are always extremely good but still true to what he would have been able to accomplish at that time.

The script manages to flawlessly interweave the plot of "The Scarlet Pimpernel" and "Eldorado", the two Orczy books on which it is based (both revolving around the Scarlet Pimpernel). The resulting story allows for wonderful character development, especially between the three main characters. Ian McKellan wonderfully captures Chauvelin's zeal and nervousness, with the added bonus of seeing more of his background with Marguerite and Sir Percy.

I have never seen any of the other version of The Scarlet Pimpernel, but as this one is so good I feel I do not need to even bother. Even without knowing the story or reading the two books, it stands on its own merit as a wonderfully entertaining film, which might just as easily have been made for the big screen as for TV.

The Scarlet Pimpernel hardly needs a description, but this particular version is my favourite by some distance. Anthony Andrews steals the show brilliantly as Sir Percy Blakeney, the dandy-ish fop from England who devotes all his time and energy to rescuing hapless French nobility from Madame Guillotine, even when that appears to be furthest from his mind. Underneath the camp act is a man of steely determination and strategic genius. He's rather good with a rapier as well. Anthony Andrews is well supported by a fine cast, including Ian McKellen (long before he found cinematic fame with X-Men and the Lord of the Rings trilogy) and Jane Seymour as Sir Percy's love interest, who has never been better than she is in this role. Although it is a TV movie, it never feels cheap or under-funded. The film rattles along at a good pace and ticks all the right boxes for a true swashbuckler - the hero wins the day, wins the lady, humiliates the enemy and does it all in real style.

This is my favorite movie of all-time. The film is set during the French Revolution and makes the horror of the guillotine, along with the triumph of the secret band of the Scarlet Pimpernel very believable. The key strength I feel the film has is an excellent storyline and developing plot. The viewer is always kept on edge wondering what will happen next in the adventure. There are beautiful yet modest romance scenes. The orchestral score fits the mood of each scene perfectly. The acting is excellent, especially on the part of the three leading actors, Anthony Andrews, Jane Seymor, and Ian McKellen.

The movie also has excellent replay value--it seems almost every time you watch it you pick up on something new about the plot.

I highly recommend this movie to anyone who appreciates a full plot, a great story, and interesting twists that prove in the end good triumphs over evil.

I absolutely loved this movie! The first time I saw it I was totally on the edge of my seat. It's not a movie where you can predict what happens next. Anthony Andrews, Jane Seymour, and Ian McKlellan are wonderful! I would recommend The Scarlet Pimpernel to anyone and everyone. It has suspense, romance, adventure, it's absolutely incredible! I could watch it everyday and never get sick of it!