The Scarlet Pimpernel (1934)
Director
Starring
Last On
12:05-14:05
Thu 26th Aug 2021 115m
Talking Pictures TV
Synopsis
In this period adventure, Leslie Howard stars as Sir Percy Blakeney, master of disguise, outwitting Raymond Massey's evil Chauvelin during the French Revolution and fooling his wife, Merle Oberon, who thinks he's just a boorish fop. Produced by Alexander Korda and aimed firmly in mid-Atlantic, its chief virtues are Howard's portrait of strength masquerading as haughtiness (he's a sort of 18th-century Clark Kent) and some lavish production design. But it seems rather creaky nowadays, mainly because of the stagey direction from Harold Young and the servants who speak with Mayfair accents. It was a big success in its day, though, and Howard played the role again in the updated 1941 sequel, Pimpernel Smith.