Cheap The Scarlet Pimpernel Boxed Set (DVD) (Scarlet Pimpernel, Richard E. Grant) Price

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Customer Reviews of The Scarlet Pimpernel Boxed Set

Not a great interpretation of the books, but ok...
The Scarlet Pimpernel and all of the subsequent novels are some of my very favorite books, so naturally I was interested in this production. I was a bit disappointed in it, however, because of how far it strayed from the spirit of the original stories. The Sir Percy of the novels relied on his cunning and wit to get out of sticky situations rather than killing a bunch of people (even if they deserved it) as in these three films. That is really my main complaint, but I have a few others. The character of Chauvelin is different. Here he is bad, yet conflicted. In the novels he is just plain bad. He shows an obsessive lust for revenge, but in these films he just seems really miffed. Having said that, I think Martin Shaw played the character well for the way that it was written. Chauvelin's sidekick, Fumier, is annoying and unnecessary. Although, it was probably easier to have one guy helping him throughout all three films rather than having different people, as happens in the different novels. I thought Richard E. Grant was decent. He could have been better, I think, if the role had been interpreted better. He also doesn't fit the physical profile of Sir Percy, but that could be overlooked if the role was more like the original character. As for Elizabeth McGovern, she really lacked the passion that the role of Marguerite needed. Finally, I really wish that the French characters would have used French accents. Or at least tried to. Now it's time for the good things about these films. They are beautifully shot, and worth watching just for the cinematography. There are some fun fencing scenes, which are always a plus. The musical score is also quite good. I really like Anthony Green's performance as Sir Andrew. I thought it was really well done, just the way that I pictured Andrew. I did think he would make a better Sir Percy than Grant, especially since he actually does fit the physical profile. Last but not least (and the reason I wrote this review), the best performance in the movies, in my opinion, was that of Ronan Vibert as Robespierre, especially in the third film. He played the part exactly as I'm sure Baroness Orczy had him in her mind. He gives the character that soft-spoken viciousness that makes others cower before him, even though he perhaps isn't a physically frightening figure. Plus, he perfectly does the "mirthless smile" bit that Orczy was always writing about. True, it was a relatively small role, but Vibert's performance was the definite standout, with Green coming second. Pay attention to their performances if you watch these. The bottom line is that this film is fun to watch if you like a good swashbuckler. If you are looking for a film that has a better interpretation of the book, watch the version with Leslie Howard. Actually, watch it anyway. If you want a lavish, beautifully filmed version that may not quite get all the details right, watch these movies. They aren't the best, but they are fun.

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Richard Grant Does a Great Pimpernel
This may well be my favorite version of the Scarlet Pimpernel. I had always adored the 1934 version with Leslie Howard. Richard Grant does not merely reprise Howard, he rethinks the character of the Pimpernel.

The Howard version, done at a time when England was under attack by Germany, is solidly patriotic. Howard's Pimpernel is a patriot and a humanitarian. Richard Grant's Pimpernel obviously enjoys the thrill seeking, living on the edge of destruction. As someone else said, an adrenalin junkie. Rescuing aristos from the guillotine is an extreme sport for him.

Lady Blakeney is played as an older character, about mid thirties, rather than 25, as in the book, which is delightful. She is more experienced, less an ingenue, and her mistakes arise from desperation, not pique. When they relax together, she and Sir Percy obviously enjoy one another, physically and mentally.

Which brings me to the character of Chauvelin. His character is given more depth. There's hints about his character that need to be explored in more depth (could we have another movie or two, please?. He reminded me of Raphael Sabatini's Scaramouche, a middle class character who was drawn into the Revolution without a full understanding of what he was helping to set in motion. However, make no mistake, Chauvelin is looking out for himself first and foremost.

France of the Revolution is shown to be a madhouse, where the Guillotine is an icon, sculpture of the heads of the fallen becoming decorations in a coffeehouse. It is both horridly decadent and fascinatingly stylish.

All combined I would give these movies 4 1/2 shiney stars.

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Pretty Good Adaptations of a Famous Classic
While the movies in this boxed set are not the best Scarlet Pimpernel movies ever made, this is still a very good series of made for TV movies in its own right. Richard E. Grant is well cast as the Pimpernel while Elizabeth McGovern dazzles as Marguerite. The acting and direction is just short of excellent. The problem I have is that the scripts do not have too many good lines and they appear to have been written by hacks. This is a shame since the Pimpernel series was a most well-written series of novels. Still, the movies in this boxed DVD set are better than most of what you will find on TV these days.