Home
search
more | tips
IMDb > The Scarlet Pimpernel (1934)
The Scarlet Pimpernel
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotes
Overview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv schedule
Awards & Reviews
user commentsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsmessage board
Plot & Quotes
plot summaryplot synopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotes
Fun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQ
Other Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsNewsDesk
Promotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo gallery
External Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clips

The Scarlet Pimpernel (1934) More at IMDbPro »

Photos (see all 17 | slideshow) Videos
The Scarlet Pimpernel (1934) -- Leslie Howard plays Sir Percy Blakeney, an 18th century English aristocrat who leads a double life. He appears to be merely the effete aristocrat...

Overview

User Rating:
7.6/10   1,439 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 8% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Harold Young
Writers:
Baroness Emmuska Orczy (by)
Lajos Biró (scenario, continuity & dialogue) ...
more
Contact:
View company contact information for The Scarlet Pimpernel on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
7 February 1935 (USA) more
Genre:
Adventure | Comedy more
Tagline:
The Scarlet Pimpernel. Who Was He... What Was His Strange Power?
Plot:
Leslie Howard plays Sir Percy Blakeney, an 18th century English aristocrat who leads a double life. He appears to be merely the effete aristocrat... more | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
User Comments:
Stalking The Elusive Pimpernel more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
Leslie Howard ... Sir Percy Blakeney / The Scarlet Pimpernel

Merle Oberon ... Lady Blakeney
Raymond Massey ... Chauvelin
Nigel Bruce ... The Prince of Wales
Bramwell Fletcher ... The Priest
Anthony Bushell ... Sir Andrew Ffoulkes
Joan Gardner ... Suzanne de Tournay
Walter Rilla ... Armand St. Just
Mabel Terry-Lewis ... Countess de Tournay
O.B. Clarence ... Count de Tournay
Ernest Milton ... Robespierre
Edmund Breon ... Colonel Winterbottom
Melville Cooper ... Romney (The Great Artist)
Gibb McLaughlin ... The Barber
Morland Graham ... Treadle (the tailor) (as Moreland Graham)
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Runtime:
97 min
Country:
UK
Language:
English | French
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Wide Range Noiseless Recording)
Certification:
Australia:G | UK:A (original rating) | UK:U (video rating) | USA:Approved (PCA #578)

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The original director, Roland V. Brown, was fired on his first day at work. more
Goofs:
Anachronisms: Blakeney and the Prince of Wales are seen at a boxing match in which the combatants are in a structure similar to a modern 'square' ring. This form of the ring was not used until around 1838. more
Quotes:
Prince of Wales: [of Sir Percy] Spineless, brainless and useless... more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Jinxed! (1982) more
Soundtrack:
La Marseillaise more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
17 out of 17 people found the following comment useful:-
Stalking The Elusive Pimpernel, 7 May 2005
10/10
Author: Ron Oliver (revilorest@juno.com) from Forest Ranch, CA

Hidden behind the nom de guerre of THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL, an English lord attempts to snatch a few victims away from Robespierre's insatiable guillotine.

The Scarlet Pimpernel, the French Revolution's greatest enemy, first came to life in a 1903 play by the Baroness Orczy and in her subsequent, and almost unreadable, 1905 novel. He was an immediate favorite with both the British & American public and found his finest translation to screen in this lavish movie from Sir Alexander Korda's London Films.

It's interesting that the film actually became so popular, because there is very little action in it. It begins with an exciting rescue & escape from dangerous Paris, but then it settles in for lengthy dialogues in English parlors and ballrooms. Even the conclusion, with its confrontation between hero and villain, is civilized and bloodless. The bulk of the story is actually a melodrama enacted principally by a trio of characters: an English husband who believes his Parisian wife has betrayed the Gallic nobility he so loves, she frets that he has lost every scintilla of masculinity, and the French serpent in their midst plots to destroy their entire Eden.

The reason the film clicks is because it is so very well written (celebrated American playwright Robert Sherwood worked on the script) and acted. Sensitive Leslie Howard is perfectly cast as courageous Sir Percy Blakeney, who must wear a double disguise, that of the Pimpernel to fool the French, and as a complete aristocratic ass to dupe his wife, Marguerite. She is played by the exotic Merle Oberon; the script allows her to do little more than look frightened or confused, but she does both very nicely. Raymond Massey is properly wicked as the sneering Chauvelin, Revolutionary ambassador and master spy, who desperately desires to capture the Pimpernel.

In the large cast it's often a mite difficult to sort out who's who, but a few fine character actors particularly stand out: Nigel Bruce as a stout & pompous Prince of Wales, Bramwell Fletcher as a French priest aiding the Pimpernel, and Melville Cooper as George Romney, the celebrated portraitist, who has to endure a silly critique from Sir Percy.

The Baroness Emmuska Magdalena Rosalia Marie Josepha Barbara Orczy (1865-1947) was a most prolific author with a list of books almost as lengthy as her name. Those wishing to follow the further clashes between Sir Percy and Chauvelin may do so in the many sequels, now mostly quite obscure, which she penned over the next several decades: I Will Repay (1906), The Elusive Pimpernel (1908), El Dorado (1913), Lord Tony's Wife (1917), The League Of The Scarlet Pimpernel (1919), The Triumph Of The Scarlet Pimpernel (1922), Sir Percy Hits Back (1927), Adventures Of The Scarlet Pimpernel (1929), The Way Of The Scarlet Pimpernel (1933), The Scarlet Pimpernel Looks At The World (1933), Child Of The Revolution (1933), Sir Percy Leads The Band (1936) and Mam'zelle Guillotine (1940).

The scarlet pimpernel (Anagallis arvensis) is a low spreading herb with a 5-peteled blossom that grows as a weed throughout Northern Europe. The flower closes at rain's approach and opens again with returning sunshine, hence giving rise to its being called 'the poor-man's weatherglass' or 'the shepherd's barometer.'

Was the above comment useful to you?
more

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Scarlet Pimpernel (1934)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
General observation... Jackrabbit_Croquet
Is there a colourised version? silverwhistle
question about the end (possible spoiler) invierno
swearing dasbeste17
Is there a better master on DVD? douglucchetti
Location in common with Pygmalion? Holden Caulfield
more

Recommendations

If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
- - - - -
Around the World in 80 Days Lloyd's of London Orlando Passage to Marseille The Elusive Pimpernel
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
Show more recommendations

Related Links

Full cast and crew Company credits External reviews
IMDb Adventure section IMDb UK section Add this title to MyMovies

You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Update' button will take you through a step-by-step process.