The Elusive Pimpernel- 1950- A Film Directed, Produced and Written by William Powell and Emeric Pressburger- Set in Paris in London Following The French Revolution
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The Elusive Pimpernel is loosely based on a 1909 novel, The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Emma Orczy, about an English aristocrat who saved French nobility from the guillotine during the reign of terror following the Revolution. An exciting and enjoyable movie.
(Baroness Emma Orczy - September 23, 1865 Tarnadors, Hungary- November 12, 1947 Henley-on-Thames, England)
The Elusive Pimpernel is very different in several ways from The Red Shoes, also by William Powell and Emeric Pressburger. Both make powerful use of color, focus on close camera work and marvelous conversations. David Nivens plays the Scarlet Pimpernel and Margaret Leighton his wife..
During the French Revolution, the Scarlet Pimpernel, who is really Sir Percy Blakeney in disguise, risks his life to rescue French aristocrats from the guillotine and take them across the English Channel to safety. As cover, Sir Percy poses as a fop at Court, and curries favour with the Prince of Wales by providing advice about fashion, but secretly he leads The League, a group of noblemen with similar views.
Chauvelin, the French ambassador to England, wants to find out who the Pimpernel is, so he can be brought to French justice. He blackmails Blakeney's French wife Marguerite into helping him by threatening to have her brother Armand (an associate of the Pimpernel) arrested and tortured. She intercepts a letter intended for the Pimpernel and gives it to Chauvelin, unaware that she has betrayed her husband. When she discovers the truth, she sets out to warn him of his great peril.
The scenes of the French mobs sacking palaces and cheering on executions are masterful. The common French people are ugly and debased. The doomed aristocrats are beautiful, courageous and dignified. A scene where a mob invaded Versiles was perfect. The directors know how to show people running (Victoria Page running down the stairs at the close of The Red Shoes came to my mind.)
The opening of the movie is hilarious. The ending is gratifying. The movie, right after World War Two might have been a shot at France. The portrayal of "the old guard" in the steam bath scene is not real flattering either. There is romance, beautiful women (and some really ugly ones in the mob scenes in Paris). The French Revolution leaders like Jean-Paul Marat are treacherous, they also full of hate.
I will next post upon Madame Pimpernel, 1940, set in Paris during World War Two. It was released in America as Paris Undercover.
Neat! I have so enjoyed The Scarlet Pimpernel! There's actually another book in the series called The Elusive Pimpernel, which I haven't read yet.
ReplyDeleteI had heard that the other volumes in the series were not as good as the first one, but I definitely need to reconsider.
What I find unique in this series is that for once, the monarchy people are the good guys! That's unusual when it comes t the French Revolution lit.
Did you see that another participant in #parisinjuly2023 talked also about that book?
Check on our recap, #7 under Book reviews:
https://wordsandpeace.com/2023/06/30/paris-in-july-2023/
I really need to watch this movie then.
By the way, the title of your MrLInky entry was The Red Shoes (which was the name of your previous entry), so I edited the title, to correctly reflect your post
Just read the book so it seems appropriate to watch the film. Loved the book. It is always interesting to compare book vs film.
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