Review of Scarlet Pimpernel, The Series 2 (Box Set)

Introduction

They seek him here they seek him there by gawd they seek him everywhere!
Ah the Scarlet Pimpernel first filmed in 1917-an action hero who`s not in tights for women to swoon over…Well it`s Richard E. Grant, actually, neither romantic with the ladies or an action hero. Bring on Bruce Willis, please.

The Scarlet Pimpernel may be elusive in the Eighteenth century but he was pretty easy to find in the 20th and 21st. There are umpteen versions and this tale of a secret hero obviously catches the public imagination. Looking through the film and TV versions they catalogue who was hot and when.

The fascination with this fictional superhero began in 1917 with a version starring Dustin Farnum apparently better know for his Westerns but presumably hired for his horse-riding skills. One of the definitive versions is the Leslie Howard star vehicle that was raided for his own 1941 modern-day version of the tale made for a wartime audience `Pimpernel Smith`. Your interest in both of these may be piqued by the belief that Leslie Howard was engaged on a spying mission for the Brits when his plane was lost over the Bay of Biscay in 1943.

Post War the pillaging of the costume chest continued and offered, in 1954, a TV series with the then hottie Marius Goring (The Red Shoes). Marius Goring, again not everybody`s idea of a romantic hero so I would love to be able to view a couple of episodes of this. Contrary to popular opinion I only remember him as The Expert-as a very young child of course.

By 1967 the plot was fair game for the Carry On team. Their hero was the `black fingernail` but it was plain from whom they took their inspiration and without the need to pay for it!

Enough of taking the mickey-take, in 1982 Anthony Andrews, hot from `Brideshead Revisited` took on the mantle of the Pimpernel. And that is it -where they should have stopped according to many people who prefer the 1982 version above all others. But stop they did not because the insatiable appetite of the television audience will never be, well, satiated.

Still looking for something to satisfy the ever hungry audience the Powers that Be turned to Richard E. Grant who once upon a time set the celluloid alight by his lurid interpretation of character in `Withnail and I`. Sadly there is little opportunity in this series for any real `acting`. It is not a particularly testing role or is just that Grant makes it look so effortless. I wavered between the two opinions as I carried on watching the different episodes.

There are three 90-minute episodes in this series and on this set of two discs.

1Ennui

When the Pimpernel saves a young girl he leaves himself vulnerable to being identified.

2 Friends and Enemies

Scientists are being used by the French government to develop a bomb and the Pimpernel must stage another spectacular rescue.

3 A Good Name

The Pimpernel gets into trouble when his alter ego foppish Sir Percy Blakeney puts him in a double bind. He is forced into rescuing someone who is believed to be the Pimpernel and risks exposure especially when a young girl decides to `help`.

In this second series Percy is subject to certain life changes. Also there is no Chauvelin as the obsessive enemy.

With the book still in print but well out of copyright, it lends itself to a re-working every few years. It would be interesting to view all off the various films back to back to see how they reflect a changing society.

Video

Once again with only television transfer available the colour is not reproduced well with internal scenes fairing better than the external generally grey and brown daylight takes. The Czech Republic doubles for Revolutionary France but the locations are limited.

Audio

The dialogue was clear and the music rousing with the Pimpernel theme running through the episodes. The scripts are variable though and Episode 1 was disappointing. Episode 3 makes more effort to delve a little bit beyond the paper-thin characterisation.

Features

Nothing not even an ad for Argos. The disc is not expensive and it`s hard to see what they might have offered here.

Conclusion

Grant is an attractive and tolerable hero. Alas there is not enough delineation between his false life and his true nature in these episodes. The romp is occasionally enjoyable but the series is not consistent. The final episode is stronger especially because it plays up these differences between the foppish Percy and his true and noble intentions. The dialogue is crisper and more satisfying and certain moral dilemmas are examined in more detail. It also helps that a solid support cast supports Grant. Robespierre is a particularly well-enunciated character. The oddness of the French speaking perfect English is better than having to endure the `Allo, Allo` accents that would have been acceptable a few years ago. That said I couldn`t honestly think of a reason to buy this unless you are a fan though because it is always going to be reshown with alarming regularity as `another chance to see`.