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The Scarlet Pimpernel [DVD]

Anthony Andrews (Actor), Jane Seymour (Actor), Clive Donner (Director) Rated: Parental Guidance Format: DVD

1,232 ratings

IMDb7.6/10.0

£31.00

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DVD
10 April 2007

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£15.73

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DVD

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£21.36

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DVD

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£43.84

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DVD
15 Sept. 2000

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Format	PAL
Contributor	James Villiers, David Conroy, Jane Seymour, Richard Morant, Dennis Lill, Eleanor David, Julian Fellowes, Ian McKellen, Ann Firbank, Clive Donner, Timothy Carlton, Malcolm Jameson, Anthony Andrews, William Bast, David Gant See more
Language	English
Runtime	2 hours and 16 minutes

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Product description

Product Description

An Eighties remake of the classic tale about the elusive 18th Century adventurer. Sir Percy Blakeney (Anthony Andrews), an English fop, is in reality the Scarlet Pimpernel, scourge of the French Revolution and rescuer of the aristocracy from the executioner's guillotine. When he saves Armand St Just from street thugs, he meets and falls in love with Armand's beautiful sister, Marguerite (Jane Seymour). He cannot, however, reveal his true identity to her.

Amazon.co.uk Review

It's tough trying to beat the 1934 version of the popular adventure-romance story, starring Leslie Howard as the 18th-century British hero who poses as a fop in London society but runs a secret mission to rescue the doomed in Robespierre's Paris. But this 1982 television version, starring Anthony Andrews (Sebastian Flyte in Brideshead Revisited) as the Pimpernel and Jane Seymour as his beloved but estranged wife, is quite a treat. Andrews and Seymour expertly capture the essence of a relationship suffering from misunderstandings and elusive passion, and there is plenty of crackle to the action sequences. Clive Donner (What's New, Pussycat?) brings some strong cinematic qualities to this television presentation. --Tom Keogh

Product details

Aspect Ratio ‏ : ‎ 4:3 - 1.33:1
Is discontinued by manufacturer ‏ : ‎ No
Rated ‏ : ‎ Parental Guidance
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Package Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 18.03 x 13.76 x 1.48 cm; 83.16 Grams
Director ‏ : ‎ Clive Donner
Media Format ‏ : ‎ PAL
Run time ‏ : ‎ 2 hours and 16 minutes
Release date ‏ : ‎ 15 Sept. 2000
Actors ‏ : ‎ Anthony Andrews, Jane Seymour, Ian McKellen, Malcolm Jameson, James Villiers
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Studio ‏ : ‎ Oracle
Producers ‏ : ‎ David Conroy
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00004UF0B
Writers ‏ : ‎ William Bast
Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1

Best Sellers Rank: 31,701 in DVD & Blu-ray (See Top 100 in DVD & Blu-ray)
- 1,097 in Romance (DVD & Blu-ray)
- 5,960 in Action & Adventure (DVD & Blu-ray)
- 9,819 in Drama (DVD & Blu-ray)

Customer reviews:
1,232 ratings

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5

1,232 global ratings

5 star		85%
4 star		9%
3 star		3%
2 star		1%
1 star		2%

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Top reviews from United Kingdom

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robert mccall

Great portrayal of a tragic part of History.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 10 November 2022

Verified Purchase

Superb acting by all. Very enjoyable portrayal of a dark past in French History. Recommended.

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Riversand

Not just a chick flick - a stunning, mesmerising piece of cinema - PLEASE, RESTORE/REMASTER THIS

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 14 October 2017

Verified Purchase

It is an absolute embarrassment that this film has not been fully restored and remastered and zoomed in to 16:9 format. I urge you to write to the responsible company - at this time I am researching it myself, and push this, so they know the interest is strong. I zoomed in on my TV to fill the screen and what an experience it is, despite the image quality.
In our present world, with a constant war of the sexes and hateful opinions over anything and everything, where the cynical and the angry battle-mentality is winning over belief in something beautiful and ignoring a forgiving attitude of unity over our differences of opinion, the film, if it could speak, asks you to let go like few films can and remember the beauty of a fairy tale and romance, with the belief in the good (and noble, pun intended) we are all forgetting. It makes you long for the good and simple like few films can (Zhang Yimou’s ’The Road Home’ also comes to mind here). This is a film where we can believe in the humanity of the open heart in each other instead of fleeting superficial escapism, or perceived or sometimes imagined hostile social or behaivioural structures that keeps us cynical or suspicious of anything resembling real love and loyalty nowadays.
The story of a the english aristocrat that saves nobles during the bloodiest part of the french revolution is thus a mesmerising feat of cinematic magic not made for the cynical at heart. I’ll not give any real spoilers rather than to say if you are a fan of romance and adventure, you are in for a treat.
Nominated for three academy awards, this is not just a love story - there is adventure, humour, excitement, brilliant dialogue and drama. The script is superb - and comes together with a high-paced story that scene after scene sparkles With hope and deep emotional impact, while always entertaining with rich characterisation and builds towards the sensationally realised end. The music score is perfect, both riveting and romantic - probably one of the most spot on scores ever written. The production design and costumes are as good as it comes. Then there are the performances: Anthony Andrews is perfect as the Scarlet Pimpernel, playing the fop in public, and being the strong, passionate hero behind his facade. Jane Seymour is equally superb as his love interest, playing a french actress that is forced to take action under pressure, and their chemistry and the tragedy that affects them is one rarely matched in any modern film, if ever. Then there is Ian McKellen, playing Chauvelin so brilliantly that you will be moved by his suffering despite rooting for him to fail, a man who is assigned by revolutionary leader Robspierre to catch the Scarlet Pimpernel. The rest of the cast is equally colourful and superb - and does an incredible job at creating belief in the times and attitude -, with a possible exception of Robspierre, who at a moment laughs with a bit too much evil.
All in all, this is a film to introduce to the young as well as the old, as it holds on to human values and nobility (in the good human sense), something the world certainly needs more of.
A moving, mesmerising story with two leads to die for, targeted as much for men as for women.
One of the best films ever made, certainly in its genre.
But please, if you like this, please mail and express your interest at getting this restored, preferably even to 16:9 - and have it fully restored and remastered. I can’t imagine how stunning it would look.

10 people found this helpful

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Sarah Powell

A remake that works just as well as the original

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 4 September 2005

Verified Purchase

Clive Donner's 1982 Scarlet Pimpernel is an exciting blend of two Baroness Orczy novels, 'The Scarlet Pimpernel' and 'Eldorado' (written around the supposed rescue of the young Dauphin, when it was still historically unclear whether or not the son of King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette might have survived the Revolution). Instead of trying to cram every last detail of the main story into the film (as with the 1934 Leslie Howard production), or completely losing all sense of the original template (the 1998 series), this film manages to stay true to the spirit of the books, and pay homage to its black and white predecessor, whilst creatively translating page to screen. This is the only Scarlet Pimpernel version to include Percy's romancing of Marguerite, instead of beginning the story a year into their estranged marriage, and it works well. There is so much to fit into this film - the backstory, the Scarlet Pimpernel, and the rescue of the Dauphin, yet the end result is exciting and romantic, and I defy anyone to spot where the different elements have been stitched together, so seamless is the action from one scene to the next!
Chauvelin's obsession with the beautiful Marguerite St Just (Jane Seymour, confidently fitting the description), though not in the books, does not detract from the character - the Revolution still comes first for him, and he is able to recover from his infatuation and blackmail Marguerite into unwittingly betraying her husband. Ian McKellen is undoubtedly the best, most human, and believable Chauvelin to date - his clumsy wooing of Marguerite, his subtle manipulation of Robespierre, and his awkwardness when being forced to dance with Lady Grenville when his mind is on the capture of the Pimpernel, make for an intricate characterisation of the French government agent. Anthony Andrews is comic as the foppish Sir Percy (though not as knowingly witty as Leslie Howard's take), and handsome as the Pimpernel. The duel between hero and villain, though purely artistic licence, is well choreographed, relevant to the characters, and allows just enough testosterone-fuelled buckling of swash to close the action without losing the plot. Jane Seymour's Marguerite, though watered down to maintain the sympathy of the audience, is definitely worth fighting over as the confident French actress. The supporting cast - mostly stock actors from television period dramas of the time - play their parts well, especially Malcolm Jamieson as Armand (the definitive Armand, in my mind), and Eleanor David as Louise (much improved on Armand's betrothed, Jeanne Lange, in 'Eldorado'). Gordon Gostelow and Carol Macready are also great entertainment as the Dauphin's earthy gaolers ("Shut up, woman!")
The DVD allows this film to stand up to the many viewings it demands, despite the odd scratch on what is now a twenty-plus year old production, which is fortunate for me - I must have seen 'The Scarlet Pimpernel' over thirty times by now! I would recommend this version as the ultimate adaptation of the book - swifter than the first film, yet remaining true to the Baroness Orczy's stories, in approach if not in every detail.

27 people found this helpful

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Peter Norris

Exhilaratingly entertaining

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 1 September 2011

Verified Purchase

The first London Children's Ballet DVD I bought was The Canterville Ghost; I got it because I like the Wilde story and the disc had very good reviews. Frankly I was disappointed; I didn't think it came off. I bought The Scarlet Pimpernel so as not to judge the idea on one production. This time I was amazed; it was brilliant. Everything seemed better than the first one I had watched. The music was much better and the story line clearer. Likewise the choreography. The other one had dragged - this ballet whizzed along and the dancing was breathtaking. The ensembles were fantastic, full of movement and excitement and brilliantly executed and the principal dancers, not least the Pimpernel and Marguerite, were astounding. The opening pas de deux of Act Two for example was very beautiful and breathtakingly well danced. Above all the ballet came over powerfully as entertainment on its own terms and not as a sort of imitation of grown-up ballet. In so many ways it was so much fresher and direct than many professional adult productions. I shall go and watch it again now!

One person found this helpful

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The Scarlet Pimpernel [DVD]

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