Review of Scarlet Pimpernel, The Series 1 (Box Set)

Introduction

"They seek him here,
They seek him there,
Those Frenchies seek him everywhere,
Is he in Heaven?
Or is he in Hell?
That damned elusive...zzzzzz....."


Right then, where were we? Here we get the first three feature length films of the BBC`s period adventure drama. Set in the 18th century, the story of the Pimpernel created by Baroness Emmuska Orczy, is an aristocrat by day and hero by night. Richard E. Grant gets to play at dressing up and travels back and forth between France and England to rescue innocent aristocrats, clergy, and critics of First Citizen Robespierre from certain death; all this against the backdrop of the French Revolution.

Things are rarely so simple however as he finds himself hounded at every turn by Chauvelin (Martin Shaw), a ruthless operative of the Committee of Public Safety. Add to this his wife who insists on being included and getting in the way and it adds up to a testing time at home and abroad.



• The Scarlet Pimpernel
Suspecting that the Pimpernal (Richard E. Grant) is an English aristocrat, Chauvelin (Martin Shaw) is sent to England to discover the identity of the mystery man. Once there, Chauvelin meets his former lover, the beautiful French actress Marguerite (Elizabeth McGovern), who is married to foppish English aristocrat Sir Percy Blakeney (Richard E. Grant). Marguerite reluctantly gives Chauvelin information to find the elusive Pimpernel and has unwittingly betrayed him.


• Valentin Gautier
In this second of three adventures the Scarlet Pimpernel may have met his match when he is forced to confront Gabrielle Damiens, alias Mademoiselle Guillotine, the French Revolution`s most feared whip-wielding killer.


• A Kings Ransom
In this final film of the series, The Scarlet Pimpernel is drawn into a mystery, which threatens to destroy the French monarchy forever whilst putting his own life in grave danger. The heir to the French throne, 10-year-old Dauphin, is under the control of Robespierre but is kidnapped by a sinister masked character. As Sir Percy gets close to witnesses who might identify the Dauphin`s kidnapper they are killed before they can reveal the truth. However, all the signs point to the legendary swordsman Chevalier D`Orly - the only person with the skill and strength needed for the daring kidnap.

Video

Presented with a widescreen letterbox transfer of about 1.66:1, the quality of the transfer is passable. There is noticeable grain but this isn`t too much of a distraction and there are no other visible problems with the transfer. Colours come out well and detail is good. Filmed almost entirely on location in the Czech Republic, The Scarlet Pimpernel uses the country well to recreate 18th century Paris. It was nominated for a BAFTA in 2001 for Best Production Design.

Audio

Nothing flash in the audio department, just a plain DD2.0 English soundtrack. The dialogue is clear while the music seems to evoke the period well. No distortion, hiss or use of the surrounds. Being made for television The Scarlet Pimpernel shies away from 5.1 sound which is a shame.

Features

Nowt.

Conclusion

"Marriage isn`t a word, it`s a sentence."-Percy Blakeney (Richard E. Grant)
"They say love`s a disease and marriage the cure for it."-Lady Blakeney (Elizabeth McGovern)

I quite enjoyed this series when it was shown on BBC1 years ago. It was just nice to see a period adventure, and with Richard E. Grant foiling with his nemesis Martin Shaw no less. The acting here appears effortless with Grant able to fit in playing as aristocracy. Martin Shaw too manages to convince me that he`s shaken off his Doyle shackles. It`s also nice to hear the French speaking with crisp English accents…

The stories are all right, but never really go that extra mile in giving us something spectacular. Why would the aristo Blakeney go to all this trouble of hopping the Channel in the first place? Despite this minor detail we can marvel at the swashbuckling action and fun for there are some fun moments among these stories. Sadly the lack of consistency in these same stories can bore an audience too. It`s a bit hit and miss.

As far as Pimpernel adaptations go, this is enjoyable with its great costumes and production design, but ultimately it`s something that should remain as television viewing rather than a DVD purchase.