Yet another Scarlet Pimpernel post
Jun. 20th, 2013 11:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
stalkerbunnyBecause self and gluecookie have seen another version! Couldn't finish the fifties tv-series because it had been deleted, alas, but maybe someday :'3
However, it turned out her family owned the 1982 movie, with Anthony Andrews as Sir Percy, Jane Seymour as Marguerite, and Ian McKellen (then known primarily as a stage actor) as Chauvelin. It was not perfect, but a pretty well rounded version, one of the best ones even. Though really they all have their charms and weaknesses... maybe I should do another comparison post someday, which would include the book too, hm.
Plot was a mix of the plot in The Scarlet Pimpernel and Eldorado (a sequel I haven't read), and also unlike all the other ones I've seen started already right before Percy and Marguerite met (rather than some time after they'd married as the book does). That was pretty cool to actually get to see, although I'd wish they'd actually been shown to get to know one another and THEN fall in love rather than using the cliched "love at (literally!) first sight"-trope. On the other oh the UST in this film. Strong with these ones. Again.
Plot has... quite a lot of stuff going on, which sometimes makes it a bit hard to follow, but individual scenes are engaging because the actors, especially Andrews, Seymour and McKellen make them so and have nice chemistry. And the others aren't bad either, though I have to say I had trouble telling apart Percy's friends who ended up feeling kind of generic pretty boys. That said, it was probably a good thing the film focused more on the aforementioned trio + a bit on Armand (Marguerite's brother) and his actress gf Louise.
Talking about whom, she did an awesome job convincing a guy who wanted to arrest Armand (who was naked in her bedroom atm) that it was actually Armand's cousin the rrly important politician who he really didn't want to disturb. You go girl!
Production values seemed high too, good sets, good side/bg characters, very nice music (quite dramatic but nice)... there was some weirdness with the colour/light sometimes but idk what was up with that. Lots of fabulous costumes on everyone, and Andrews had wonderful poofy hair.
Let's talk about Chauvelin, our little French villain. This was... probably the most passionate Chauvelin (he's described as manipulative cool in the book) I've seen yet. That combined with being... young Ian McKellen (aowh cutie <3), made him really hard NOT to feel bad for. While also awknowledging he was rather a douche. But a cute one.
To compare with nineties Chauvelin who is implied with having had a sexual/romantic relationship with Marguerite and later tries to use it to threaten her and it's unclear whether she ever liked him at all... when Marguerite greets McKellen!Chauvelin before any shit goes down, she seems genuinely happy to see him, and doesn't seem threatened or uncomfortable with his advances... so it's believable she considered him at least a friend if not someone she loved romantically. And then Percy turns up and she falls head over heels for him so bye Chauvelin. And he is SUPER JEALOUS AWWW. I mean, he should have dealt with it better but still. Poor evil puppy :'D He's so obviously puzzled a frustrated with Percy and his inexplicable attractiveness to Marguerite. And Chauvelin seems so upset when Percy insults his clothes, d'aw. This Chauvelin seems rather charming in general and even gets a fangirl of his own at one point.
...Also Percy sword fights with him at the end and A)It is some nice film-fencing mmmm yes B)Percy decides to gradually strip Chauvelin with his sword???Why couldn't Three do that in Sea Devils not fair
What else... oh, Andrews really went full out in portraying Percy's affected foppishness and it is a thing of beauty (actually, I had to complain that Richard E. Grant plays him so cool, because the one time he really puts on an act in the series is EPIC. But mostly he's a pretty cool Percy and it's a bit... nice in it's way but not as fun?).
Seymour's Marguerite felt a bit bland in comparison to Elizabeth McGovern's Most Sassy Marguerite (srsly, it's kind of sad she's so awesome, while the 90s series is also the one with MOST disturbing misogynistic tendencies? Well, the book has too but it has the excuse of being Old. :'3). I also like that McGovern actually has some visible age. :D But Seymour's performance grows on one, and like I said she has nice chemistry with Andrews. And a bit with McKellen too, for that matter.
However, it turned out her family owned the 1982 movie, with Anthony Andrews as Sir Percy, Jane Seymour as Marguerite, and Ian McKellen (then known primarily as a stage actor) as Chauvelin. It was not perfect, but a pretty well rounded version, one of the best ones even. Though really they all have their charms and weaknesses... maybe I should do another comparison post someday, which would include the book too, hm.
Plot was a mix of the plot in The Scarlet Pimpernel and Eldorado (a sequel I haven't read), and also unlike all the other ones I've seen started already right before Percy and Marguerite met (rather than some time after they'd married as the book does). That was pretty cool to actually get to see, although I'd wish they'd actually been shown to get to know one another and THEN fall in love rather than using the cliched "love at (literally!) first sight"-trope. On the other oh the UST in this film. Strong with these ones. Again.
Plot has... quite a lot of stuff going on, which sometimes makes it a bit hard to follow, but individual scenes are engaging because the actors, especially Andrews, Seymour and McKellen make them so and have nice chemistry. And the others aren't bad either, though I have to say I had trouble telling apart Percy's friends who ended up feeling kind of generic pretty boys. That said, it was probably a good thing the film focused more on the aforementioned trio + a bit on Armand (Marguerite's brother) and his actress gf Louise.
Talking about whom, she did an awesome job convincing a guy who wanted to arrest Armand (who was naked in her bedroom atm) that it was actually Armand's cousin the rrly important politician who he really didn't want to disturb. You go girl!
Production values seemed high too, good sets, good side/bg characters, very nice music (quite dramatic but nice)... there was some weirdness with the colour/light sometimes but idk what was up with that. Lots of fabulous costumes on everyone, and Andrews had wonderful poofy hair.
Let's talk about Chauvelin, our little French villain. This was... probably the most passionate Chauvelin (he's described as manipulative cool in the book) I've seen yet. That combined with being... young Ian McKellen (aowh cutie <3), made him really hard NOT to feel bad for. While also awknowledging he was rather a douche. But a cute one.
To compare with nineties Chauvelin who is implied with having had a sexual/romantic relationship with Marguerite and later tries to use it to threaten her and it's unclear whether she ever liked him at all... when Marguerite greets McKellen!Chauvelin before any shit goes down, she seems genuinely happy to see him, and doesn't seem threatened or uncomfortable with his advances... so it's believable she considered him at least a friend if not someone she loved romantically. And then Percy turns up and she falls head over heels for him so bye Chauvelin. And he is SUPER JEALOUS AWWW. I mean, he should have dealt with it better but still. Poor evil puppy :'D He's so obviously puzzled a frustrated with Percy and his inexplicable attractiveness to Marguerite. And Chauvelin seems so upset when Percy insults his clothes, d'aw. This Chauvelin seems rather charming in general and even gets a fangirl of his own at one point.
...Also Percy sword fights with him at the end and A)It is some nice film-fencing mmmm yes B)Percy decides to gradually strip Chauvelin with his sword???
What else... oh, Andrews really went full out in portraying Percy's affected foppishness and it is a thing of beauty (actually, I had to complain that Richard E. Grant plays him so cool, because the one time he really puts on an act in the series is EPIC. But mostly he's a pretty cool Percy and it's a bit... nice in it's way but not as fun?).
Seymour's Marguerite felt a bit bland in comparison to Elizabeth McGovern's Most Sassy Marguerite (srsly, it's kind of sad she's so awesome, while the 90s series is also the one with MOST disturbing misogynistic tendencies? Well, the book has too but it has the excuse of being Old. :'3). I also like that McGovern actually has some visible age. :D But Seymour's performance grows on one, and like I said she has nice chemistry with Andrews. And a bit with McKellen too, for that matter.
