“They seek him here, they seek him there …” October 28, 2007

… Those Frenchies seek him everywhere
Is he in Heaven? Is he in Hell?
That damn’d elusive Pimpernel!

— Sir Percy Blakeney, Baronet

The Scarlet Pimpernel, Baroness Orczy’s splendid tale of political intrigue and heroism, has never had a better movie rendering than Alexander Korda’s 1934 version, with Leslie Howard as the best of all possible Sir Percy Blakeneys, Merle Oberon as the beautiful Marguerite, Nigel Bruce channeling the future George IV, and Raymond Massey as the intractable Chauvelin.

Technorati tags: The Scarlet Pimpernel, Baroness Emmuska Orczy, Alexander Korda, Leslie Howard, Merle Oberon, Raymond Massey, Nigel Bruce, Harold Young