The Elusive Pimpernel
Encyclopedia
The Elusive Pimpernel is a 1950 British period adventure film
by the British-based director-writer team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger
, based on the novel The Scarlet Pimpernel
by Baroness Emmuska Orczy
. Despite having been shot in color, it was released in the United States in black and white and retitled The Fighting Pimpernel. The film stars David Niven
as Sir Percy Blakeney (aka The Scarlet Pimpernel), Margaret Leighton as Marguerite Blakeney and features Jack Hawkins
, Cyril Cusack
and Robert Coote
. Originally planned to be a musical, the film was re-worked as a light-hearted drama, not entirely successfully.
, the Scarlet Pimpernel, (David Niven
), who is really Sir Percy Blakeney in disguise, risks his life to rescue French noblemen from the guillotine
and take them across the English Channel
to safety. As cover, Sir Percy poses as a fop at Court, and curries favor with the Prince of Wales (Jack Hawkins
) by providing advice about fashion, but secretly he leads The League, a group of noblemen with similar views.
Chauvelin, French Ambassador of the Revolution to England (Cyril Cusack
) wants to find out who the Pimpernel is and bring him in to meet his fate under French justice. When evidence points to Sir Percy, Chauvelin blackmails Blakeney's wife, Marguerite (Margaret Leighton) by threatening to expose her criminal brother Armand (Edmond Audran
), but Marguerite doesn't believe her husband is capable of being the daring Pimpernel.
Cast notes
and Alexander Korda
. Neither director Michael Powell
nor star David Niven was very interested in doing the film, but had their minds changed by threats of contract suspension. Powell wanted to make the film as a musical, but was not allowed to, and the casting of Margaret Leighton was done over his objection. Goldwyn forced numerous additions and changes to the film but when Powell delivered the final cut, Goldwyn refused to make the final payment, which caused Korda to sue him.
The film was shot in 1949 at various British film studios in Boreham Wood, Elstree
and Shepperton
, Surrey
. Location shooting took place in Bath, Dover
, in Savernake Forest
, on the Marlborough Downs, and in the stables of Carlton House
Terrace, St. James's, London. In France, filming took place in the chateaux of the Loire Valley
and on Mont Saint-Michel
.
The Elusive Pimpernel was released in the U.K. in 1950, but because of the falling out between Korda and Goldwyn, didn't get an American distributor until July 1953 when Carroll Pictures acquired the rights. The film then premiered in New York City on 17 April 1954.
Adventure film
Adventure films are a genre of film.Unlike pure, low-budget action films they often use their action scenes preferably to display and explore exotic locations in an energetic way....
by the British-based director-writer team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger
Powell and Pressburger
The British film-making partnership of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, also known as The Archers, made a series of influential films in the 1940s and 1950s. In 1981 they were recognized for their contributions to British cinema with the BAFTA Academy Fellowship Award, the most prestigious...
, based on the novel The Scarlet Pimpernel
The Scarlet Pimpernel
The Scarlet Pimpernel is a play and adventure novel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy, set during the Reign of Terror following the start of the French Revolution. The story is a precursor to the "disguised superhero" tales such as Zorro and Batman....
by Baroness Emmuska Orczy
Baroness Orczy
Baroness Emma Magdolna Rozália Mária Jozefa Borbála "Emmuska" Orczy de Orczi was a British novelist, playwright and artist of Hungarian noble origin. She was most notable for her series of novels featuring the Scarlet Pimpernel...
. Despite having been shot in color, it was released in the United States in black and white and retitled The Fighting Pimpernel. The film stars David Niven
David Niven
James David Graham Niven , known as David Niven, was a British actor and novelist, best known for his roles as Phileas Fogg in Around the World in 80 Days and Sir Charles Lytton, a.k.a. "the Phantom", in The Pink Panther...
as Sir Percy Blakeney (aka The Scarlet Pimpernel), Margaret Leighton as Marguerite Blakeney and features Jack Hawkins
Jack Hawkins
Colonel John Edward "Jack" Hawkins CBE was an English actor of the 1950s, 1960s and early 1970s.-Career:Hawkins was born at Lyndhurst Road, Wood Green, Middlesex, the son of master builder Thomas George Hawkins and his wife, Phoebe née Goodman. The youngest of four children in a close-knit family,...
, Cyril Cusack
Cyril Cusack
Cyril James Cusack was an Irish actor, who appeared in more than 90 films.-Early life:Cusack was born in Durban, Natal, South Africa, the son of Alice Violet , an actress, and James Walter Cusack, a sergeant in the Natal mounted police. His parents separated when he was young and his mother took...
and Robert Coote
Robert Coote
Robert Coote was an English actor. He played aristocrats or British military types in many films, and created the role of Colonel Hugh Pickering in the long-running original Broadway production of My Fair Lady.-Biography:Coote was educated at Hurstpierpoint College in Sussex...
. Originally planned to be a musical, the film was re-worked as a light-hearted drama, not entirely successfully.
Plot
During the French RevolutionFrench Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
, the Scarlet Pimpernel, (David Niven
David Niven
James David Graham Niven , known as David Niven, was a British actor and novelist, best known for his roles as Phileas Fogg in Around the World in 80 Days and Sir Charles Lytton, a.k.a. "the Phantom", in The Pink Panther...
), who is really Sir Percy Blakeney in disguise, risks his life to rescue French noblemen from the guillotine
Guillotine
The guillotine is a device used for carrying out :executions by decapitation. It consists of a tall upright frame from which an angled blade is suspended. This blade is raised with a rope and then allowed to drop, severing the head from the body...
and take them across the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
to safety. As cover, Sir Percy poses as a fop at Court, and curries favor with the Prince of Wales (Jack Hawkins
Jack Hawkins
Colonel John Edward "Jack" Hawkins CBE was an English actor of the 1950s, 1960s and early 1970s.-Career:Hawkins was born at Lyndhurst Road, Wood Green, Middlesex, the son of master builder Thomas George Hawkins and his wife, Phoebe née Goodman. The youngest of four children in a close-knit family,...
) by providing advice about fashion, but secretly he leads The League, a group of noblemen with similar views.
Chauvelin, French Ambassador of the Revolution to England (Cyril Cusack
Cyril Cusack
Cyril James Cusack was an Irish actor, who appeared in more than 90 films.-Early life:Cusack was born in Durban, Natal, South Africa, the son of Alice Violet , an actress, and James Walter Cusack, a sergeant in the Natal mounted police. His parents separated when he was young and his mother took...
) wants to find out who the Pimpernel is and bring him in to meet his fate under French justice. When evidence points to Sir Percy, Chauvelin blackmails Blakeney's wife, Marguerite (Margaret Leighton) by threatening to expose her criminal brother Armand (Edmond Audran
Edmond Audran
Achille Edmond Audran was a French composer best known for several internationally successful operettas, including Les noces d'Olivette , La mascotte , Gillette de Narbonne , La cigale et la fourmi , Miss Helyett , and La poupée .After Audran's initial success in Paris, his works also became a...
), but Marguerite doesn't believe her husband is capable of being the daring Pimpernel.
Cast
- David NivenDavid NivenJames David Graham Niven , known as David Niven, was a British actor and novelist, best known for his roles as Phileas Fogg in Around the World in 80 Days and Sir Charles Lytton, a.k.a. "the Phantom", in The Pink Panther...
as Sir Percy Blakeney/ The Scarlet Pimpernel - Margaret Leighton as Marguerite Blakeney
- Jack HawkinsJack HawkinsColonel John Edward "Jack" Hawkins CBE was an English actor of the 1950s, 1960s and early 1970s.-Career:Hawkins was born at Lyndhurst Road, Wood Green, Middlesex, the son of master builder Thomas George Hawkins and his wife, Phoebe née Goodman. The youngest of four children in a close-knit family,...
as Prince of WalesGeorge IV of the United KingdomGeorge IV was the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and also of Hanover from the death of his father, George III, on 29 January 1820 until his own death ten years later...
/Footpad attacking Lord Anthony - Cyril CusackCyril CusackCyril James Cusack was an Irish actor, who appeared in more than 90 films.-Early life:Cusack was born in Durban, Natal, South Africa, the son of Alice Violet , an actress, and James Walter Cusack, a sergeant in the Natal mounted police. His parents separated when he was young and his mother took...
as ChauvelinCitizen ChauvelinCitizen Armand Chauvelin is the villain in Baroness Emmuska Orczy's classic novel The Scarlet Pimpernel and the various plays and movies derived from the work.... - Robert CooteRobert CooteRobert Coote was an English actor. He played aristocrats or British military types in many films, and created the role of Colonel Hugh Pickering in the long-running original Broadway production of My Fair Lady.-Biography:Coote was educated at Hurstpierpoint College in Sussex...
as Sir Andrew ffoulkes - Arlette MarchalArlette MarchalArlette Marchal was a French film actress. She appeared in 41 films between 1922 and 1951. She was born and died in Paris.-Selected filmography:* Die Sklavenkönigin * Madame Sans-Gene...
as Contesses de Tournai - Gérard Nery as Philippe de Tournai
- Danielle Godet as Suzanne de Tournai
- Edmond AudranEdmond AudranAchille Edmond Audran was a French composer best known for several internationally successful operettas, including Les noces d'Olivette , La mascotte , Gillette de Narbonne , La cigale et la fourmi , Miss Helyett , and La poupée .After Audran's initial success in Paris, his works also became a...
as Armand St. Juste - Charles Victor as Colonel Winterbotham
- Eugene DeckersEugene DeckersEugene Deckers was a Belgian stage actor who relocated to England when his Nazi-held homeland was liberated by the Allies. Re-establishing himself on the British stage, Deckers made his first English language film appearance in 1946. Formerly a romantic lead, he specialized in "continental"...
as Captain Merieres - David Oxley as Captain Duroc
- Raymond Rollett as Bibot
- Philip Stainton as Jellyband
- John LongdenJohn LongdenJohn Longden was a West Indian-born English film actor. He appeared in 84 films between 1926 and 1964, including five films directed by Alfred Hitchcock.-Biography:...
as The Abbot - Robert GriffithsRobert GriffithsRobert Griffiths may refer to:*Robert Griffiths , British communist politician*Robert Griffiths , American physicist*Robert Griffiths , Australian statistician...
as Trubshaw
Cast notes
- Patrick MacneePatrick MacneePatrick Macnee is an English actor, best known for his role as the secret agent John Steed in the series The Avengers.-Early life:...
, who played the "Hon. John Bristow", later became well known for playing "John Steed" in The AvengersThe Avengers (TV series)The Avengers is a spy-fi British television series set in the 1960s Britain. The Avengers initially focused on Dr. David Keel and his assistant John Steed . Hendry left after the first series and Steed became the main character, partnered with a succession of assistants...
. The Elusive Pimpernel was his sixth film appearance. - Richard EnglandRichard EnglandRichard England is an Australian racing cyclist who rides for American continental team . England turned pro in 2005 and is a sprinter...
, who played the part of the captain of the schooner Daydream, was the real-life owner of the boat that was used in the filming, The Nellie Bywater.
Production
The Elusive Pimpernel was financed by Samuel GoldwynSamuel Goldwyn
Samuel Goldwyn was an American film producer, and founding contributor executive of several motion picture studios.-Biography:...
and Alexander Korda
Alexander Korda
Sir Alexander Korda was a Hungarian-born British producer and film director. He was a leading figure in the British film industry, the founder of London Films and the owner of British Lion Films, a film distributing company.-Life and career:The elder brother of filmmakers Zoltán Korda and Vincent...
. Neither director Michael Powell
Michael Powell (director)
Michael Latham Powell was a renowned English film director, celebrated for his partnership with Emeric Pressburger...
nor star David Niven was very interested in doing the film, but had their minds changed by threats of contract suspension. Powell wanted to make the film as a musical, but was not allowed to, and the casting of Margaret Leighton was done over his objection. Goldwyn forced numerous additions and changes to the film but when Powell delivered the final cut, Goldwyn refused to make the final payment, which caused Korda to sue him.
The film was shot in 1949 at various British film studios in Boreham Wood, Elstree
Elstree
Elstree is a village in the Hertsmere borough of Hertfordshire on the A5 road, about 10 miles north of London. In 2001, its population was 4,765, and forms part of the civil parish of Elstree and Borehamwood, originally known simply as Elstree....
and Shepperton
Shepperton
Shepperton is a town in the borough of Spelthorne, Surrey, England. To the south it is bounded by the river Thames at Desborough Island and is bisected by the M3 motorway...
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
. Location shooting took place in Bath, Dover
Dover
Dover is a town and major ferry port in the home county of Kent, in South East England. It faces France across the narrowest part of the English Channel, and lies south-east of Canterbury; east of Kent's administrative capital Maidstone; and north-east along the coastline from Dungeness and Hastings...
, in Savernake Forest
Savernake Forest
Savernake Forest is on a Cretaceous chalk plateau between Marlborough and Great Bedwyn in Wiltshire, England. Its area is approximately .It is privately owned by the Trustees of Savernake Estate, the Earl of Cardigan, and his family solicitor. Since 1939 the running of the forest has been...
, on the Marlborough Downs, and in the stables of Carlton House
Carlton House
Carlton House was a mansion in London, best known as the town residence of the Prince Regent for several decades from 1783. It faced the south side of Pall Mall, and its gardens abutted St. James's Park in the St James's district of London...
Terrace, St. James's, London. In France, filming took place in the chateaux of the Loire Valley
Loire Valley
The Loire Valley , spanning , is located in the middle stretch of the Loire River in central France. Its area comprises approximately . It is referred to as the Cradle of the French Language, and the Garden of France due to the abundance of vineyards, fruit orchards, and artichoke, asparagus, and...
and on Mont Saint-Michel
Mont Saint-Michel
Mont Saint-Michel is a rocky tidal island and a commune in Normandy, France. It is located approximately one kilometre off the country's north-western coast, at the mouth of the Couesnon River near Avranches...
.
The Elusive Pimpernel was released in the U.K. in 1950, but because of the falling out between Korda and Goldwyn, didn't get an American distributor until July 1953 when Carroll Pictures acquired the rights. The film then premiered in New York City on 17 April 1954.
External links
- The Elusive Pimpernel reviews and articles at the Powell & Pressburger Pages. Full synopsis and film stills (and clips viewable from UK libraries).