The Scarlet Pimpernel: Harold Young

I know it’s petty, but I will never, ever, ever be able to take The Scarlet Pimpernel seriously. First, the name sounds too much like “The Scarlet Pimple.” That’s partially unfair because the character is named after a flower. But the main reason why is because the character represents a toxic perspective on class relations. The character is widely considered to be the first “superhero” because it originated the “hero with a secret identity” idea. But here’s the thing, Baroness Orczy, the character’s creator, was a racist, colonialist, and firm supporter of the superiority of the “upper classes.” So here we have a character who by his very nature is designed to save goodly aristocrats from the savage mob. The blood-shed of the French Revolution was inexcusable, but to pretend that the French aristocracy were innocent victims here is so absurd that even Ayn Rand would call bullshit. But I'm rambling. Despite the fact that I find the idea of The Scarlet Pimpernel problematic, I can't let that affect my judgment of Harold Young's film adaptation of him. For what it's worth, The Scarlet Pimpernel is a fine 1930s adventure film. Leslie Howard is wonderful as the eponymous hero and Merle Oberon glitters as his wife despite the fact that she has a very basic and generic role.

7/10