The Cinema
"The Scarlet Pimpernel." At the Leicester Square Theatre I AM not sure who should get chief credit for this London Films' version of Baroness Orczy's novel—Mr. Harold Young, who directed it, or Mr. Alexander Korda, who produced it. Between them they have turned out a masterly entertain- ment which audiences of almost any age can enjoy. In a picture of this kind we must naturally accept a conventional view of the French Revolution and a fairly conventional view of human nature, with the villains very black and the heroes very white ; but within these• limitations the film shows its quality most clearly by its refusal to degenerate into crude melodrama. Nor does it fall into the opposite mistake of refining away the excitement in search of sophisti- cated polish, for we are -given a rich and vivid rendering of Regency society which is at the same time a first-class drama of adventure. The dialogue is intelligent, economical, and often amusing ; the costumes and settings are handsome and attractive ; there are lively glimpses of the Prince of Wales taking Sir Percy Blakeney's advice on the fit of , a new coat, of Lady Grenville's fashionable ball, and of Corinthians attending a bare-knuckle fight in a field—and all the time we are never allowed to forget that Chauvelin is hot on the trail of the Scarlet Pimpernel, and is blackmailing Lady Blakeney to make her discover and reveal his identity.
The acting, too, is an effective blend of easy polish and truculent vigour ; and Leslie Howard gives a quite excellent rendering of the Pimpernel, particularly in his scenes with Lady Blakeney, when a sober depth of feeling has to be hidden from her and yet revealed to the audience. Lady Blakeney, played by Merle Oberon, is perhaps a trifle too statuesque, but she is a vivid and distinguished personality ; and there are good performances also from 0. B. Clarence as the Comte de Tournay, from Nigel Bruce as the Prince of Wales, and from Raymond Massey as a Chauvelin who might be more suavely sinister but is at least full of dark determination.
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