David Niven

Margaret Leighton

Cyril Cusack

Jack Hawkins

Arlette Marchal

Gérard Néry

Charles Victor

Danielle Godet

Edmond Audran

Eugene Deckers

David Oxley

Raymond Rollett

Philip Stainton

John Longden

George De Warfaz

Arthur Wontner

Richard George

David Hutcheson

Robert Coote

Patrick Macnee

Terence Alexander

Richmond Nairne

Howard Vernon

Michael Powell

Emeric Pressburger

Reginald Mills

Baroness Emmuska Orczy

George R. Busby

Brian Easdale

Hein Heckroth

Arthur Lawson

Ivy Baker

Nandi Heckroth

Bernard Sarron

Christopher Challis

Adventure

Drama

Romance

The Elusive Pimpernel

London Films Productions

The Archers

United Kingdom

CinemaSerf

David Niven takes on the mantle of Baroness Orczy's hero in this classy but a little lightweight take on the escapades of the "Scarlet Pimpernel". Hugely successful at smuggling doomed artisto's from under the nose of the Reign of Terror, the French authorities charge "Chauvelin" (Cyril Cusack) to track down the culprit. He has some leverage with the new and glamorous "Lady Blakeney" (Margaret Leighton) and so offers her the life of her brother if she will agree to help him. She just happens to be married to the foppish "Sir Percy", but is he so useless as his persona suggests? Niven is on quite good form in this; there is enough intrigue to keep it moving along well and Leighton can always be relied upon to deliver competently (even if this is far from her best effort). It's not the best Powell & Pressberger film, but it is still a polished adventure with a soupçon of humour as we head to an exciting last fifteen minutes. Perhaps not as good as Leslie Howard's 1934 iteration, but Niven looks like he enjoyed making it and I enjoyed watching it, too.

English