Revolutionary France: the poor put upon French Aristocracy is being terrorized and executed by evil Robespierre (probably for hundreds of years of tyranny against the French peasants, but don't let that sway your opinion of these virtuous nobles). It's up to King George loyalist and staunch protector of the European ruling class, The Scarlet Pimpernel, to snatch the poor innocent wretches from the guillotine and spirit them away to England where they can eat cake and arrogate in courtly exile with the King for the rest of their precious days.
I'm not making any claims here that the reign of terror following the French revolution was justified or a good thing. It was probably as horrific and ruthless any any blood letting. But this story, written by the Baroness Orczy, just sickens how it paints the French nobility of the time as goodly victims and the French peasantry who rebelled against them as rabid filthy animals.
A quite unique piece of ruling class propaganda put out by London Films in 1934. The production value rings of quality, but it's just royalist bilge and a laughable reversal of the Robin Hood tale. It's also a nauseating vanity piece for an exceedingly pompous and smug leading man. And a boring talk fest to boot.
Raymond Massey doesn't help to save it, playing a character who should have had at least some shade of gray but is completely a blackhearted scoundrel. And Merle Oberon surely was the Jennifer Lopez of her day. Why she is remembered as one of the great stars lord only knows.
A rollicking bit of tripe at best.
I'm not making any claims here that the reign of terror following the French revolution was justified or a good thing. It was probably as horrific and ruthless any any blood letting. But this story, written by the Baroness Orczy, just sickens how it paints the French nobility of the time as goodly victims and the French peasantry who rebelled against them as rabid filthy animals.
A quite unique piece of ruling class propaganda put out by London Films in 1934. The production value rings of quality, but it's just royalist bilge and a laughable reversal of the Robin Hood tale. It's also a nauseating vanity piece for an exceedingly pompous and smug leading man. And a boring talk fest to boot.
Raymond Massey doesn't help to save it, playing a character who should have had at least some shade of gray but is completely a blackhearted scoundrel. And Merle Oberon surely was the Jennifer Lopez of her day. Why she is remembered as one of the great stars lord only knows.
A rollicking bit of tripe at best.