Is He In Heaven?–Is He In Hell?
June 12, 2007 by Elijah
(This is kind of the best cover in the world, by the way.)
So, when we last left our hero (i.e. me) we were wondering what his (my) big problem with The Scarlet Pimpernel was. Well, as I said in my first post about Zorro, I like that that particular hero is a class traitor who protects the downtrodden from those above them. Conversly, the Pimpernel’s need to go saving those poor, disillusioned, 18th century French aristocrats just rubs me the wrong way a bit. Don’t get me wrong, The Terror was clearly… well, terrible, and I’m generally against any people getting decapitated en masse, but due to my own biases I simply couldn’t help me wondering just how terribly those same oh-so-pitiful nobles had been exploiting the lower classes before the tables were turned.
So I’m a bleeding heart. So sue me.
For most of the novel’s length I managed to avoid real distaste at all of this. I tried to see it in a bit of a vacuum, and as The Pimpernel was saving lives (which is generally a good thing) without taking any (also respectable) all was well and dandy. But once the tale crosses over into France, near the end, there’s a whole scene in which major characters are forced to deal with a crotchety French landlord, and as he is common, and now free, his home is described in far less than glowing terms, and as to he himself:
The landlord of the “Chat Gris”—by name, Brogard—had taken no further notice of his guests; he concluded that presently they would order supper, and in the meanwhile it was not for a free citizen to show deference, or even courtesy, to anyone, however smartly they might be dressed.
Technically it is the truth, but this entire passage of the book is written with such a venomous, disparaging tone as to the entire idea of “free citizens” that I really had some trouble stumbling through it, and I did not go without making a disgusted face here or there. Call me too sensitive if you must, but it bothered me. Not so much that I wasn’t on the edge of my chair for the entire last third of the novel, mind you.
Of course, The Scarlet Pimpernel was written by a baroness, after all. I suppose I shouldn’t have been too surprised by any of this in the first place.
Anyway, still a very exciting and enjoyable book that I love–but I’m sure that most people interested in the subject didn’t really need to be told that anyway. If anyone has read any of the sequels, by the way, feel free to let me know if they’re any good, because I am curious as to whether any of the interesting emotion of the first book is at all carried over. All, or a good portion of them are, after all, available over at Project Gutenberg, so it wouldn’t be hard to read them.
One last tidbit that should be brought to everyone’s attention; while I have seen the 1934, Leslie Howard starring, film version of the story, (which is fun, if a bit bland) there is also a 1982 BBC rendition that features not-yet-Sir Ian McKellen as Chauvelin, the villain of the piece.
Effing awesome. I need to see this.
I also recommend this version:
http://tinyurl.com/29ybha
Oddly, the amazon description does not mention the three stars, Richard E Grant, Elizabeth McGovern, and Martin Shaw. Grant is marvelous, and the marital byplay is great fun.
I don’t know if you’re into musicals, but if you are, you should listen to the musical of the Scarlet Pimpernel. Great, dramatic music, and some really really funny sequences as well. It’s better when you can see it on stage obviously, as you miss some of the jokes, but the music’s still great. You should check it out. By far the funniest song on it is “The Creation of Man,” which is where they fool the Prince of Wales into thinking that they’re idiots. “Falcon in the Dive,” is Chauvelin’s evil theme song, but they give him some grey layers that are really interesting too. “The Riddle,” is cloak and dagger lit/entertainment fan’s indulgence. They give Percy a very sympathetic portrayal here, and the contempt for the lower classes is taken out. Perhaps you’d like this Pimpernel better. You should check it out!
Here are the lyrics to the songs. Clever, though obviously better with music: http://www.lyricattack.com/soundtracks/s/scarletpimpernellyrics/
I have not seen the musical. However, I have a vague memory from childhood of seeing a pretty bad Pimpernel movie in which it always seemed that the characters were ABOUT to burst into song, but then it would just cut to the next scene.
Turns out it was a (apparently very bad) version of the musical, in which they later scrapped the songs, thereby causing it to make even less sense.
You need to read one of the sequels titled ‘Eldorado’, which is infinitely better than TSP: darker in tone, more romance (with a chapter to equal ‘Richmond’!), another blind betrayal, a love interest that will make you want to throw the book across the room … and then go and retrieve it to read on! It’s based upon the ‘rescue’ of the Dauphin, which was actually a fairly plausible concept when Orczy was writing - we now know, of course, that the heir to the throne of France died slowly from neglect, alone, in his cell. But the main attraction for me is Percy and Marguerite - Chauvelin comes closest to victory in this book, and the outcome is not as stretched as in ‘Elusive’; neither is Marguerite quite so reckless here!
Oh, and the bad Pimpernel movie was the 1952 version with David Niven and Margaret Leighton - bad, terrible casting, strange plot derailments, and a pitiful waste of locations. Avoid it, unless you just want to amuse yourself, and avoid the 1999 series - similarly eccentric casting and waste of gorgeous costumes and decent photography!
Hmmm, definitely sounds interesting. And El Dorado is up on Project Gutenberg, so I’ll definitely give it a look.