Rating: 
Summary: Shame on A&E!
Review: A disappointing production in every way. A lackluster Richard Grant and a dowdy Elizabeth McGovern are woefully miscast as the clever Sir Percy and the beautiful Lady Blakely--and totally unconvincing as lovers. Good acting and fine direction might have brought Baroness Orczy's characterizations vividly to life, but the production sold out for mediocrity and sleaze. It's too bad A&E had no interest in faithfully translating the book to the screen; the original was a great story. Instead, viewers were dished up a poorly written, disjointed psuedo-swashbuckler that swaps the intricate sexual tensions of the novel for bawdy sex scenes. The noble aim of preventing bloodshed by using one's wits is apparently too subtle for today's audiences, which is the only reasoning that can explain the unnecessay carnage. Shame on A&E, usually a name to trust, for violating its viewership by catering to the base modern tastes for gratuitous sex and violence. Although we will probably never see a faithful rendition of this classic work, don't waste time on this production. Both the Leslie Howard/Merle Oberon and the Anthony Andrews/Jane Seymour versions capture the sexual and political undercurrents of Orczy's novel more accurately than this tasteless travesty.
Rating:
Summary: The Scarlet Pimpernel? HAH! Not a chance...
Review: After watching both videos, I was shocked. They dare call this The Scarlet Pimpernel? Richard E. Grant, while a good actor, is not at all suited to play Percy. And Elizabeth McGovern, whom I had never heard of, is no where near what Marguerite should be like. .... Beside the character flaws, the lack of facts was ridiculous. 'La Force Prison'? 'Blakeney Manor'? And the costumes! Un-historical and most certianly not accurate. If you are new to Pimpernel, I beg of you, find one of the other spectacular versions. Read the book. See the musical. Just don't waste your time and money on this peice of trash. .... The Scarlet Pimpernel, the world's first masked hero, should be told of in a far better way than this. Besides, Richard E. Grant's cravat, as Sir Percy would say, was "stickin' out like a pincushion!" A disgrace to the name of the Pimpernel. ~*
Rating: 
Summary: A high quality new interpretation of the Pimpernel
Review: Clearly, Baroness Orczy's original fictional character, "The Scarlet Pimpernel", and film adaptations such as the 1934 version starring Leslie Howard and Merle Oberon, each stand alone. The 1998 BBC/A&E co-production is neither docudrama nor a faithful reproduction of the original works--it is a new interpretation of a favourite fictional character set in the French Revolution. Much criticism of this miniseries is ungenerous, and misses many of its finer points--in addition, in one case, to confusing Elizabeth McGovern with Elizabeth Montgomery. This is a very long piece of work--far exceeding Hitchcock's famous bladder test, if any zealot is contemplating a viewing in one sitting. That box contains five hours of viewing on three DVDs! Yet it sustains its high production values and story interest throughout, and is unusual among miniseries for doing so. Glorious locations in the Czech Republic; sumptuous, moody and squalid interiors as required; and first class costuming and property department, are combined with superb direction, photography, editing, sound, and acting. Elizabeth McGovern is physically not the first actress one would think of casting as Lady Marguerite Blakeney. But like the highly skilled stage actress she is, Ms McGovern carries her role less on appearance than on technique. She weaves a credible romantic characterisation based on shared experience, intrigue, intellectual respect, and even a bit of physicality. She is well-matched with a strong cast also rich in stage background, including Richard E. Grant in the title role, Martin Shaw as the ruthless and complex Chauvelin, Ronan Vibert as Robespierre, and many other fine performers. "The Scarlet Pimpernel" (1998) boxed set is fantastic value, comparable as a high quality costume drama to only one other miniseries currently in DVD, "The Count Of Monte Cristo" (1999) with Gerard Depardieu. If you saw and liked them on TV, they are even better on DVD.
Rating: 
Summary: Humour, romance, adventure
Review: Excellent! Fun, romantic, exciting, and great to look at. The only downside is Elizabeth McGovern's so-so performance as Marguerite. But that is more than made up for by Richard E. Grant as Percy and , especially, Martin Shaw as Chauvelin. This chapter of the story gives us more background on Chauvelin and Shaw is superb at making him a real person, instead of just a cliche villain. I can't wait to see more of the story!
Rating:
Summary: Fairly good, but not like the book
Review: Fans of the book will find a lot to nitpick, and I certainly have, but Richard E. Grant and Elizabeth McGovern are a of a lot of fun to watch. McGovern gives Marguerite a maturity and intensity that the latest batch of lollipop-actress-models can't even touch, and Grant is always fun. My only beef is their unkindness to some characters that I was rather fond of (killing them off, even when they survived in the books). Well, that's not my only beef. Another one is that, with these characters dying, it would have been nice to see some gravity in Blakeney, recognizing that his friends were dropping like flies to protect him and further his own heroic aims. Without that maturation, Blakeney seems more like an uncaring airhead than a lighthearted hero. However, they're fun discs, lots of visual appeal (especially in the first disc, during Mazzarini's birthday party, eh, Lord Dewhurst?), and a great treat for a night in with some hot tea and a purring cat in your lap.
Rating:
Summary: Fairly good, but not like the book
Review: Fans of the book will find a lot to nitpick, and I certainly have, but Richard E. Grant and Elizabeth McGovern are a of a lot of fun to watch. McGovern gives Marguerite a maturity and intensity that the latest batch of lollipop-actress-models can't even touch, and Grant is always fun. My only beef is their unkindness to some characters that I was rather fond of (killing them off, even when they survived in the books). Well, that's not my only beef. Another one is that, with these characters dying, it would have been nice to see some gravity in Blakeney, recognizing that his friends were dropping like flies to protect him and further his own heroic aims. Without that maturation, Blakeney seems more like an uncaring airhead than a lighthearted hero. However, they're fun discs, lots of visual appeal (especially in the first disc, during Mazzarini's birthday party, eh, Lord Dewhurst?), and a great treat for a night in with some hot tea and a purring cat in your lap.
Rating:
Summary: Ronan Vibert is wonderful, fantastic, great.
Review: Generally I'm a fan of the Anthony Andrews version, which I think is the most consistently good, but this was the first Pimpernel I saw, and I found it very entertaining.
Richard E. Grant is charming and hilarious--as usual. It's nice to see this unlikliest-of-leading-men get to play a hero for once, and he carries it off with style. I like Elizabeth McGovern's performance, but I think the costume and wig person should be shot for what they did to her. Martin Shaw is charismatic as Chauvelin.
However, the one place where this version rises above all other adaptations is in the casting of Robespierre. Ronan Vibert is incredibly talented, making Robespierre a perfect combination of creepy villain and dandy. Lines like "I do like the buttons" (referring to the guillotine motif on his new jacket) will have you snickering hours afterwards, while he conveys real menace with his delivery of "Don't cut me again citizen." What a performance. Let's hope we see considerably more of Mr. Vibert in the future.
The script quality varies somewhat. The third episode is the strongest, the second the weakest (bar one hilarious scene of mixed identity) and the first a decent introduction. There are fun cameos from Jamie Bamber, Suzanne Bertish, and Dominic Mafham, who dies in the first five minutes of episode one. What a shame, but never mind, Robespierre remains.
Rating: 
Summary: Percy? Give me more of Shove Along!
Review: Grant's Percy is certainly a bite out of Leslie Howard's apple. But, for me, the scenes between him and Martin's Shaw's "Shove Along" are the gems. Shaw brings a smoldering quality to his role I've not seen before. That kept me interested. Still does.
Rating:
Summary: Percy? Give me more of Shove Along!
Review: Grant's Percy is certainly a bite out of Leslie Howard's apple. But, for me, the scenes between him and Martin's Shaw's "Shove Along" are the gems. Shaw brings a smoldering quality to his role I've not seen before. That kept me interested. Still does.
Rating:
Summary: A tongue-in-cheek Scarlet Pimpernel
Review: Having read most of the reviews here and on other websites, there seems to be 3 main groups of people checking out this DVD set.
1. Those who love the books and want to see an adaptation of the books.
2. Those who loved the 1982 version (with Andrews and Seymour) and want to see more of that.
3. Those interested in seeing the work of Grant, Shaw, Vibert or McGovern.
Group 1 is generally sorely disappointed. This version changes the main character of Percy in ways that will be highly discomforting: he uses minimal disquises, he kills people willy-nilly, he uses Bond-esque gadgets instead of wit and cunning, small things like that. Not to mention, some well loved league members are killed off for no reason. To see a hilarious list of grievances from Group 1 go to: http://www.blakeneymanor.com/grievances.html
Group 2 is generally disappointed too. That whole love affair/courtship thing between Percy and Marguerite is missing here. #1 of this DVD starts right off with Percy giving Marguerite the cold shoulder after their marriage. Group 2 is also upset by the change in Percy (that no disguises and murdering bit). And then Elizabeth McGovern is not as beautiful (or animated or witty) as Jane Seymour and many in Group 2 are bothered by that. Group 2 absolutely ADORES Anthony Andrews as Percy, and Grant isn't Andrews.
Group 3 generally really like this DVD set -- especially if they are not burdened by preconceptions of this famous literary story. However, Group 3 is likely to be a little lost in the beginning. Note: Percy and Marguerite were madly in love with each other before getting married (you won't believe this when you see the first DVD, but it's true). On the wedding night, he receives information that she has betrayed some aristocrats. But he doesn't talk with her to find out what really happened. That's why their marriage is in need of counseling at the beginning of DVD #1.
When you read the reviews (many from folks in Group 1 and 2), you'll get the impression the acting drags and the screenplay is boring. This is NOT the case (well, not in #1 and #3). Personnally I enjoy the tongue-in-cheek take on the Scarlet Pimpernel; the fact that this Pimpernel kills loads of people(!) and walks around in English clothing(!) is hilarious. Richard Grant has a lot of fun with his role; I like him more and more each time I see these DVDs. Also Shaw and Vibert plus numerous supporting cast give excellent performances (Shaw in particular is my favorite), the costumes and settings are GREAT, and the script is well-moving and entertaining (especially in #1 and #3 at least).
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