swearing

F word? No way it would ever get into this or any other movie from the 1930's.

At the end of the movie, I thought I did hear Chauvelin whisper the F word when Percy came back after Chauvelin thought he was killed.

There is a great amount of both authenticity and pseudo-authenticity in this movie. The dialog appears extremely stilted to us of the 21st Century, but yes, people really did speak like that. Listen to some of the very earliest voice recordings (Cylinders and early one-sided disks) made -- such as those at the Edison Library -- which date back into the 1880's -- and you will see what I mean.

In Victorian times the word Damn and Damned was OK because it was used by Queen Victoria. The word Hell was not. Just as when asking for a piece of the roast chicken to be served, one did not say "Please give me a Breast (or thigh)" Breast meat was referred to as "The White Meat" and the Thigh was referred to usually as "a leg". Recall, if you will, why those times were called "The Victorian Age". What Dear Queen Vicy did, said and dressed, everyone emulated. Very similar to the Diana, Princess of Wales, situation before her death.

The used of the word "demmed" as a very clever disguise of the word dammed is actually the uper-class English Public School accent of that age. I opine that the "accent" was emphasized to pass by the Hollywood Movie Censors.

Percy's use of the hand gesture to point downwards instead of saying "Hell" was a common one used in the age, similiar to pointing upwards, as in "going to Heaven".

M. Chauvelain does not say *beep* (as in the "eff word"). He says the word "Failed!" (in French " ... échoué! ... " which, if you recall your high school French lessons, is pronounced in American English as "A-ch'oo-EH!" He did not use the French word, mainly I suspect because most would think he sneezed ;-) He said the English word "Failed" in sotto voice .. which makes it sound something like *beep* if you want it to sound like that.

Unfortunately, the available DVD and VHS tape of this grand classic has such a crappy sound quality that it makes it difficult to actually understand conversations, unless you are a student of 1930's pseudo-Victorian British English upper-class Public School accents. You will notice that the French revolutionaries -- when speaking -- effect a kind of low-class, almost Americanized -- accent. This is a cinematic coup d'main which immediately allows the listener to realize that they are low-class scoundrels with no culture or appreciation for the Finer Things of Life.

What the world needs is a first generation digital of this film. Alas, since it was most likely filmed on Celluloid and any copies existant are third or more generations removed ... the sound track and details are forever lost.

I agree with the other commenters, in that Leslie Howard said it "demmed" a lot to get past censors. Also, if ever watch another version of this movie, it has some of the same lines at the end, but better acoustics. Chauvelier actually says "Fire", because the firing squad is about to finally kill Percy. It's hard to hear, but listen for it.

I may be a geek, but at least I'm lovable sometimes.

He doesn't say the f word. He is either saying "Fire" in some strange way or he is saying some word in French that resembles the English f word. It's related to the execution he thinks is going on.

It's not swearing. He/they say dem-me a lot, which is the same as saying "darn" or "drat" or "dang."

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Yes, you're right, they do say damned and demmed a lot, but that goes back to the book. Demmed is merely a foppish way of saying damned, a word that no one would have minded much at the time the book was written.

At the end Chauvelin is mouthing "fire" along with the captain of the firing squad. Why would he say the f-word? He thinks he's won at this point.

I'm not quite sure this opinion has been expressed previously, but here goes anyway JIC not

The period was Regency, after Victoria, during which the rigid Victorian 'rules' were quickly disappearing, thanks largely to the excesses of the Prince, Regent

It was impolite to curse anyone else but 'allowed' to do so to oneself. Percy would call down objuration on himself with 'sink me'(sinkmeh), 'stab me' (stabmeh) and the ultimate 'damn me' (dammeh). All three were used in Percy's (all male) Club, Blacks, and in the Prince's (again, all male) rooms.

Other curses were disguised, especially in mixed company as follows;

ods blood = God's blood
zounds = God's wounds
ods fish = God's fish (at the wedding at Cana)
good gad = good God

and of course the famous 'demmed elusive Pimpernel'

In mixed company, the 'is he in ( )' was, at most, only gestured

The 'damme' in question, therefore is more of a slurred abbreviation of 'damn me', not an expansion of 'damn'

"Roman Legion; Count OFF"
"I", "II", "III", "IV" ...