I have not been able to find anything on the second series staring Richard E Grant but I do remember watching another 3 film set on Bravo. Marguerite has died in childbirth and he has to come to terms with it just being the two of them. Does anyone have any info on this. I don't even see it in his bio
shareUmm... I didn't really understand much of that, but I did get "Marguerite has died in childbirth and he has to come to terms with it just being the two of them". I think this one should have 'spoilers' in the subject line
"Only a cravat? My dear sir, a cravat is the apoltheosis of all neck ware!"
Lady Dewhurst
Here is a link about it:
http://members.lycos.co.uk/Ronan_Vibert_ology/page60.html
Thank you! I had seen those three episodes on TV (I thought it had been on A&E, but I guess it was Bravo), but I couldn't find any mention of them on the A&E or BBC websites, couldn't find the DVDs on Amazon, and couldn't even find the episodes mentioned on Richard E. Grant's IMDb page! I knew I had seen them, but otherwise it was like they had never existed.
I love the first three episodes and watch them frequently on DVD. I hope someday I can get the others, too.
Thanks for the info.
Was the 1998 series your first 'taste', if you like, of the Scarlet Pimpernel? Have you read the books, or seen the other film versions?
Sarah
"Tony, if you talk that rubbish, I shall be forced to punch your head" - Lord Tony's Wife, Orczy
I had seen at least one movie or TV-movie version (sorry, don't remember which one) before the BBC series. After seeing the series, I read the first book. I know at least one IMDb reviewer took the writers to task for straying from the book. I enjoyed the book, but I thought the series was actually better. In any event, the Baroness D'Orczy created a great character, and I would like to see more adaptations.
What are your favorite Pimpernel adaptations?
It's interesting how devoted fans seem to become to the film that introduced them to a particular story or character (I think so, anyway!) The 1982 TVM of the Scarlet Pimpernel was the first version I watched, and I think that the best, yet those who remember seeing Leslie Howard as Sir Percy and Merle Oberon as Marguerite in the 1934 film (and that seems to be everyone over 30, considering the 50 year gap between the two productions!) will sniff and say that of course the original is far better.
Anthony Andrews and Jane Seymour as the Blakeneys lead me to the books (all, bar the stories about Sir Percy's ancestors and descendants), and then I watched the 1934 film. I also own both of the 1990s series on DVD, in my dedication to Orczy's characters, but find them unnecessary as far as remakes go.
I don't mind films deviating from books - the 1934 film actually sticks far too close, and the result is some rather turgid cinema - but the 1998 series seemed to be embarrassed by the original story, and went out of its way to rewrite an early twentieth century text set in the eighteenth century from a very modern perspective. The Pimpernel suddenly has to rely on gadgets and gunpowder to save himself and others, whereas Orczy had a very peaceable hero existing mostly on his wits alone. Even the concept of 'one to command and nineteen to obey' (the League) was dropped, leaving Grant's Pimpernel with only Sir Andrew in the first series and some random sidekick in the second. Poor old Marguerite was killed off, so badly did the writers understand her character and her relationship with Sir Percy! These two are supposed to be madly and passionately in love, wholly devoted to one another, and yet Grant is shrugging by episode two, and chasing after damsels in distress.
Strangely, I liked the second series better, perhaps because, without Chauvelin (or Martin Shaw's attempt) and Marguerite, I could pretend that I wasn't watching the Scarlet Pimpernel at all, but instead an interesting and witty historical adventure distantly related to the masked hero genre. Grant was better at being the Pimpernel than the lover anyway, so I didn't mind watching him without the distraction of his distorted homelife. And I loved the little gems of history - the diving bell, the French scientist and his sister (wife, in real life) - which lead to some interesting research.
Pardon the rant! I just wanted to see if you were a fan of the series because you saw it first. I'm certainly biased towards the TV-movie, which I certainly recommend (it's actually two Orczy stories: the Scarlet Pimpernel and Eldorado, the latter covered by the series in 'Kidnapped King').
Sarah
"Tony, if you talk that rubbish, I shall be forced to punch your head" - Lord Tony's Wife, Orczy
I'm perplexed as to why there isn't any IMDB info on the second series...
--
Those who live by the sword get shot by those who don't.
SIPTEA
I'm perplexed as to why we Aussies have only just recently gotten the first series on DVD and wonder when we'll get the second. The only reason I love it so much is for Ronan Vibert as Robespierre.
shareI'm not aware that the second series has been released on dvd anywhere.
shareIt has, because I have a copy, for my sins! (Actually, it's better than the first - or the lesser of two evils) Try eBay - there are series one and two DVDs galore, and more cropping up everyday
Sarah
"Tony, if you talk that rubbish, I shall be forced to punch your head" - Lord Tony's Wife, Orczy
Thanks. I'll follow up on this.
BTW, are you in the US? (Making sure you mean region 1 dvd.)
Ah ... No, UK. Which might explain why you weren't aware of the DVDs. I think the series 2 copies on eBay are all R2, but multi-region players or most computers should be able to play both regions - I rely on my laptop when I have to buy R1.
Sarah
"Tony, if you talk that rubbish, I shall be forced to punch your head" - Lord Tony's Wife, Orczy
There are Season 2 dvds but they're UK only. I got mine very cheap via Amazon.co.uk, if I remember correctly. Multi-region dvd players are fairly inexpensive and fairly easy to use -- Best Buy has two Philips models for under $100 each. And you can get information on how to change regions here: http://www.videohelp.com/dvdhacks :)
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