Tag Archives: Jane Austen Movie Club

JANE AUSTEN MOVIE CLUB: Scarlet Pimpernel (1982)

Welcome to the Jane Austen Movie Club!

Here at Risky Regencies, we get together the first Tuesday of every month to discuss a Regency-interest movie or TV show.

This month: the 1982 SCARLET PIMPERNEL, starring Anthony Andrews, Jane Seymour, and Ian McKellen!

To aid the discussion, here are the major credits, including a few “you’ve seen him here (you’ve seen him there)” tidbits in italics.

DIRECTOR: Clive Donner

SCREENPLAY: William Bast, based on the novels by Baroness Orczy

CAST:

Anthony Andrews: Sir Percy Blakeney

Jane Seymour: Marguerite Blakeney

Ian McKellen: Chauvelin

James Villiers: Baron de Batz

Eleanor David: Louise

Malcolm Jamieson: Armand St. Just

Jamieson played Colonel de L’Eclin in SHARPE’S RIFLES.

Denis Lill: Count de Tournay

Ann Firbank: Countess de Tournay

Firbank played Anne Elliot in the 1971 BBC PERSUASION.

Richard Morant: Robespierre

Julian Fellowes: The Prince Regent

Fellowes also played the Prince Regent in SHARPE’S REGIMENT, and played Major Dunnett in SHARPE’S RIFLES.

Gordon Gostelow: Duval

Carol MacReady: Mme. Duval

Tracey Childs: Suzanne

Childs played Marianne in the 1981 adaptation of SENSE AND SENSIBILITY.

Dominic Jephcott: Sir Andrew Ffoulkes

Christopher Villiers: Lord Anthony Dewhurst

Villiers played Colonel Horace Bampfylde in SHARPE’S SIEGE, and Tom Bertram in the 1983 MANSFIELD PARK.

Geoffrey Toone: Marquis de St. Cyr

Mark Drewry: Lord Timothy Hastings

Richard Charles: The Dauphin

So: what did you think?

Do you love this version, hate it, admire the costumes, want to recast it?

All answers welcome!

And be sure to stop back the first Tuesday of April, when we’ll be discussing THE MADNESS OF KING GEORGE, and the first Tuesday of May, when we’ll be discussing SHARPE’S RIFLES.

Cara
Cara King, who seeks those french fries everywhere

JANE AUSTEN MOVIE CLUB: Scarlet Pimpernel (1934)

by Elena Greene

Welcome to the February meeting of the Risky Regencies JANE AUSTEN MOVIE CLUB!

Today, we’ll be discussing the 1934 version of THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL, starring Leslie Howard and Merle Oberon.

(And be sure to come back the first Tuesday of next month, when we’ll be discussing the Anthony Andrews version!)

To aid the discussion, the major credits on the film include:

DIRECTOR: Harold Young

CAST:

Leslie Howard: The Scarlet Pimpernel

Merle Oberon: Marguerite Blakeney

Raymond Massey: Citizen Chauvelin

Nigel Bruce: The Prince of Wales

Bramwell Fletcher : The Priest

Anthony Bushell: Sir Andrew Ffoulkes

Joan Gardner: Suzanne de Tournay

Walter Rilla: Armand St. Just

Mabel Terry-Lewis: Countess de Tournay

So…what did you think?

In particular, is Leslie Howard how you envision the Pimpernel? If not, does he work, in his own way? Or is he your favorite Pimpernel?

Did you like the movie?

All answers welcome!

Cara
They seek her here, they seek her there…Those kitties seek her everywhere…

JANE AUSTEN MOVIE CLUB: Horatio Hornblower #1

by Elena Greene

Welcome to the January 2009 meeting of the Risky Regencies JANE AUSTEN MOVIE CLUB!

This is where we meet on the first Tuesday of every month to discuss adaptations of Jane Austen’s works, and other Regency-interest film and TV productions.

(For info about what we’ll discuss next, or to participate in any of our other discussions, just see the previous post!)

Today’s discussion will be on the first installment of the ITV/A&E Horatio Hornblower series, which stars Ioan Gruffudd and Robert Lindsay.

Oh, and sorry about the awkward “#1” in the title of the post — but as the first installment is called HORATIO HORNBLOWER: THE DUEL in the US, and HORNBLOWER: THE EVEN CHANCE in the UK, I was afraid that adding even half of that to the title would lead to Blogger meltdown and imminent nuclear war.

By the way, the fantastic screen captures shown here — all from this episode — are courtesy of the very neat website twoevilmonks.org. They have a useful and hilarious summary of the plot of THE DUEL/EVEN CHANCE, including these and more great pictures, which is well worth checking out.

To aid the discussion, here are some of the
major credits, with “you’ve seen him before here”
tidbits in green:

Ioan Gruffudd — Horatio Hornblower

Gruffudd starred as Wilberforce in the recent film Amazing Grace.

Robert Lindsay — Captain Sir Edward Pellew

Michael Byrne — Capt. Keene

You may recognize Byrne as Major Nairn in the Sharpe series.

Jamie Bamber — Midshipman Archie Kennedy

Before he starred in Battlestar Galactica, Bamber played Lord Tony in the Richard E. Grant-starring Scarlet Pimpernel.

Dorian Healy — Midshipman Jack Simpson

Paul Copley — Matthews

Simon Sherlock — Oldroyd

Sean Gilder — Styles

DIRECTOR: Andrew Grieve

SCREENPLAY: Russell Lewis
(Based on the C.S. Forester stories “Hornblower and the Even Chance,” “Hornblower and the Cargo of Rice,” and “Hornblower and the Man who Felt Queer.”)

So…what did you think?

Did you like this Hornblower?

What do you think of the cast?