Movie Review: ****The Scarlet Pimpernel (1982)

 Found this made for TV movie on You Tube as I was looking for information having to do with the musical.  This is not the musical but a 1982 movie starring Jane Seymour as Marguerite and Anthony Andrews as Sir Percy Blakeney/ Scarlet Pimpernel.  Ian McKellan portrays Chauvelin, the force of the republic and is capturing people as traitors to send to the guillotine.   This movie is foremost a love story, and how love survives when you feel your partner has betrayed you.  The plot is very similar to the musical.  I understand it strayed from the book.  It does have Blakeney reciting poetry, where is the Scarlet Pimpernel, which is a song in the musical.  Other than that there is no singing.  Marguerite is an actress who falls for Blakeney.  She does not know he is the Pimpernel.  As in the musical, Blakeney feels she betrayed St. Cyr and his family.  They were all guillotined in the movie.  Marguerite's brother, Armand (Malcolm Jamieson) plays and important part in the movie.  He works for the republic but is also a spy for Pimpernel.  As in the musical, this movie ends with a spectacular sword fight.  This work is much better than your typical made for TV movie.  I enjoyed it.