Beautiful, moving film.

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

I have loved this film for years. Tales about heroes who right injustices while disguised have always appealed to me. The fact that the Scarlet Pimpernel is hiding in plain sight makes the story even more enjoyable. Leslie Howard is so enjoyable in the title role.Other standout performances include Merle Oberon as Lady Blakeney, his wife, for her portrayal of the wife who struggles to hang on to her love for her husband despite every indication that he is no longer the man she married; Nigel Bruce as the irrelevant Prince of Wales; and Raymond Massey as the villainous Chauvin.Set against the French Revolution, the story views the conflict with a fresh eye that recognizes the excesses and atrocities on both sides--the aristocracy and the revolutionaries.I would give this film a "10", but I must admit the beginning is slow. Once the drama starts to develop though, it is riveting.

Leslie Howard is the movie. His take on the role is one of a kind. And to be honest I laughed the entire movie. His role as Percy is hysterical. Line after line is memorable. "Go and introduce him to everybody, if everybody is anybody." And his ability to change character instantaneously is done with remarkable precision. Watch as he approaches his wife, the stern man that stands for life, then changes to the laughable Percy only an inch from her face. He is fun to watch in this one. You must appreciate the energy that he must have put into this role. He should have won an academy award. This must be the best acting of his career if not for his role in "Gone with the Wind". The entire story line is perfect and there aren't many dead scenes. It's great entertainment from start to finish, with a classic ending on top of it all.

Sir Percy Blakeney is leading a secret double life. Pretending to everyone in the public eye, including his own wife, that he is a silly British fop, he is in reality the dashing Scarlet Pimpernel, a man devoted, despite the threat to his own head, to helping free the innocence condemned to the guillotine during the French Terror! Overall this is very well done and features a very capable cast particularly lead Leslie Howard in the challenging dual role and Raymond Massey, who has a great turn as lead villain/spy for the French Republic Citizen Chauvelin for which he seems perfectly cast. Merle Oberon too does quite well and looks quite fetching as Blakeney's befuddled wife.The problem with this is it feels a bit too static, a bit too talky as was often the case with many early sound pictures. There's just a bit more exposition at times than really seems necessary. This slows the action down a bit to the point things actually get a little dull on occasion. That said, there's enough fun to be found in this one that makes it well worth watching especially those scenes featuring Howard's Blakeney, particularly when he uses some means of disguise or another to fool those pursuing him or uses his foppish charm to throw Chauvelin off his trail.

LESLIE HOWARD and MERLE OBERON both shine in this thoroughly entertaining film classic about the man who was an effete British gentleman by day (Sir Percy) and a noble avenger who saved many of his countrymen from the guillotine. As the dandy, Leslie is an unmitigated delight, delivering some ripely amusing lines with great flair. And Merle Oberon is a vision of loveliness as his wife who almost gives his identity away before she realizes who he actually is.It's photographed in crisp B&W splendor with elegant costumes and settings and given a rich supporting cast of players including RAYMOND MASSEY as the Frenchman anxious to trap The Scarlet Pimpernell, NIGEL BRUCE, MELVILLE COOPER and many others.The brilliant script has many memorable lines, most of them given to Leslie Howard's character when he's playing the dandy seemingly oblivious to the hunt for the disguised Pimpernell. Especially riveting are the opening scenes depicting the ugly public executions during the French Revolution and the crowds that delighted in them.There's never a dull moment. Well worth watching and should give fans a new impression of just how great an actor LESLIE HOWARD actually was.