History YMMV / TheScarletPimpernel

* FoeYay: Chauvelin and Sir Percy, the man who haunts "his daydreams and his sleepless nights."

* CompleteMonster: In 1937's ''The Return of the Scarlet Pimpernel'', UsefulNotes/MaximilienRobespierre is the head of the Committee that rules France. Responsible for the ReignOfTerror, Robespierre sentences countless people to the [[OffWithHisHead guillotine]], enemies of the state and rivals alike. Plotting his own coup and [[ThePurge a purge]] of any potential rivals, Robespierre also sends his agent Chauvelin to kidnap the Pimpernel, Percy Blakeney's wife Marguerite, while she is pregnant, deciding to have her sent to the guillotine regardless of her value as a hostage before providing twenty more names to be arrested and executed.

** It was easier in the earlier 20th century to completely [[TheRevolutionWillNotBeCivilized vilify the French Revolution]] and have more sympathy for the [[BlueBlood French aristocracy]].

* ''SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic'': The song ''The Scarlett Pimpernel'' from the musical.

* ''SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic'' the song ''The Scarlett Pimpernel'' from the musical.

* ''SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic'' the song ''The Scarlett Pimpernel''>

* ''FridgeWiki/AwesomeMusic'' the song ''The Scarlett Pimpernel''>

* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot: Literally in the 1934 film. The film unaccountably bungles the trick related in the first chapter of the novel, in which the Pimpernel rescues a good twenty ''aristos'' at one time by [[spoiler: disguising them as troops pursuing escaping aristocrats]]; in the film, the entire League rescues only ''three''.

* EvilIsSexy: One female viewer wrote to the ''Magazine/RadioTimes'' regarding the 1997 series, asking if she was the only one to find Martin Shaw's Chauvelin far more attractive than Richard E. Grant's Sir Percy.

** In ''The Life and Exploits of the Scarlet Pimpernel'', written by Baroness Orcy's son, Sir Andrew recalls the day Blakeney explained his reasoning behind adopting the scarlet pimpernel motif and his m.o. of leaving his calling card whenever he made a rescue:

** Similarly, the depiction of the Jewish prisoner [[spoiler:or rather, Sir Percy's depiction of the Jewish prisoner]] might be read with some discomfort by modern readers.

* TheWoobie: The [[Series/TheScarletPimpernel 1999 TV version]] has Tony Dewhurst, played by Creator/JamieBamber in the middle of the [[Series/{{Horatio Hornblower}} Professional Woobie stage of his career]]. Such a [[TheCutie Cutie]] and killed off so quickly, becoming the first of ''many'' of Bamber's characters to bite the dust (adding insult to injury is that Dewhurst did ''not'' die in the books the series is based on). TVTropes send the guy a hug.

%%CompleteMonster needs to be discussed first before adding in Special Efforts thread.

* TheWoobie: The [[Series/TheScarletPimpernel 1999 TV version]] has Tony Dewhurst, played by Creator/JamieBamber in the middle of the [[Series/{{Hornblower}} Professional Woobie stage of his career]]. Such a [[TheCutie Cutie]] and killed off so quickly, becoming the first of ''many'' of Bamber's characters to bite the dust (adding insult to injury is that Dewhurst did ''not'' die in the books the series is based on). TVTropes send the guy a hug.

* ItWasHisSled: The dramatic revelation, two-thirds of the way through, that the demmed idiot Sir Percy Blakeney is the Scarlet Pimpernel.

--->''"He told me that our best chance of safety lay in making ourselves feared. [[{{Batman}} To superstitious, half-educated people, the mysterious device ... would reduce many to a state of fear.]]"''

* TheWoobie: The [[Series/TheScarletPimpernel 1999 TV version]] has Tony Dewhurst, played by Creator/JamieBamber in the middle of the [[Series/{{Hornblower}} Professional Woobie stage of his career]]. Such a [[TheCutie Cutie]] and killed off so quickly. TVTropes send the guy a hug.

* CompleteMonster: Collot d'Herbois, Robespierre.

** ''Sir Percy Hits Back'' reveals that Chauvelin has an 18-year-old daughter. Count how many adaptations [[PromotedToLoveInterest make him an ex-suitor or love interest]] for the [[MayDecemberRomance 25-year-old Marguerite.]] [[hottip:*:Not a lot of hindsight is even required here, since almost the first thing the original novel says about him (even before the first "fox-like") is that he's "nearer forty than thirty."]]

--->He told me that our best chance of safety lay in making ourselves feared. [[{{Batman}} To superstitious, half-educated people, the mysterious device ... would reduce many to a state of fear.]]

* TheWoobie: The [[Series/TheScarletPimpernel 1999 TV version]] has Tony Dewhurst, played by Jamie Bamber in the middle of the [[Series/{{Hornblower}} Professional Woobie stage of his career]].

* TheWoobie: The 1999 TV version has Tony Dewhurst, played by Jamie Bamber in the middle of the [[Series/{{Hornblower}} Professional Woobie stage of his career]].