‘Pimpernel’ Smith (AKA “Mister V”)
Directed by Leslie Howard
Written by Anatole de Grunwald, A.G. MacDonald, et al
1941/UK
British National Films
First viewing/Amazon Prime Instant Video
[box] Professor Horatio Smith: May a dead man say a few words to you, General, for your enlightenment? You will never rule the world… because you are doomed. All of you who have demoralized and corrupted a nation are doomed. Tonight you will take the first step along a dark road from which there is no turning back. You will have to go on and on, from one madness to another, leaving behind you a wilderness of misery and hatred. And still, you will have to go on… because you will find no horizon… and see no dawn… until at last you are lost and destroyed. You are doomed, Captain of Murderers, and one day, sooner or later, you will remember my words.[/box]
After England declared war on Germany, Leslie Howard devoted almost all his time to the war effort. This patriotic morale booster is part of that work, building on Howard’s identification with the Scarlet Pimpernel. I enjoyed it.
The story takes place in the days before the Nazi invasion of Poland. Mild-mannered Professor Horatio Smith (Howard) is leading a group of his archaeology students on an expedition to Germany to see if there are any traces of an early Aryan civilization. At the same time, a mystery man is spiriting victims of Nazi oppression out of the country. The viewer is not left in doubt for long as to his identity. Gestapo General von Graum (the wonderful Francis L. Sullivan) is on his trail. The rest of the story is devoted to the chase and some clever escapades by this modern-day Pimpernel.
This is good fun with some nice suspense and a fine performance by Howard directing himself. Worth seeing for lovers of this kind of thing, of which I am one. I watched it streaming for free on Amazon Prime Instant video. The complete film is also currently available by searching for the title on YouTube.
Clip – The “You are doomed” monologue
