Plot: During the time of the Reign of Terror, French aristocrats are being sent to the guillotine for the merest infraction. There is only one man who is seemingly able to save them, the Scarlet Pimpernel. He is really Sir Percival Blakeny but his true identity is known only to a very few. Acting effete and foppish in society, he's actually a dashing hero who personally rescues those he knows have been unjustly convicted. While in Paris, he meets and eventually marries the lovely stage actress Marguerite St. Just. His nemesis is Chauvelin, the head of state security, who will use any means, including threats to Marguerite's brother, to get the Pimpernel. For his part, Sir Percy's goal is to save the young Dauphin, heir to the French throne.
Alternative Plot: British aristocrat Sir Percy Blakeney (Anthony Andrews) appears to be a vain and shallow man, but, in the guise of his alter ego, the Scarlet Pimpernel, he is a courageous swordsman. As the Pimpernel, Blakeney works to free Gallic nobility from death during the fervor of the French Revolution. However, Blakeney's life of luxury with his beautiful bride, Marguerite (Jane Seymour), is threatened when the French send sinister operative Chauvelin (Ian McKellen) to stop the Pimpernel at any cost.
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