Study of Classical, Modernist and Postmodernist narratives
Before Zorro, the Lone Ranger and Batman, which have been ingrained in popular culture, comics and filmmaking, there was the Scarlet Pimpernel. Created by Hungarian British writer Baroness Emma Orczy in 1905, the Edwardian period, the Scarlet Pimpernel was perhaps the first literary hero to adopt a secret vigilante identity. This Edwardian classic plays an important part in the superhero genre and has a place among adventure literature.
Baroness Orczy set ‘The Scarlet Pimpernel’ in the 1790s French Revolution. The title character has the traits of Robin Hood, except he is a master of disguise, even in public. Unlike Robin Hood, the Scarlet Pimpernel rescues French aristocrats from the guillotine. The story is a swashbuckler in the vein of ‘The Three Musketeers,’ as it is a historical action-adventure set in the Georgian time period. It has a band of heroes, the Scarlet Pimpernel and his aides saving victims of the revolution while evading the soldiers and secret agents in pursuit. There is also romance that is strained by the unorthodox marriage between the seemingly dim Sir Percy Blakeney and the wittier Marguerite.
The Scarlet Pimpernel, 1982 Donner, Bast. London Films
The 1982 movie adaptation of ‘The Scarlet Pimpernel’ has been looked at and broken down into the beginning, middle and end stages as part of research on classical narrative.
Beginning
The French Revolution rages on, with the radical people sending their own lords and ladies to the guillotine.
The Scarlet Pimpernel, actually the British noble Sir Percy Blakeney, rescues aristocrats from the reign of terror through cunning disguises.
Sir Percy, putting on an empty-headed and effeminate attitude to mask his other identity, attends a party in republican Paris where he meets the actress Marguerite and Citizen Chauvelin, chief of revolutionary secret police.
Middle
Citizen Chauvelin has got his sights set on marriage to Marguerite and even persuades her to surrender evidence of the Marquis de St Cyr’s connections to attempts to rescue the French Dauphin (prince) and instigate the Marquis’ execution.
Eventually Marguerite’s heart is won by Sir Percy, to Chauvelin’s fury. Things start to sour when Marguerite is implicated in the execution of the family St Cyr and Percy does nothing to speak out on her behalf.
The Dauphin Louis Capet, son of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette is being held at the Temple prison by the revolutionaries. The League of the Scarlet Pimpernel makes it their top priority to rescue him.
Through finding out Marguerite’s brother Armand’s connection to the Scarlet Pimpernel, Chauvelin unmasks Sir Percy and has him arrested.
In an attempt to track the now escaped Dauphin, Chauvelin forces Sir Percy to lead him on the hunt. When the chase is unsuccessful, Chauvelin spitefully has his men fire on Sir Percy. But the soldiers turn out to be the League of the Scarlet Pimpernel. Chauvelin and Sir Percy engage in a sword duel, with Sir Percy overpowering his opponent and leaving him to suffer Robespierre’s wrath.
Sir Percy and Marguerite reconcile, as she now recognises her husband as a hero. On board a boat sailing back to England, Marguerite wistfully recites ‘The Scarlet Pimpernel’ poem. Sir Percy affectionately replies, “Sink me, the lady is a poet.” and they kiss passionately.
The main character is Sir Percy Blakeney, a British noble who uses a narcissistic, empty-headed attitude to mask his identity as the Scarlet Pimpernel. Using all manner of disguises and trickery, he leads his followers on his secret missions. Percy’s wife Marguerite is a compassionate and strong-willed young actress. She is the deuteragonist of the story, affectionate with her husband but looks upon him as little more than a dandy. Citizen Paul Chauvelin, the main antagonist, is the bloodthirsty and fanatical chief of national security for the French republic.
The Scarlet Pimpernel’s motivation is to spare victims of the revolution of the unbridled bloodshed.
Marguerite is a Republican by principles, hoping for better representation for the common people and a brighter future for her country, but her part in the Marquis de St Cyr’s execution, and the escalating reign of terror haunt her greatly. As with the Sheriff of Nottingham from Robin Hood, Citizen Chauvelin is assigned to apprehend the Scarlet Pimpernel and eliminate all French aristocracy on behalf of revolutionary justice.
Marguerite has indirectly caused the execution of the Marquis de St Cyr, who had had her brother Armand beaten up for wooing his daughter. This puts her at odds with her French compatriots and Sir Percy, even being her husband, has not even stepped in to absolve her from the blame. She is always in fear of Armand having to venture to Paris that has become a hotbed for tyrannical dictatorship. Matters escalate when Citizen Chauvelin urges Marguerite to track down the Scarlet Pimpernel.
The story ends with Marguerite fully recognising Sir Percy’s love for her after finding him out as the Scarlet Pimpernel. With the couple reconciled, Chauvelin ends up defeated by the Scarlet Pimpernel in a duel and having to answer Robespierre for his incompetence.
Example of a Modernist and Postmodern movies
Monty Python and the Holy Grail. 1974. Jones, Gilliam. UK. EMI Films.
Postmodern movies challenge the conventions of constantly regurgitated media by completely exposing the irony. The Pythons approached the legend of King Arthur with completely wry, knowing humour with mind-boggling surprise turns and twists.
‘Monty Python and the Holy Grail’ switches between live action and Terry Gilliam’s surrealist cutout animation.
When a monster has to attack King Arthur and his knights for example, there is a switch between Gilliam’s animation of the monster, live action shots of the knights and then the monster eating a monk. The scene becomes fully animated when the beast chases Arthur and his knights. The chase ends when “the animator (Terry Gilliam) suffered a fatal heart attack.” Illogical resolutions and unscientific twists contribute to Python comedy.
The movie cuts between Arthur and his knights on their quest to find the Holy Grail and the effects of a historian murdered by a knight who appears out of nowhere.
Eventually King Arthur and Sir Bedivere are arrested by the police, completely puncturing the climactic final battle for comedic effect.
Life of Brian. 1979. Jones, Gilliam. Handmade Films
Kronfeld, Chana. 1996. On the Margins of Modernism: Decentering Literary Dynamics. University of California
Monty Python's later classic, ‘Life of Brian’ follows a downtrodden Jewish citizen who wants the Roman Empire out of Nazareth. The narrative does follow the linear pattern, in that Brian joins a rebellion against the Romans, only to end up on the run, mistaken for the Messiah and eventually crucified.
Life of Brian’ has the same irreverence Monty Python brought to ‘Holy Grail’ and sense of surrealist absurdity, but the focus on the narrative’s beginning, middle and end fits the movie in the modernist category. The most ‘modern’ measures ‘Life of Brian’ takes is stripping away any archaic dialogue and anglicising it with swearwords, namely ‘fuck,’ ‘shit,’ ‘wankers,’ ‘lucky bastard,’ and ‘piss off.’ Furthermore, the People's Front of Judea, the Judean People's Front and the Judean Popular People's Front are heavily based on 20th century political parties and rebellions.
Ultimately the modernist seniment in 'Life of Brian' lies in its religeous satire. When Brian is chased by a crowd of zealots, grand Christian music is played and biblical figures like old blind men, hermits and preachers are caricatured in scary accuracy. Of course absurdity occurs when Brian is rescued from the Romans by a spaceship driven by aliens designed by Terry Gilliam, no doubt in the wake of the 'Star Wars' craze of 1977 two years earlier.
So while following the linear story of a trouble man living the times of the New Testament, 'Life of Brian' challenges organised religion with its heavily modern political satire and sharp, daring irony.