Leslie Howard to me is one of the top English actors of all time. This splendid performance is above all a masterful testament to the times he lived in and how he used his talents to influence and inspire people around the world of the evil perpetrated by those that would try to conquer the world. Brilliantly written, and produced and directed by no other than Leslie Howard himself. Yes, his speech at the end speaks volumes for humanity. Let’s not forget the also brilliant English actor Francis Sullivan as the German General von Graum who as well has illuminated the British screen for his earlier roles in British cinema only to play the nemesis to compliment the great Leslie Howard. A fantastic tribute to this film pits General Von Graum against the ever clever Pimpernel Smith. Just wonderful! 😊
Yes, a tour de force from Mr. Howard, one of the greats. And as you say, directed, produced and acted in by him (I don’t believe he wrote the script, but I’ll to check. Apparently, tho, that is his handwriting on all those little notes). Some have called this a remake of The Scarlet Pimpernel but they could not have seen it. Or either. LH is brilliant, his perfect comedic perfect, two very enthusiastic thumbs up.
I hadn’t seen this for a while. What a joy to find it here. This is a splendid, understated story of the fear people felt in the days leading up to WW2. I always get a little tickled seeing the dad from “Mary Poppins” as a young college student. Leslie Howard was a brilliant man and it is a crying shame that we lost his future work when he was killed in the war.
"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" Such a delight to watch Leslie Howard.
Wonderful movie. Having grown up in America I knew Leslie Howard as only Ashley Wilkes, a role which I now realize did not reflect his true talent as an actor. I have since seen him in other roles and he is just a pure delight. Thank you for posting!
He was reluctant to play the role Ashley Wilkes coz he knew it wasnt a role he wanted and all that great. He did it in exchange of making this movie. What a great man apart from a great actor and a true hero.
Just the opposite for me Leslie Howard was truly wonderful as Weslie Wilkes and I have always thought of him as a rather good actor responsible and true blue as a supporting actor in movies an on stage. His talents as a entertainer are worth watching.
Many, many thanks for sharing this! I never knew that this film had first inspired Raoul Wallenberg to rescue Hungarian Jews. Leslie Howard was himself a son of a Hungarian Jew. What a great movie.
It's said that the Russians arrested Wallenberg: it's not known what happened to him. The Russians never released some U.S. bomber crews whose planes crash-landed in the eastern U.S.S.R. after bombing Japan in 1944-45.
Wowww...only the great Leslie Howard could make this beautiful and powerful movie. He was a true hero as he traded his life for freedom and humanity. RIP Mr. Howard, you deserve Heaven and love from all of us.
Why haven't we heard more about this amazingly clever, suspenseful, humorous, adventurous and inspirational film? What a best-kept secret! Not a dull moment ever! And since this movie was made 4 years before Germany's defeat, Leslie Howard's sublime monologue at the end was incredibly prophetic.
Leslie Howard died in an airplane crash shot down by a German fighter plane. He was working with the British government coming back from a meeting. Some speculate the German fighter thought Churchill was abroad the airplane. He was a true patriot. So, his passion was equally strong in this movie about defeating the Nazis.
What Gene said. Lol Leslie Howard was said to be a very loving husband, father & definitely gave his life to serve his country! 🌹 He was a very good actor & very funny too! ❤
Watch Mr. Howard take a lament, from Richard II, and make it a tribute, to ENGLAND. It’s his final soliloquy from The Scarlet Pimpernel. It’s on you tube, at approximately 1:28:45. A brilliant delivery.
What a wonderful, gentle film about such a horribly violent and ruthless time. As someone who has rather cringed at my German heritage, it has an even deeper meaning. It makes it's points on all levels. I've rarely seen in a movie someone stand so strong and speaking so forcefully as the almost whispered dialogue from Leslie to the Nazi officer at 1:50:00. Thank you for sharing this gem of a story at a time in history when it is needed more than ever before. Sincerely, Laura-Lee 😔
sadly, yes, you are right -- it i especially needed now with the WHO and WEF and their priorities of genocide and proftieering. And have been called on this in a court case before the INternational Court at Nuremberg..Don't cringe , luv, the younger generations that came after have often been, with a few fringe exceptions, some of the more courageous in matters of correctness since. New souls. And of course, many Germans disliked extremely the ignorant populist nazi regime...and far too many americans liked it at first as well. Truth does alot to support life...and brings us Home eventually..
@@MrKatho54 You're assuming without knowing. Read some history about how Hitler was voted into power and the "Good People" you refer to either supported or stood by as he perpetrated his evil crimes. "'Good Germans' is an ironic term - usually placed between single quotes such as 'Good Germans' - referring to German citizens during and after World War II who claimed not to have supported the Nazi regime, but remained silent and did not resist in a meaningful way.[1][2] The term is further used to describe those who claimed ignorance of the Holocaust and German war crimes[3]." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_German
@@billfranklin3043 What were the people supposed to do against their Government.....If our current government wanted to impose its will on us,there isnt much we could do to stop it...
@@robertdesantis6205 What may have driven the Germans to shoot down Howard's plane was that he was Jewish and a prominent propagandist: they had a good chance of getting rid of him and they took it . One other possible factor in the shoot-down was that the British were using both civilian- and military aircraft to fly into neutral countries like Sweden and Portugal for purposes that benefitted the Allied war-effort. In Sweden's case, ball-bearings were bring flown out of that country in camouflaged aircraft that also carried civilian registrations (Howard's "DC-3" was marked "G-AGBB") that had to be used if the planes weren't to be impounded in those neutral countries (as military planes would have been). Howard had a few other civilian passengers on his airliner who could have had important jobs that flagged them up to German intelligence as potential targets for elimination. It wasn't a clear-cut case of Howard's plane having been singled-out for special attention: it had already been shot at on an earlier flight: the plane was wearing military camouflage under its civilian markings, and could have been judged as "fair game" by the fighter-patrol that intercepted it.
Howard's World War II activities included acting and filmmaking. He was active in anti-German propaganda and shoring up support for the Allies-two years after his death the British Film Yearbook described Howard's work as "one of the most valuable facets of British propaganda". He was rumoured to have been involved with British or Allied Intelligence, sparking conspiracy theories regarding his death in 1943 when the Luftwaffe shot down BOAC Flight 777 over the Atlantic (off the coast of Cedeira, A Coruña), on which he was a passenger.[2]
Leslie Howard had a public debate with the Nazi Ambassador in Lisbon, and wiped the floor with him, in a amusing, intellectual way. Many in Portugal believe that’s why his aircraft was shot down!
@Robert DeSantis For all we know, it was yet another CIA false flag operation Germans were not known for destroying artistic talent: appropriating it, yes.... Destroying it, no... that is a CIA specialty...(or whatever Freemasonic organization existed before it was renamed CIA )
Sadly, after 1950, the U.S. elite saw to it that the former Nazis were soon let out of prison and many many more were amnestied: a lot of high-up Germans like Adenauer, "resistants" of a sort during WW2, suddenly got sympathetic with their forner oppressors and put pressure on the Allies to "let bygones be bygones". So the Hitler business was very much swept under the political carpet in quite a short time, and you'd find former SS killers like Dr Six working for Volkswagen, or Heinrich Himmler's no. 2, Karl Wolff, appearing in a '70s British t.v. programme Meanwhile, the surviving former slaves (hundreds of thousands were worked to death) and concentration-camp survivors got little or no post-war compensation from the government of the now-booming Germany. Loaded with debt, the British came out of it all as the losers.
@@johnhardman3 It's true. In post war Germany many Nazi's escaped justice and some probably, and some deliberately, by our government. Decisions certainly made pragmatically, certainly not morally, unfortunately it is real politics. Imagine being an intelligence officer where morality is a variable to be discarded in the pursuit of security. My Uncle was in OSS and made decisions in war. ..a good man killing people...innocent, or, or not...with a mission. Killing Nazi's, defeating Germany was his obsession.
@@johnhardman3 Germany is the only country in the world that is critically examining its past. The US and the UK never did. In fact, quite the opposite: half the population in the US has been following a new Hitler for four years and wants to continue to do so.
For 90% of the people, it was just a country of hard work for little reward: they didn't have much to be idealistic about. Howard was able to get the considerable finance needed to produce [he did far more than just act] his films and he lived very well off the proceeds.
@@dannywlm63 I wasn't around back then (almost, but not quite) but I'd say that [very broadly] as much has been lost as has been gained in 80 years: there have been losses in some areas of life, gains in others. The war that was won at a colossal cost in lives (including Howard's) and resources (an economy wrecked for decades) was 'lost' in many respects as the British fell behind her former enemies (becoming a U.S. puppet-state) while only a relatively tiny fraction of the "doomed" Nazis were ever brought to justice after the war: the rest continued to run things in Western Germany [this was repeated in Japan]: some victory.
What a wonderful film. Loved every minute of it. Serious, of course, but so very funny in parts. Very clever. Leslie Howard is one of my very favourite all time Greats. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
A brilliant film which I've watched over and over again, and never tire of it. Leslie Howard was/is amazing. His amazing acting ability and patriotic nature still moves me.
Sadly, most of the financiers and industrialists who'd created and funded and profited from the Nazi regime were reinstated with U.S. encouragement after the war: only a relatively few people (and most of them were small fry) got what they deserved: the really big war criminals were left alone. The same thing happened with regards to Japan.
First class performance by Leslie Howard and all the team who produced this classic, actors, script writers, film crew to tea boy. Thank you for posting this.
As an actor he Must have been Very good, even better than we can know, because he infuriated the Nazis so much. It's not often I would think that an actor can rate so high as to die in combat, in a non combat role. He was right though, "We will All be Back" His last words in this movie. May God grant him Grace!
My dad told me that on that particular flight, Howard was accompanied by a man who was the spitting image of Winston Churchill, and the Germans shot down the plane thinking that Churchill and his bodyguard (Howard). Whether this is true or not I don't know.
Tremendous gem of a movie. Where has this been hiding? Sadly Leslie Howard eventually wasn't able to evade the Nazis in June 1943, in a DC3 over the Bay of Biscay. Pimpernel Smith has futuristic and provocative writing, but carefully avoided any hint of corniness. What is said is especially relevant in the European world today. This film is worthy of much more acclaim. My wish is that its is marked for restoration. Genuine thanks for uploading it.
Well said. In respect of the futuristic writing, who are the modern-day "Pimpernel" Smiths ? Among many others, I offer this nomination as a worthy comparison: a group of people who put themselves in harm's way because they see evil individuals causing unspeakable suffering and death to defenceless victims in pursuit of a crazed ideology; people who devote their lives, and sometimes even give their lives, in a noble cause. They are referred to by many terms, some of them far from complimentary, but perhaps the best description is the one that sums up what they do: hunt saboteurs. It is said that what defines our decency and our worth is how we treat those weaker than ourselves. Here are people who represent humanity at its finest, and in the film we are discussing, Professor Smith would have found he had a great deal in common with the "sabs".
A clever tale of espionage, courage, and deceit, acted with perfection by a quality cast. A great film with a rousing speech at the end that turned out to be very prophetic for a film released in 1941! The courage of the mild-mannered Professor and his small band of archeological students was humbling. It makes one wonder if one could do the same and while some people might say that such courage is no longer to be found, I remind you of a few young men who gave their lives over a field in Pennsylvania not so very long ago. It appears to me that true courage can be called upon by the brave at heart when required.
I might also add, the young firefighter who ran with full gear through the longest vehicular tunnel in the world, in order to die that day in the collapse of the World Trade Center! 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
Let us not disregard the women as well. I do not consider myself a feminist per se but it is long overdue that the courage of women throughout the history and conflicts of this country and around the world should be reported on with a measure that approaches a comparable measure.
You should read The French Revolution by Nesta H Webster. First published in 1919. Reprinted several times. I'm reading it now, that's why I wanted to see this great movie over again. This movie seems very true to the spirit of the time. I was just thinking 5 or so minutes ago that the French Revolution DID bring out great courage and goodness in some - and despicable evil in others. If you are moved by this fictional account, reading the true story will move you doubly.
This is one of my favourite films, I have loved it for many years and finding it here on You Tube was such a delight. The film has lost none of its charm nor sense of humour and I applauded at the ending as I did years ago. Thank you so much for posting it.
The Thomas Cook guide in the scenes at the frontier railway station was almost certainly played by the Irish actor Brefni O'Rorke (d. 1946) whose name doesn't appear in the credits at the film's end. (Corrected: it was Percy Walsh, who resembled O'Rorke)
Leslie Howard was largely responsible for Humphrey Bogart's breakthrough performance in 'Petrified Forest.' A very classy gentleman who stood by his friends.
@@elizabethfitgerald9775 Which named his daughter after whom? I'm going to guess it was Bogie's daughter because Leslie's a gender-neutral name whereas Bogart or Humphrey would be an awkward name for a girl.
@@dontaylor7315 yes it was boogie daughter. From the documentary, it said they played in the petrified forest. On stage for years. And he insisted that he be in the film .
I must speak of two wonderful personal observations regarding this film-it's Leslie Howard at the same best he put into "The Scarlet Pimpernel" in 1938, and his university professor persona is strangely reminiscent of what I know of JRR Tolkien at that time. I wonder if they met and Howard took certain characteristics away afterward. What a real delight. Well done and thank you to our host for such magic.
Amazing. I wasn't expecting this because I thought Leslie Howard was really overdoing it with the whole Scarlet Pimpernel thing. But this was really wonderful. Howard was truly one of the more distinguished members of the greatest generation.
Wonderful film. Thank you for sharing. A great actor who, like David Niven, gave up a great Hollywood career to come back to England and fight against tyranny the best way he could. His final speech in this film was very prophetic given that this was released in 1941 when the war was very much in the balance. So sad that the Nazis got him in the end. RIP to a great actor and human being
A Great British film, showing the true British character, understated, modest with an odd sense of humour, but determined! In Britain's darkest days, this film inspired many; including Raoul Wallenberg, and correctly predicted the war's outcome. The speech at the end by Leslie Howard, a true patriot and war-time spy, is one of the best in the history of the cinema! He was sadly killed by the Nazis in 1943.
Yes his attitude towards his female students is not politically correct currently but he protected them from danger by annoying them. His admiration for Aphrodite defending her from the prudish schoolteacher “legal married love” and later his admiration for the French salesgirl and ultimately falling in love with the professors daughter proves that she is his equal. Amazing film to have been produced before 1941. Despite the seriousness politically and philosophically it has a tongue in cheek tone and I’m sure it annoyed the hell out of the nazis. Mainly because they wouldn’t get it. They would suspect that they are made fun of but not how or why. The remark that if they spoke welsh the nazis wouldn’t have come to power is very funny and ironically quite true.
What’s so significant is when Leslie Howard made that prediction of the allies combining in a coalition to take Germany! Remember it was said in 1941 the allies completed that mission 4 years later. I think Leslie was a genius in these two pimpernel films, getting it spot on truly.
This movie is SO much more than just a film! It should be required viewing in every high school in America. People no longer understand how easily they can be duped and why it is necessary for us all to be vigilant in preserving the rights of ALL citizens through real democracy. Not to be led by those only looking out for themselves, their political futures, and who will promise everything to anyone they can convince to hang on to power.
A very different England is wonderfully portrayed in this film. If you like this you'll love "Goodbye Mr Chips" With Robert Donat in the starring role.
I too appreciate how England is portrayed and Goodbye Mr. Chips is another wonderful British movie... Donat was born to play the role; he was perfect for it.
That comment is exceptionally hard for anyone to disagree with. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the Martin Clunes remake. Not exactly in the same league, but still jolly good.
Thanks for the upload. This is a classic, must-see World War II era movie. Lots of great British wit and humor. You'll miss a lot of it the first time you see the movie. In fact, the British sense of humor versus the German lack of a sense of humor is a minor theme of this movie.
all around wonderful film - no matter how many times I watch I still get a laugh out of the scene with the museum guard - "we had it yesterday, sir" .....
Any Doctor Who fans watching? A tiny fun fact for you: The embassy official appearing at 42:38-43:02 and talking to General von Graum is Roland Pertwee, one of the scriptwriters for this film and... the father of Jon Pertwee, who played the Third Doctor (1970-74). You can see a few clear similarities between the father's (Roland) and son's (Jon) looks and mannerisms.
Truly of the best and bravest men that ever lived,he could of been a coward and stay in America, but stayed to do what he could for Brittain in our darkest hour,truly brilliant and truly a hero and so brave as talented
@@63bplumb You've mixed him up with Glenn Miller: Howard's plane was shot down over the Bay of Biscay in 1943 while flying from Portugal, while Miller's plane disappeared in 1944.
He played Ashley Wilkes in "Gone with the Wind" as the Englishman he was, and got away with it. Now nearly eighty years later the film is still considered a Hollywood Great. THAT, dear friend, is acting of the finest kind.
Francis L. Sullivan was a good actor and did quite well with his cartoon-Nazi part in this propaganda picture. Leslie Howard was playing a part in real life, since he was Jewish (Leslie Howard Steiner) with Hungarian origins, yet he was one of the cinema's best screen Englishmen (like velvet-voiced Leo Genn).
@@None-zc5vg He was part jewish. He was British and like many brits, had various countries in his family lineage. It is interesting how some people want to bring it up when someone is full or part jewish. Like...it matters lol
I’ve always been a Leslie Howard fan but I’d missed this film. This film was very enjoyable and a brilliant showcase of his many talents. His son was also an excellent actor and looked remarkably like his father.
Another grand old wartime tub-thumber to raise a nation's spirits in defiance of the wicked Hun, with Leslie Howard reprising his debonair and cunning Scarlet Pimpernel against a different tyranny. The excellent Francis Sullivan also gave his usual good return, as in Oliver Twist's beadle, and Jaggers of great Expectations. Many thanks for sharing; I haven't seen this in ages.
"we'll all be back..." Poignant and absolutely brilliant! Never seen a bad Leslie Howard movie. And, Mary Morris always has dreamy eyes. Thanks for posting.
Wow! Virtually EVERY single classic film I've seen recently here on TH-cam has had the musical score directed by Muir Mathieson. Boy, he sure was a busy guy. According to IMDB, Mr. Mathieson has 475 film credits to his name (Mostly with British film scores since 1934). I've seen about 20 movies (so far) with his credit on them (my favorite being the Sci-Fi classic H.G. Wells' "THINGS TO COME"). Sometimes, I've watched one film-after another and surprised to see Mathieson's name on the credits of every film. Very impressive, indeed!
About time we had a proper RESTORATION of this wonderful little film. AND of the earlier Leslie Howard 'Pimernel'...................................... Wouldn't they make a GREAT 'double feature' on Bluray ? Don't you think ?
" I would buy that in a heartbeat." You have excellent taste, my Friend ! Sad to reflect that, had the Germans succeeded in invading my beautiful country, Leslie Howard would have been one of the first to be sent to the 'camps' (or worse), as a result of his Jewish ancestry. It's little points like that which Nazi-'sympathisers' tend to overlook..............
Just finished watching the scarlet pimpernel and now watching this movie again I've seen this movie at least 3 times and the other movie at least 3 times
It's a shame, that our world is heading back into the dark ages, for most today have never bothered to learn the horrors of history, having only the desires of a modern hedonistic society.
Society has always been power nuts and self serving. Instead of forming peaceful groups we still believe everyman for themselves is best. Now with Brexit and others events that show the saying United we stand divided we fall to be true Russia is laughing at us and putin still believes in his dictatorship.
@@drwatsonca6945 One year later Democrats are in charge of the free world and and look at our planet now. I see another big war on the horizon because one party wants to control the world.
He departed too young and he would have been one of the greatest (and indeed he was) if he had lived. His Professor Higgins, Scarlett Pimpernel, etc. were awesome!
Thank You Fadedhour for this absolutely *_F A B U L O U S_* film..... produced, directed, and starring a true GEM of The Silver Screen, the invincible Leslie Howard.👌This marvelously developed script was _"perfectly peppered"_ with Mary Morris's always unique persona and Francis Sullivan's equally emphasizing performance. Definitively English.... and an appropriate role for Howard in the wake of the disastrous German Blitz of London, as a Modern Remake of his 1934 _'The Scarlet Pimpernel'....._ 🤜🤛
Howard was superb in the title role "The Scarlet Pimpernel" with Merle Oberon (1934.) He portrayed Sir Percy Blakeney, a British aristocrat who saved French aristocrats and other condemned from the guillotine during the French Revolution. "They seek him here, they seek him there. Those Frenchies seek him everywhere. Is he in heaven, or is he in hell? That damned, elusive Pimpernel." A great movie.
45:43: "Well, it's rather hard to judge, you see I only know my Aphrodite in the nude". Have to love the banter in this movie, and seeing Leslie in his element.
I agree with Michael, Leslie was truly in his element in this movie. I love/appreciate most everything he's done... I didn't like Intermezzo much; it was way too predictable and sappy for me... yes, sappy. But, they both, Leslie and Ingrid, were absolutely beautiful of body and face.
Howard was an early choice to play Henry in James Whale's Frankenstein 1931,but was unable to commit due to a play he was in.Would have been interesting to see him in the role.
Howard was a charismatic actor and still has (and wins) fans 75 years after he died: like some of the best movie/film "Englishmen" (see 'Leo Genn'), he was Jewish, but nobody did "Englishness" better. His younger brother Arthur (some 16/17 years younger) was also an actor but a much lesser one: he died in 1998.
Fantastic movie! What a great actor Leslie Howard was & such a loss to have died too soon. There is a great documentary on his life called "Leslie Howard: The Man Who Gave a Damn" it came out a few years ago but very hard to find online.
A brilliant propaganda film that stands the test of time. Particularly affecting to me is the "you are doomed" speech, which turned out to be so prophetic.
The sad truth is that, soon after the war's end, the people who had financed and profited from the Hitler regime got to keep their profits and assets and freedom with the help of fascist-friendly U.S. politicians and administrators (e.g. John McCloy). Most of the jailed "war criminals" were back on the streets by 1958, and hundreds of thousands more were never pursued or prosecuted. Hundreds of thousands of slave-labourers had been worked to death, and the survivors were only offered belated, derisory compensation. The Nazis had begun preparing in 1944 for a back-door non-military comeback via economic means, and that began with the creation of the E.E.C. German-French-led trading union, which later segued into the German-led European (political) Union of most European states. Try, try again.
Germany won: they were planning an "economic" postwar comeback as early as 1943, post-Stalingrad, and, little by little, that's what they achieved, via the E.E.C. and then the E.U. with its complement of debt-enslaved countries like Greece,Italy and Spain. It didn't need to have a Hitler around.
Leslie Howard to me is one of the top English actors of all time. This splendid performance is above all a masterful testament to the times he lived in and how he used his talents to influence and inspire people around the world of the evil perpetrated by those that would try to conquer the world. Brilliantly written, and produced and directed by no other than Leslie Howard himself. Yes, his speech at the end speaks volumes for humanity. Let’s not forget the also brilliant English actor Francis Sullivan as the German General von Graum who as well has illuminated the British screen for his earlier roles in British cinema only to play the nemesis to compliment the great Leslie Howard. A fantastic tribute to this film pits General Von Graum against the ever clever Pimpernel Smith. Just wonderful! 😊
who gave his life for Britain like the character he played here...hero
Yes, a tour de force from Mr. Howard, one of the greats. And as you say, directed, produced and acted in by him (I don’t believe he wrote the script, but I’ll to check. Apparently, tho, that is his handwriting on all those little notes). Some have called this a remake of The Scarlet Pimpernel but they could not have seen it. Or either. LH is brilliant, his perfect comedic perfect, two very enthusiastic thumbs up.
sullivan will aways be the lawyer jaggers to me in great expectaions
I hadn’t seen this for a while. What a joy to find it here. This is a splendid, understated story of the fear people felt in the days leading up to WW2. I always get a little tickled seeing the dad from “Mary Poppins” as a young college student. Leslie Howard was a brilliant man and it is a crying shame that we lost his future work when he was killed in the war.
So true!
"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"
Such a delight to watch Leslie Howard.
I really enjoyed this film. Thank you for posting it. We ARE Back!
Wonderful movie. Having grown up in America I knew Leslie Howard as only Ashley Wilkes, a role which I now realize did not reflect his true talent as an actor. I have since seen him in other roles and he is just a pure delight. Thank you for posting!
He was reluctant to play the role Ashley Wilkes coz he knew it wasnt a role he wanted and all that great. He did it in exchange of making this movie. What a great man apart from a great actor and a true hero.
He would have been an ideal Lord Peter Wimsy or even Sherlock Holmes!
Just the opposite for me Leslie Howard was truly wonderful as Weslie Wilkes and I have always thought of him as a rather good actor responsible and true blue as a supporting actor in movies an on stage. His talents as a entertainer are worth watching.
@@susansinsua5583 basil rathbone is my sherlock
Many, many thanks for sharing this! I never knew that this film had first inspired Raoul Wallenberg to rescue Hungarian Jews. Leslie Howard was himself a son of a Hungarian Jew. What a great movie.
It's said that the Russians arrested Wallenberg: it's not known what happened to him.
The Russians never released some U.S. bomber crews whose planes crash-landed in the eastern U.S.S.R. after bombing Japan in 1944-45.
Wowww...only the great Leslie Howard could make this beautiful and powerful movie. He was a true hero as he traded his life for freedom and humanity. RIP Mr. Howard, you deserve Heaven and love from all of us.
Why haven't we heard more about this amazingly clever, suspenseful, humorous, adventurous and inspirational film? What a best-kept secret! Not a dull moment ever! And since this movie was made 4 years before Germany's defeat, Leslie Howard's sublime monologue at the end was incredibly prophetic.
Leslie Howard died in an airplane crash shot down by a German fighter plane. He was working with the British government coming back from a meeting. Some speculate the German fighter thought Churchill was abroad the airplane. He was a true patriot. So, his passion was equally strong in this movie about defeating the Nazis.
What Gene said. Lol Leslie Howard was said to be a very loving husband, father & definitely gave his life to serve his country! 🌹 He was a very good actor & very funny too! ❤
@@GeneRogers-xl9um And that is what makes his "acting" here, very realistic! 👌
@@GeneRogers-xl9um I didn't know any of that, Gene. Thanks so much for this history lesson, and may Leslie Howard rest in peace!
If you loved this, have you seen, The Scarlet Pimpernel, 1934, starring Leslie Howard and Merle Oberon?
Every time I watch this film the speech by Howard at the railway station sends a shiver down my spine.
Me too but it's the truth....
Prophetic
Just chanced upon this, but will never forget it. A true masterpiece.
Please also see The Scarlet Pimpernel.
LOVED this movie! The Professor’s last monologue was brilliant so prophetic after all these years it’s timeless.Thankyou so much💖🐨🇦🇺
Watch Mr. Howard take a lament, from Richard II, and make it a tribute, to ENGLAND. It’s his final soliloquy from The Scarlet Pimpernel. It’s on you tube, at approximately 1:28:45. A brilliant delivery.
What a wonderful, gentle film about such a horribly violent and ruthless time. As someone who has rather cringed at my German heritage, it has an even deeper meaning. It makes it's points on all levels. I've rarely seen in a movie someone stand so strong and speaking so forcefully as the almost whispered dialogue from Leslie to the Nazi officer at 1:50:00. Thank you for sharing this gem of a story at a time in history when it is needed more than ever before. Sincerely, Laura-Lee 😔
Why would you cringe,not all germans were Nazis...Most were good people
sadly, yes, you are right -- it i especially needed now with the WHO and WEF and their priorities of genocide and proftieering. And have been called on this in a court case before the INternational Court at Nuremberg..Don't cringe , luv, the younger generations that came after have often been, with a few fringe exceptions, some of the more courageous in matters of correctness since. New souls. And of course, many Germans disliked extremely the ignorant populist nazi regime...and far too many americans liked it at first as well. Truth does alot to support life...and brings us Home eventually..
@@MrKatho54 You're assuming without knowing. Read some history about how Hitler was voted into power and the "Good People" you refer to either supported or stood by as he perpetrated his evil crimes. "'Good Germans' is an ironic term - usually placed between single quotes such as 'Good Germans' - referring to German citizens during and after World War II who claimed not to have supported the Nazi regime, but remained silent and did not resist in a meaningful way.[1][2] The term is further used to describe those who claimed ignorance of the Holocaust and German war crimes[3]." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_German
@@billfranklin3043 What were the people supposed to do against their Government.....If our current government wanted to impose its will on us,there isnt much we could do to stop it...
Thanks for the timestamp.
Not enough include them.
I have watched this movie over 50 times in my 50 years and it is as good today as when it was made. A real classic movie
emmett5050 your right I'd rather watch these type of films then the shit what's out today
emmett5050 Amen.
Loved this movie. I have always loved Lesley Howard, but I have never seen this Great Movie.
Leslie Howard was a great actor in my opinion. All his movies were great! Too bad we lost such a talent at such an early age.
shot out of the sky, possibly by the NAZIs--think maybe they didn't like his take on their form of gov't?
@@robertdesantis6205 What may have driven the Germans to shoot down Howard's plane was that he was Jewish and a prominent propagandist: they had a good chance of getting rid of him and they took it .
One other possible factor in the shoot-down was that the British were using both civilian- and military aircraft to fly into neutral countries like Sweden and Portugal for purposes that benefitted the Allied war-effort. In Sweden's case, ball-bearings were bring flown out of that country in camouflaged aircraft that also carried civilian registrations (Howard's "DC-3" was marked "G-AGBB") that had to be used if the planes weren't to be impounded in those neutral countries (as military planes would have been). Howard had a few other civilian passengers on his airliner who could have had important jobs that flagged them up to German intelligence as potential targets for elimination. It wasn't a clear-cut case of Howard's plane having been singled-out for special attention: it had already been shot at on an earlier flight: the plane was wearing military camouflage under its civilian markings, and could have been judged as "fair game" by the fighter-patrol that intercepted it.
Howard's World War II activities included acting and filmmaking. He was active in anti-German propaganda and shoring up support for the Allies-two years after his death the British Film Yearbook described Howard's work as "one of the most valuable facets of British propaganda". He was rumoured to have been involved with British or Allied Intelligence, sparking conspiracy theories regarding his death in 1943 when the Luftwaffe shot down BOAC Flight 777 over the Atlantic (off the coast of Cedeira, A Coruña), on which he was a passenger.[2]
Leslie Howard had a public debate with the Nazi Ambassador in Lisbon, and wiped the floor with him, in a amusing, intellectual way.
Many in Portugal believe that’s why his aircraft was shot down!
@Robert DeSantis
For all we know, it was yet another CIA false flag operation
Germans were not known for destroying artistic talent: appropriating it, yes....
Destroying it, no...
that is a CIA specialty...(or whatever Freemasonic organization existed before it was renamed CIA )
"You will never rule the world. Because you are doomed. All of you who have demoralized and corrupted a nation are doomed. ... " Prophetic words.
Sadly, after 1950, the U.S. elite saw to it that the former Nazis were soon let out of prison and many many more were amnestied: a lot of high-up Germans like Adenauer, "resistants" of a sort during WW2, suddenly got sympathetic with their forner oppressors and put pressure on the Allies to "let bygones be bygones". So the Hitler business was very much swept under the political carpet in quite a short time, and you'd find former SS killers like Dr Six working for Volkswagen, or Heinrich Himmler's no. 2, Karl Wolff, appearing in a '70s British t.v. programme Meanwhile, the surviving former slaves (hundreds of thousands were worked to death) and concentration-camp survivors got little or no post-war compensation from the government of the now-booming Germany. Loaded with debt, the British came out of it all as the losers.
Yes. Thankfully.
@@johnhardman3
It's true. In post war Germany many Nazi's escaped justice and some probably, and some deliberately, by our government. Decisions certainly made pragmatically, certainly not morally, unfortunately it is real politics. Imagine being an intelligence officer where morality is a variable to be discarded in the pursuit of security. My Uncle was in OSS and made decisions in war. ..a good man killing people...innocent, or, or not...with a mission. Killing Nazi's, defeating Germany was his obsession.
7 days in October...till the end of this racist oligark.
@@johnhardman3 Germany is the only country in the world that is critically examining its past. The US and the UK never did. In fact, quite the opposite: half the population in the US has been following a new Hitler for four years and wants to continue to do so.
Love this film, shows just what a Country we have lost . Heartbreaking
It is heartbreaking.
For 90% of the people, it was just a country of hard work for little reward: they didn't have much to be idealistic about. Howard was able to get the considerable finance needed to produce [he did far more than just act] his films and he lived very well off the proceeds.
@@None-zc5vg and was Britain worse then or now?
@@dannywlm63 I wasn't around back then (almost, but not quite) but I'd say that [very broadly] as much has been lost as has been gained in 80 years: there have been losses in some areas of life, gains in others. The war that was won at a colossal cost in lives (including Howard's) and resources (an economy wrecked for decades) was 'lost' in many respects as the British fell behind her former enemies (becoming a U.S. puppet-state) while only a relatively tiny fraction of the "doomed" Nazis were ever brought to justice after the war: the rest continued to run things in Western Germany [this was repeated in Japan]: some victory.
@@None-zc5vg Japan and Germany remain democracies and friendly powers. That actually is quite a victory.
Timeless. Simple daring do, but with a serious subliminal message brilliantly given at the end. Prophetic how Leslie Howard met his end.
What a wonderful film. Loved every minute of it. Serious, of course, but so very funny in parts. Very clever. Leslie Howard is one of my very favourite all time Greats. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
He was also on 49th parallel!☺
Such a good film! Leslie Howard was a wonderful talent. This is one of those "forever films" to be saved for generations. Thank you so much!
Especially significant in light of 2020: Extreme Leftists, Antifa, Russian HOAX. Think about it.
@@Hartley_Hare You are so wrong
In addition the message is same for us. Esp with facism rising again
A brilliant film which I've watched over and over again, and never tire of it. Leslie Howard was/is amazing. His amazing acting ability and patriotic nature still moves me.
Sadly, most of the financiers and industrialists who'd created and funded and profited from the Nazi regime were reinstated with U.S. encouragement after the war: only a relatively few people (and most of them were small fry) got what they deserved: the really big war criminals were left alone. The same thing happened with regards to Japan.
Love that bit with the piano at 1.31
First class performance by Leslie Howard and all the team who produced this classic, actors, script writers, film crew to tea boy. Thank you for posting this.
The topic and heroism of the character is memorable, and he is a formidable actor without of doubts.
As an actor he Must have been Very good, even better than we can know, because he infuriated the Nazis so much. It's not often I would think that an actor can rate so high as to die in combat, in a non combat role. He was right though, "We will All be Back" His last words in this movie. May God grant him Grace!
My dad told me that on that particular flight, Howard was accompanied by a man who was the spitting image of Winston Churchill, and the Germans shot down the plane thinking that Churchill and his bodyguard (Howard). Whether this is true or not I don't know.
Don’t forget he also directed this excellent movie
Tremendous gem of a movie. Where has this been hiding? Sadly Leslie Howard eventually wasn't able to evade the Nazis in June 1943, in a DC3 over the Bay of Biscay.
Pimpernel Smith has futuristic and provocative writing, but carefully avoided any hint of corniness. What is said is especially relevant in the European world today. This film is worthy of much more acclaim. My wish is that its is marked for restoration. Genuine thanks for uploading it.
Stu---- one of my fav-- and Les-- is super in this and the Scarlette Pimp---- i have been watching this movie for years and never grow tired of it---
Stu Art. Prof Smith’s last speech in the station waiting room is so eerie...and correct
Well said. In respect of the futuristic writing, who are the modern-day "Pimpernel" Smiths ? Among many others, I offer this nomination as a worthy comparison: a group of people who put themselves in harm's way because they see evil individuals causing unspeakable suffering and death to defenceless victims in pursuit of a crazed ideology; people who devote their lives, and sometimes even give their lives, in a noble cause. They are referred to by many terms, some of them far from complimentary, but perhaps the best description is the one that sums up what they do: hunt saboteurs. It is said that what defines our decency and our worth is how we treat those weaker than ourselves. Here are people who represent humanity at its finest, and in the film we are discussing, Professor Smith would have found he had a great deal in common with the "sabs".
Every time I hear the dear man's name mentioned., it always reminds me of his end.
A clever tale of espionage, courage, and deceit, acted with perfection by a quality cast. A great film with a rousing speech at the end that turned out to be very prophetic for a film released in 1941! The courage of the mild-mannered Professor and his small band of archeological students was humbling. It makes one wonder if one could do the same and while some people might say that such courage is no longer to be found, I remind you of a few young men who gave their lives over a field in Pennsylvania not so very long ago. It appears to me that true courage can be called upon by the brave at heart when required.
I might also add, the young firefighter who ran with full gear through the longest vehicular tunnel in the world, in order to die that day in the collapse of the World Trade Center! 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
Let us not disregard the women as well. I do not consider myself a feminist per se but it is long overdue that the courage of women throughout the history and conflicts of this country and around the world should be reported on with a measure that approaches a comparable measure.
You should read The French Revolution by Nesta H Webster. First published in 1919. Reprinted several times. I'm reading it now, that's why I wanted to see this great movie over again. This movie seems very true to the spirit of the time. I was just thinking 5 or so minutes ago that the French Revolution DID bring out great courage and goodness in some - and despicable evil in others. If you are moved by this fictional account, reading the true story will move you doubly.
Best movie I have seen in a long time. Thankyou!
This is one of my favourite films, I have loved it for many years and finding it here on You Tube was such a delight. The film has lost none of its charm nor sense of humour and I applauded at the ending as I did
years ago. Thank you so much for posting it.
I love his facial expressions. You can almost read what's going on in his characters head. What a brilliant actor and we lost him too soon.
Thank you for posting this. Something about this actor always made me think he was looking at me right through the screen into my soul.
explains why Scarlet was head over heels, to Rhett’s chagrin 😉
Very good movie. Howard is terrific as always. I wouldn't mind seeing 49th Parallel sometime soon!
The Thomas Cook guide in the scenes at the frontier railway station was almost certainly played by the Irish actor Brefni O'Rorke (d. 1946) whose name doesn't appear in the credits at the film's end.
(Corrected: it was Percy Walsh, who resembled O'Rorke)
I stumbled across this movie and it immediately became one of my favorites. Right behind Harvey.
Leslie Howard was largely responsible for Humphrey Bogart's breakthrough performance in 'Petrified Forest.' A very classy gentleman who stood by his friends.
Bin witçhf6
They both acted in on stage and he named his daughter after him . They we great friends. Quite different people but were amazing people
@@elizabethfitgerald9775 Which named his daughter after whom? I'm going to guess it was Bogie's daughter because Leslie's a gender-neutral name whereas Bogart or Humphrey would be an awkward name for a girl.
@@dontaylor7315 yes it was boogie daughter. From the documentary, it said they played in the petrified forest. On stage for years. And he insisted that he be in the film .
..unlike ronald reagan, who chose to become Sen Joe McCarthy's stooge, and then the same with the republicans in 1980...
The speech by leslie Howard at the end, always brings tears..we all know what followed..bless them ❤
Yes, God bless and uphold them all, and, in our time, the Ukrainians.
@@AxgoodofdunemaulMy heart bleeds to think of the unfair suffering of the poor brave Ukrainians! SLAVA UKRAINI ! ! ! 🇺🇦 🇺🇦 🇺🇦
I must speak of two wonderful personal observations regarding this film-it's Leslie Howard at the same best he put into "The Scarlet Pimpernel" in 1938, and his university professor persona is strangely reminiscent of what I know of JRR Tolkien at that time. I wonder if they met and Howard took certain characteristics away afterward. What a real delight. Well done and thank you to our host for such magic.
Amazing. I wasn't expecting this because I thought Leslie Howard was really overdoing it with the whole Scarlet Pimpernel thing. But this was really wonderful. Howard was truly one of the more distinguished members of the greatest generation.
Love this movie!!! Leslie Howard was so gifted,
Wonderful movie. Thank you Fadedhour for posting this film. I had never heard of it before. Thank you.
Wonderful film. Thank you for sharing. A great actor who, like David Niven, gave up a great Hollywood career to come back to England and fight against tyranny the best way he could. His final speech in this film was very prophetic given that this was released in 1941 when the war was very much in the balance. So sad that the Nazis got him in the end. RIP to a great actor and human being
But he sure didn’t fight the way Jimmy Stewart did!!
LESLIE HOWARD GAVE THE FINAL SPEECH IN THIS MOVIE.
I've always loved this movie. Thanks for uploading it.
A magnificent actor and a great man.
Wow, what a great movie, never seen this before but picked up on all the "gears within gears" in countless other shows.
Leslie Howard is the sort of 'Englishman' every Englishman would love to be!
Very much enjoyed seeing the film once again. Thanks for uploading it.
Absolutely magnificent film! I hardly blinked throughout, it was so engaging.
I'm watching this movie. I think Lesley Howard is a dear darling too, great actor and hero.
A Great British film, showing the true British character, understated, modest with an odd sense of humour, but determined! In Britain's darkest days, this film inspired many; including Raoul Wallenberg, and correctly predicted the war's outcome. The speech at the end by Leslie Howard, a true patriot and war-time spy, is one of the best in the history of the cinema! He was sadly killed by the Nazis in 1943.
Yes his attitude towards his female students is not politically correct currently but he protected them from danger by annoying them. His admiration for Aphrodite defending her from the prudish schoolteacher “legal married love” and later his admiration for the French salesgirl and ultimately falling in love with the professors daughter proves that she is his equal. Amazing film to have been produced before 1941. Despite the seriousness politically and philosophically it has a tongue in cheek tone and I’m sure it annoyed the hell out of the nazis. Mainly because they wouldn’t get it. They would suspect that they are made fun of but not how or why. The remark that if they spoke welsh the nazis wouldn’t have come to power is very funny and ironically quite true.
@@magnacz The Fench saleswoman was his girlfriend in real life.
Don't forget the coolest and wittiest had to be American!
Simply unforgettable. Lovely, lovable Lesliie
Alliteration Leslie!
What’s so significant is when Leslie Howard made that prediction of the allies combining in a coalition to take Germany! Remember it was said in 1941 the allies completed that mission 4 years later. I think Leslie was a genius in these two pimpernel films, getting it spot on truly.
This movie is SO much more than just a film! It should be required viewing in every high school in America. People no longer understand how easily they can be duped and why it is necessary for us all to be vigilant in preserving the rights of ALL citizens through real democracy. Not to be led by those only looking out for themselves, their political futures, and who will promise everything to anyone they can convince to hang on to power.
A very different England is wonderfully portrayed in this film. If you like this you'll love "Goodbye Mr Chips" With Robert Donat in the starring role.
I too appreciate how England is portrayed and Goodbye Mr. Chips is another wonderful British movie... Donat was born to play the role; he was perfect for it.
@@thelmaschoen8980: And there are few, I imagine, who would dare to dispute this.
@@thelmaschoen8980 agreed two wonderful films.
That comment is exceptionally hard for anyone to disagree with. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the Martin Clunes remake. Not exactly in the same league, but still jolly good.
Thanks for the upload. This is a classic, must-see World War II era movie. Lots of great British wit and humor. You'll miss a lot of it the first time you see the movie. In fact, the British sense of humor versus the German lack of a sense of humor is a minor theme of this movie.
The three shortest books ever written: Italian War Heros, Norwegian Culinary Triumphs, and Four Hundred Years of German Humour.
Just saw this in a theater last night. Fantastic movie.
REALLY GOOD FILM WISH THEY STILL MADE FILMS LIKE THIS.
all around wonderful film - no matter how many times I watch I still get a laugh out of the scene with the museum guard - "we had it yesterday, sir" .....
Wonderful film from an era when men still liked to believe in honour and a few such as Leslie Howard actually practised it!
Excellent film.
One of the best.
Can you imagine any of today's feckless 'stars' giving a performance of this quality? They wouldn't even understand it.
They haven't got the talent to be like leslie Howard
Not one patriotic among wank modern actors and actresses .if I don't know one please tell me
@James Henderson Just like with music. No talent needed today.
@@dannywlm63 Audy Murphy.
A supreme Leslie Howard film!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Any Doctor Who fans watching?
A tiny fun fact for you: The embassy official appearing at 42:38-43:02 and talking to General von Graum is Roland Pertwee, one of the scriptwriters for this film and... the father of Jon Pertwee, who played the Third Doctor (1970-74). You can see a few clear similarities between the father's (Roland) and son's (Jon) looks and mannerisms.
Truly of the best and bravest men that ever lived,he could of been a coward and stay in America, but stayed to do what he could for Brittain in our darkest hour,truly brilliant and truly a hero and so brave as talented
Sadly lost over the channel! By friendly bombs.
@@63bplumb You've mixed him up with Glenn Miller: Howard's plane was shot down over the Bay of Biscay in 1943 while flying from Portugal, while Miller's plane disappeared in 1944.
You're right of course thank you for reminding me of that. I knew of Glen Miller but thought it was similar! Wrong!
@@63bplumb Leslie Howard's plane was shot down by the enemy over the Bay of biscay.
@@cathyshaw1227 AA corrected me 9 months ago. Read above.
At the very least, Leslie Howard is one of the greatest actors ever.
He played Ashley Wilkes in "Gone with the Wind" as the Englishman he was, and got away with it. Now nearly eighty years later the film is still considered a Hollywood Great. THAT, dear friend, is acting of the finest kind.
*just discovered him. Have a nice day Emmette from NewZealand.
@@SiliconBong
Try "The First Of The Few"
The story of the Spitfire 's designer
Reginald Mitchell.
Francis L. Sullivan was a good actor and did quite well with his cartoon-Nazi part in this propaganda picture. Leslie Howard was playing a part in real life, since he was Jewish (Leslie Howard Steiner) with Hungarian origins, yet he was one of the cinema's best screen Englishmen (like velvet-voiced Leo Genn).
@@None-zc5vg He was part jewish. He was British and like many brits, had various countries in his family lineage. It is interesting how some people want to bring it up when someone is full or part jewish. Like...it matters lol
Love this wonderful film, enjoy this time and time again. Thank you.
I’ve always been a Leslie Howard fan but I’d missed this film. This film was very enjoyable and a brilliant showcase of his many talents. His son was also an excellent actor and looked remarkably like his father.
yeah, his son Ronald as handsome Sherlock
Leslie Howard would have been a fantastic Dr. Baron Von Frankenstein.
He died as heroically as he was in this film. .
RIP...Mr. Howard.
Another grand old wartime tub-thumber to raise a nation's spirits in defiance of the wicked Hun, with Leslie Howard reprising his debonair and cunning Scarlet Pimpernel against a different tyranny. The excellent Francis Sullivan also gave his usual good return, as in Oliver Twist's beadle, and Jaggers of great Expectations. Many thanks for sharing; I haven't seen this in ages.
"we'll all be back..." Poignant and absolutely brilliant! Never seen a bad Leslie Howard movie. And, Mary Morris always has dreamy eyes. Thanks for posting.
Wow!
Virtually EVERY single classic film I've seen recently here on TH-cam has had the musical score directed by Muir Mathieson. Boy, he sure was a busy guy. According to IMDB, Mr. Mathieson has 475 film credits to his name (Mostly with British film scores since 1934). I've seen about 20 movies (so far) with his credit on them (my favorite being the Sci-Fi classic H.G. Wells' "THINGS TO COME"). Sometimes, I've watched one film-after another and surprised to see Mathieson's name on the credits of every film. Very impressive, indeed!
About time we had a proper RESTORATION of this wonderful little film.
AND of the earlier Leslie Howard 'Pimernel'......................................
Wouldn't they make a GREAT 'double feature' on Bluray ?
Don't you think ?
Yes! I would buy that in a heartbeat.
" I would buy that in a heartbeat."
You have excellent taste, my Friend !
Sad to reflect that, had the Germans succeeded in invading my beautiful country, Leslie Howard would have been one of the first to be sent to the 'camps' (or worse), as a result of his Jewish ancestry.
It's little points like that which Nazi-'sympathisers' tend to overlook..............
I would certainly buy it
marvinc999 most definite
If you don't know already, it has been restored and re-released, including on Blu Ray.
Just finished watching the scarlet pimpernel and now watching this movie again I've seen this movie at least 3 times and the other movie at least 3 times
It's a shame, that our world is heading back into the dark ages,
for most today have never bothered to learn the horrors of history, having only the desires of a modern hedonistic society.
Society has always been power nuts and self serving. Instead of forming peaceful groups we still believe everyman for themselves is best. Now with Brexit and others events that show the saying United we stand divided we fall to be true Russia is laughing at us and putin still believes in his dictatorship.
Satanic and hedonistic yes.
Literal end times!
Spoiler;
GOD WINS!
(And I'm not a Christian saying that.)
@@drwatsonca6945 One year later Democrats are in charge of the free world and and look at our planet now. I see another big war on the horizon because one party wants to control the world.
I often think of what Leslie Howard would think knowing the influence of this film on Raoul Wallenberg, & the subsequent rescues.
That is fascinating. Excellent!
He departed too young and he would have been one of the greatest (and indeed he was) if he had lived. His Professor Higgins, Scarlett Pimpernel, etc. were awesome!
I WAS BORN IN THE END OF DECEMBER 1941
Also he was in "gone with the wind," in human bondage "with bette davis very good that one, not many more because he died. A good actor, indeed.
Don't forget "The Petrified Forest".
His Professor Higgins was far better than Rex Harrison's irritating one in the musical "My Fair Lady" in my opinion.
It is Friday sir.
Good heavens, what happened to Thursday?
We had it yesterday , sir.
LOL
LOL!
I love the the honest and almost child like innocents of the humour of this time, the true English essence.
Thank You Fadedhour for this absolutely *_F A B U L O U S_* film..... produced, directed, and starring a true GEM of The Silver Screen, the invincible Leslie Howard.👌This marvelously developed script was _"perfectly peppered"_ with Mary Morris's always unique persona and Francis Sullivan's equally emphasizing performance. Definitively English.... and an appropriate role for Howard in the wake of the disastrous German Blitz of London, as a Modern Remake of his 1934 _'The Scarlet Pimpernel'....._ 🤜🤛
Not always a fan of wwii movies, yet this is certainly far and and above any, very wonderful movie. Thank you.
Howard was superb in the title role "The Scarlet Pimpernel" with Merle Oberon (1934.) He portrayed Sir Percy Blakeney, a British aristocrat who saved French aristocrats and other condemned from the guillotine during the French Revolution. "They seek him here, they seek him there. Those Frenchies seek him everywhere. Is he in heaven, or is he in hell? That damned, elusive Pimpernel." A great movie.
A Classic in my opinion
Love that film, and Howard.
I love the Scarlet Pimpernel series of books, too, by Baroness Orczy.
The line following the last line is maybe even better: "Is he in Heaven? Is he in Hell?, that Damned elusive Pimpernel".
You can't beat that ending.
45:43: "Well, it's rather hard to judge, you see I only know my Aphrodite in the nude". Have to love the banter in this movie, and seeing Leslie in his element.
I agree with Michael, Leslie was truly in his element in this movie. I love/appreciate most everything he's done... I didn't like Intermezzo much; it was way too predictable and sappy for me... yes, sappy. But, they both, Leslie and Ingrid, were absolutely beautiful of body and face.
Great actor Leslie Howard play true hero in this movie
Howard in this film, "doth bestride the narrow world like a colosus." Yes, his is a monumental performance, indeed, brilliantly supported by Sullivan.
Thank you for the upload of a GREAT movie!
A really unexpected treat, well worth watching.
so , Leslie Howard was the Pimpernel after all !
I dare anyone with a heart to not get chills hearing Howard's last monologue.
I just finished watching and I got chills.
Howard was an early choice to play Henry in James Whale's Frankenstein 1931,but was unable to commit due to a play he was in.Would have been interesting to see him in the role.
Howard was a charismatic actor and still has (and wins) fans 75 years after he died: like some of the best movie/film "Englishmen" (see 'Leo Genn'), he was Jewish, but nobody did "Englishness" better. His younger brother Arthur (some 16/17 years younger) was also an actor but a much lesser one: he died in 1998.
He was (partly) Jewish, but also fully English. They are not mutually exclusive.
@@gordonbartlett1921 Of course not, but it can be difficult for a Jew to be accepted as 'English' (or 'British').
his son Ronald played Sherlock Holmes, posted here in YT too
Spot on English movie!
Well done!!!
Excellent! Hip hip hooray for Leslie Howard! 🏺🍾🎭
1:52:00 the best part in the film, take into account this was written before the end of the war.
One of the best I've ever watched
Love this movie. Thank you for sharing!!!
So great to watch one of my favorite movies. Thank you for making my day.
Excellent story, enjoyed it immensely.
Fantastic movie! What a great actor Leslie Howard was & such a loss to have died too soon. There is a great documentary on his life called "Leslie Howard: The Man Who Gave a Damn" it came out a few years ago but very hard to find online.
A fantastic movie, well produced well acted,great story,thank you.
A brilliant propaganda film that stands the test of time. Particularly affecting to me is the "you are doomed" speech, which turned out to be so prophetic.
The sad truth is that, soon after the war's end, the people who had financed and profited from the Hitler regime got to keep their profits and assets and freedom with the help of fascist-friendly U.S. politicians and administrators (e.g. John McCloy). Most of the jailed "war criminals" were back on the streets by 1958, and hundreds of thousands more were never pursued or prosecuted. Hundreds of thousands of slave-labourers had been worked to death, and the survivors were only offered belated, derisory compensation. The Nazis had begun preparing in 1944 for a back-door non-military comeback via economic means, and that began with the creation of the E.E.C. German-French-led trading union, which later segued into the German-led European (political) Union of most European states. Try, try again.
@@Hiraghm Or the Proud Boys ("Jews will not replace us"). Let's be inclusive.
👍
@@None-zc5vg Dude, it's still a good film.
@@Chucklehound It's a decent enough effort from a time when some of the propaganda pictures could be really bad.
Possibly one of the last times in recent history that "good" resisted with all its might against "evil". And won....
Germany won: they were planning an "economic" postwar comeback as early as 1943, post-Stalingrad, and, little by little, that's what they achieved, via the E.E.C. and then the E.U. with its complement of debt-enslaved countries like Greece,Italy and Spain. It didn't need to have a Hitler around.
@@johnhardman3 Hitler had this plan, that itself proves your a conspiracy theory moron the flat earthers are more believable.
franzitaduz No, I refuse to believe that.
We are building a Movement by and for the People.
And we shall be victorious!
I wonder if you could say his gazing at the statue in the beginning was a nod to Pygmalion.
Good observation. His absent minded professor role is reprised here. I think pygmalion is a great romantic comedy like no other.
Absolutely superb film! Leslie Howard - what a human being! Very passable quality which made this picture very easy to watch incidentally. - THANKS