'Pimpernel Smith' film - My review

[@busysbaby1]

I am an American who stumbled across Pimpernel Smith in the last year. I love this movie and its sentimental nature. I watch it to calm my soul when the day’s news is overwhelming.

[@Marcia_Toms]

Thank you for the review and recommendation Richard. As it turns out, I found out today this is one of my husbands favourite films, we have been together 38 years! Found it on KZbin and we are going to watch it tonight. Brilliant review - thank you so much.

[@seanjamescameron]

Never seen this before. A quick google search tells me that Mr Howard lived a few minutes from me in the next area. I will go and see the house. Have found the film and will watch it this evening.

[@FranLuckyflute]

Thank you, I will look forward to watching it. My husbands great grandfather and his family and cousins were killed in Warsaw, apart from my husbands grandfather and his cousin at the age of 21 both came to London to live, just before the war begun. I do enjoy good well acted old style film b/w.

[@christopherstrong150]

One of my all-time favourite films so many funny lines in it. The Germans trying to understand Lewis Carroll’s Jabberwocky but best of all long before Arnold Schwarzenegger was around the last line “I’ll be back we’ll all be back” from out of the mist is brilliant.

[@vickywitton1008]

Your film reviews are very good Richard. There are many lovely old films I used to watch and enjoy

[@brettatkinson4325]

Tanks Richard I bloody enjoyed that ❤

[@mikeysoft7]

Yes, another wonderful film. I loved it when he helped some prisoners escape, dressed as a scarecrow; the Germans shot him, and he brushed it off as a scratch, or some minor thing. A true hero. Two more English films of note are Henry V and One of our aircraft is missing, which seems very like real life. Great review!

[@matthewrowe9903]

Fantastic film the voice in the mist at the end was still to this day evocative as all hell top reveiw chap

[@RichardVobes]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@damianjones7554]

The best film review you've filmed yet Richard. My favourite film from the silver screen is 'the wicked lady' a highwaywomen who learns a moral lesson the hard way. Another old favourite is 'I thank you' starring Arthur Askey 💗

[@mottmott5156]

Leslie Howard is one of my favorite actors. I have watched all of the English movies made in the 30’s up through the 50’s. It has always amazed me how Britain stood up to the Germans in 2 wars. Being from the US it’s been a sad thing that we didn’t get in before we did. Thank you for your vlogs I enjoy them all. Janet

[@wearetheremnants1615]

Without America's financial might (the federal reserve) we would of lost.. some say looking around today Europe lost anyway..

[@Iz0pen]

@@wearetheremnants1615if we’d have not come in right at the end of ww1 and shackled Germany with the Versailles treaty it’s unlikely we’d ever have heard of Hitler or Nazis. Imagine for a moment that more guns and bombs are perhaps not the panacea they are sold as.

[@HEIN103]

Great British entertainment My favourite entertainer was the late great Teddy Brown He was born in America but moved to England , He was the master of the Xylophone . Teddy Brown was an American entertainer and musician who spent the latter part of his life performing in Britain. His main musical instrument was the xylophone. ❤

[@domesdaytoamericaproject5268]

Is this a thing you’ve started? Now I want to share mine too- for the same reason. A quest for Englishness. In my case, my gateway ancestors Englishness. They arrived in Maryland in 1664 from London. I am now deeply involved in medieval history having traced the family from London to East Anglia, where, thanks to a quay in Bishopsgate that had been in and out of family hands since 1276, we know that the Lawrence Payn (d. ca. 1339), who held that property at the time, came from Jersey and the old Payn family there presumed to have been part of the Norman Paynel’s of Domesay Yorkshire. My favorite “go to” books are The Complete Peerage and History of Parliament (I have on CD but it’s now free online). I also regularly have my nose in the great county histories and archaeology. I’ve become addicted to it at this point. I’ve run the family DNA project since 2000 (one of the first!) and tests show we are 99.5% Celtic. This seems to align with the idea that Celts lived among the Normans … it also explains the origin of our surname: Payne or Latin Pagan 😮

[@steadynumber1]

Not only was this film undoubtedly a fillip to morale but is also very entertaining. A Doctor of archaeology besting the Nazis long before Indiana Jones, who is a character I also appreciate. Together they are Smith & Jones if you will. Another monochrome British film amongst my favourites is Ice Cold in Alex. Although set during the North African Campaign it's more about surviving the desert than the war itself. There is intrigue involved but in the end the recognition of common Humanity & the action necessary to prevent an unnecessary death. Starring John Mills, Harry Andrew's, Sylvia Sims & Anthony Quayle.

[@emmy1954]

I agree with you Richard it's one of my favourite vintage 'English' films along with ' School for Scoundrels', Robert Donat's '39 steps', 'Genevieve' and any Alistair Sim film of course. Do you or anyone else recommend a similar film?

[@jofrowde7782]

An excellent film which you might enjoy is "The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp", one by the Archers Powell and Pressburger.

[@emmy1954]

@@jofrowde7782 Many thanks, I'll try to find it and give it a go.

[@missmaryhdream6560]

What a great idea, reviews, how good to learn that bit more, understanding is everything,

[@peteredwards338]

Are you going to review Hobsons Choice ? A great movie !

[@RichardVobes]

Great movie

[@shirleylynch7529]

Going to watch film after this. Thanks for the review.

[@TheSuzberry]

“We’ll be back.” As an American, watching a fascist run for President of my country -again - this movie means a lot to me. Hope.

[@kezzaba1]

Thanks Richard shall go and look for that one. Funnily enough we were searching through KZbin last night, initially forThis Happy Breed and then found a whole load of English films from the 40s and 50s and created a watch list. I shall add Pimpernel Smith. One of Pete’s favourites is Peggy Mount so we have a few of hers to watch. They don’t make actors or films like that anymore!

[@frankb7843]

When are you going to get back on the road again and video England. Is the van too cold to sleep on tour around?

[@Areworth]

Really interesting review. Might try and watching it on KZbin when I have space xxx

[@Areworth]

Very interesting to hear about the real actor/director Leslie Howard and his son’s book too. I never knew about any of that x

[@ThomasKilkenny]

Wonderful film. One of the actors, Lewis Brandon who plays Francis Sullivan's sidekick at the embassy party, went on to join the RAF where he earned a DFC and bar and a DSO.

[@wearetheremnants1615]

Just a note.. I had no idea you had extra channels . You should mention it on your main channel.. I got this in my recommendation list.. I've joined them all.. I suspect lots of people have no idea of these channels

[@shereenlawford3220]

Richard you said in your latest video should you move, I'd say no. Be patient something will come, when the time is right, but if you do move I hope you'll be happy

[@jofrowde7782]

Another cracking film and great review from you, Richard; I love this film and the particularly sweet scene where Leslie Howard is trying to buy face powder for Mary Morris ( the love interest). My only very slight criticism of the film is that Hugh McDermott and David Tomlinson were a little old to be archaeology students ( although this seemed to be the norm in older films.) Francis L Sullivan was a great actor; he played Mr Jaggers and Mr Bumble in the two David Lean films Great Expectations and Oliver Twist. Two more English films you might enjoy are Holiday Camp and Night Train to Munich; the former features the Huggett family and is very typical of the era and the latter is a bit similar to Pimpernel Smith in that it's a war time spy story.

[@richm2835]

Have you seen 29 Acacia avenue ?

[@trevorford8332]

It's good film!!

[@grumpy_poo]

Have you ever noticed a similarity between Julia and Carole Lombard?

[@morgidvmw0mdv]

Mitchal died of cancer just before the war broke out, I believe.

[@jamesziegler2763]

Thank you

[@michaelwhite8031]

The Aryan race originated in Iran. Indo/Iranian.

[@stephengraham5099]

KZbin's Barry Norman.

[@johnshaw975]

Some say he was shot down by a Rusian and two Ukrainians

[@isabelrice4494]

Glad I stuck with it. Sorry but that particular English accent was jarring to my ears. Same with certain Scottish accents too. Cringeworthy to me and almost put me off watching the film.