Post by Admin on Mar 5, 2024 9:28:46 GMT
Some have described the novel "The Scarlet Pimpernel" (1905) by Baroness Emma Orczy as the first superhero novel. He did have a secret identity so that did make him more like Superman and Batman rather than the heroes of old like King Arthur and Robin Hood. Maybe the world needed the invention of the camera and photographs before a hero needed a secret identity.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Scarlet_Pimpernel#Literary_significance
The title character, Sir Percy Blakeney, a wealthy English fop who transforms into a formidable swordsman and a quick-thinking escape artist, established the "hero with a secret identity" in popular culture, a trope that would be seen in subsequent literary creations such as Don Diego de la Vega (Zorro), Kent Allard/Lamont Cranston (The Shadow), Clark Kent (Superman), and Bruce Wayne (Batman).[5] The Scarlet Pimpernel exhibits characteristics that would become standard superhero conventions, including the penchant for disguise, use of a signature weapon (sword), ability to out-think and outwit his adversaries, and a calling card (he leaves behind a scarlet pimpernel at each of his interventions).
Whatever label you put on it, I think it is a fun story.
Fred Terry as Sir Percy Blakeney/The Scarlet Pimpernel in the 1905 West End theatre production.
I think Leslie Howard made a better Sir Percy Blakeney. Leslie Howard also made a great Ashley Wilkes but that's a topic for another day.
Leslie Howard as Sir Percy Blakeney with Merle Oberon as Lady Blakeney in The Scarlet Pimpernel (1934)
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And then there is the 1982 version with a young Ian McKellen as Chauvelin, Sir Percy Blakeney's arch-enemy, and Jane Seymour as the wife of Sir Percy Blakeney:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtAM7YDap6o
Kelsi Meyer
Best Moment from The Scarlet Pimpernel: Sir Percy Pwns Chauvelin
Apr 14, 2011
Funny moment from The Scarlet Pimpernel (1982). One of my favorite Sir Percy moments: his critique on French fashion and politics.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9AMEvQ7QpY
tspfan21
The Scarlet Pimpernel 1982 - The Meeting in the Library
Feb 9, 2012
Marguerite meets with the mysterious Pimpernel