La primula rossa

I saw the film and then read the book (the first book, anyway), and I must say that Anthony Andrews is even more impressive when you have read Orczy's version. I initially thought that Sir Percy's accent was grating, and his facial expressions ridiculous, but it's really almost as if the character has sprung to life from the pages of the book. Andrews perfects Orczy's description of Sir Percy's 'lazy eyes' and 'drawly, sleepy tone' - he even has the height correct! The film then improves on the book by allowing Percy to step out of his foppish mask with Marguerite, and to reveal his true persona without that truly irritating accent. Jane Seymour has the necessary 'classic beauty', but she manages to smuggle the 1980s into the production with her bronze lipstick! Her character's innocence is also boosted onscreen - you feel as though Chauvelin has merely pinned the blame on her, whereas Orczy's Marguerite blabs about the family's whereabouts out of spite, although she doesn't intend for her words to be intercepted. The chemistry between Andrews and Seymour adds to the romantic tension between Sir Percy and Marguerite, and you can hardly wait until she discovers her husband's true identity (although you have to wonder which element of his personality she actually loves, and whether she would have stayed with him had she never figured it out).