/fJx48EawmDGsyQcGffhvOHJjID3.jpg
RomanceAdventureDrama

The Prisoner of Zenda

- The most thrilling swordfight ever filmed...

A kingdom's ascending heir, marked for assassination, switches identities with a lookalike, who takes his place at the coronation. When the real king is kidnapped, his followers try to find him, while the stand-in falls in love with the king's intended bride, the beautiful Princess Flavia.

Release Date : 1937-09-03

Language :EnglishFrench

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : Selznick International Pictures

Production Country : United States of America

Alternative Titles :

Cast

Ronald Colman

Character Name : Major Rudolf Rassendyll / The Prisoner of Zenda

Original Name : Ronald Colman

Gender : Male

Madeleine Carroll

Character Name : Princess Flavia

Original Name : Madeleine Carroll

Gender : Female

Douglas Fairbanks Jr.

Character Name : Rupert of Hentzau

Original Name : Douglas Fairbanks Jr.

Gender : Male

Mary Astor

Character Name : Antoinette de Mauban

Original Name : Mary Astor

Gender : Female

C. Aubrey Smith

Character Name : Colonel Zapt

Original Name : C. Aubrey Smith

Gender : Male

David Niven

Character Name : Captain Fritz von Tarlenheim

Original Name : David Niven

Gender : Male

Raymond Massey

Character Name : Black Michael

Original Name : Raymond Massey

Gender : Male

Montagu Love

Character Name : Detchard

Original Name : Montagu Love

Gender : Male

Philip Sleeman

Character Name : Albert von Lauengram

Original Name : Philip Sleeman

Gender : Male

Eleanor Wesselhoeft

Character Name : Frau Holf the Cook

Original Name : Eleanor Wesselhoeft

Gender : Female

Torben Meyer

Character Name : Max the Butler

Original Name : Torben Meyer

Gender : Male

Wilhelm von Brincken

Character Name : Krafstein (uncredited)

Original Name : Wilhelm von Brincken

Gender : Male

Ben Webster

Character Name : Lord Topham (uncredited)

Original Name : Ben Webster

Gender : Male

Byron Foulger

Character Name : Johann (uncredited)

Original Name : Byron Foulger

Gender : Male

Charles K. French

Character Name : Bishop (uncredited)

Original Name : Charles K. French

Gender : Male

Reviews

C

CinemaSerf

@Geronimo1967

2024-07-18

Ronald Colman probably wishes he'd chosen another fishing venue as his "Maj. Rassendyll" arrives in the tiny kingdom of Ruritania just as it's king is about to be crowned. He might have suspected something when his border greeting seemed a bit formal, but a wander in the woods puts him face to face with the King - his doppelgänger if ever there was one. He is invited back to the hunting lodge for a glass or two and next thing he is rudely woken in the morning by the king's aide "Zapt" (Sir C. Aubrey Smith) and informed that the wine was drugged and nothing is going to wake the king anytime soon. Unless they are to allow his evil half-brother "Michael" (Raymond Massey) to ascend in his place then "Rudolph" is going to have to be a body double for the ceremony. With nerves wracking, he manages to get through the day but then they discover that the real king has now been kidnapped by his sibling and his own ruthless henchman "Rupert of Henzau" (Douglas Fairbanks Jr.) and the race is on to extricate the prisoner of Zenda and restore him to his throne. Just to add to the complications, the imposter is expected to court his soon-to-be bride the "Princess Flavia" (Madeleine Carroll) who has previously had little but disdain for her regal cousin. Once they've met, she doesn't have quite the same indifferent feelings about his stunt-double, nor he her, so with a bit of unwanted romance creeping into the plot poor old "Zapt" and his sidekick "Von Tarlenheim" (David Niven) have to walk quite a tightrope as they try to sort out this mess. Colman is on good form here as the honourable soldier and the rakish king and Fairbanks works well too as the devious baddie adept at the swordplay and some entertaining acrobatics. The last ten minutes concludes this enjoyable adventure quite excitingly with a bit of mischief and a deadly trap door... Great fun.