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The Prisoner of Zenda (1937)

Adventure | 101 minutes
3,31 69 votes

Genre: Adventure / Drama

Duration: 101 minuten

Country: United States

Directed by: John Cromwell

Stars: Ronald Colman, Madeleine Carroll and Douglas Fairbanks Jr.

IMDb score: 7,6 (5.390)

Releasedate: 3 September 1937

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UK
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The Prisoner of Zenda plot

"The most thrilling swordfight ever filmed..."

Rudolph Rassendyll is surprised to discover that he is a doppelgänger of King Rudolf. Fearing an attempt on the king's life, the court asks Rassendyll to take his place so that the real king can go into hiding.

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Full Cast & Crew

Actors and actresses

Major Rudolf Rassendyll / The Prisoner of Zenda

Princess Flavia

Colonel Zapt

Black Michael

Antoinette de Mauban

Captain Fritz von Tarlenheim

Rupert of Hentzau

Albert von Lauengram

Frau Holf the Cook

Reviews & comments


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avatar van BBarbie

BBarbie

  • 12893 messages
  • 7675 votes

This film has only moderately stood the test of time, largely due to its amateurish settings. Moreover, the story barely rises above the level of a thriller.

On the other hand, Ronald Colman is of course an excellent actor, as is Douglas Fairbanks Jr. Madeleine Carroll is also perfectly cast with her "royal" appearance, but unfortunately she has little to do in this film.

My reunion with her – once called “the most beautiful woman in the world” by Paramount – has given me the idea to once again look for her best film, Hitchcock's The 39 Steps.

dutch flagTranslated from Dutch · View original

avatar van Movsin

Movsin

  • 8264 messages
  • 8426 votes

A fairytale-like, imaginative adventure film with a thick layer of romance, based on the book by Anthony Hope, which has been adapted for film several times.

I found it, especially in the beginning, almost like a comedy and not to be taken seriously, and the melodramatic ending is also not convincing.

It certainly didn't make much of an impression, but the acting was good and the young, pre-war David Niven was very interesting to watch.

dutch flagTranslated from Dutch · View original

avatar van thunderball

thunderball

  • 5878 messages
  • 1414 votes

At my annual adventure film festival during the Christmas holidays, I ended up with this classic.

This stylish adventure film is one of the best of its kind and still manages to captivate after all these decades.

The emphasis of this story is more on romance than on adventure and action, but it ultimately ends with the long-awaited screen duel between the hero and the villain's charismatic sidekick (but more on that later).

Coleman seems perfectly cast in the lead role in a double one, and with his co-star, the then equally famous and beloved Carroll (for a time the highest-paid actress in the world), he makes a good love duo.

However, it's the villains who make the most impression here:

First of all, there's Massey, who looks like a Nazi avant la lettre, but it's really Fairbanks Jr. who steals the show with his sly smile and his enthusiasm!

Also note the supporting role of a very young David Niven at the beginning of his career.

Old-fashioned suspense, romance, and a well-executed sword duel between Coleman and Fairbanks Jr. as the climax, where the two combatants finally face each other.

What more could a person ask for?

An eight, or four stars.

dutch flagTranslated from Dutch · View original