The Prisoner of Zenda (1937)
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 (5.424)
Releasedate: 3 September 1937
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.
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
Detchard
Albert von Lauengram
Frau Holf the Cook
Reviews & comments
BBarbie
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- 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.
Translated from Dutch · View original
Movsin
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- 8286 messages
- 8442 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.
Translated from Dutch · View original
thunderball
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- 5903 messages
- 1420 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.
Translated from Dutch · View original
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