Customer Reviews

The Prisoner of Zenda (1937 and 1952 Versions)

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3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

"The Prisoner of Zenda", based on the first of Anthony Hope's 'Zenda' novels, has been filmed at least six times since 1913, but the first two 'sound' versions, from 1937 and 1952, are the most popular versions of this timeless tale...and having them, packaged together, at LAST on video, is a cause to celebrate!

The story is simple, and has been done many times before; a drugged and kidnapped monarch-to-be must be impersonated by look-alike at the coronation, lest his kingdom fall into ruin at the hands of an evil half-brother!

The David O. Selznick-produced 1937 version offers the immortal Ronald Colman in the dual role of Rudolf, European crown prince, and Rudolf Rassendyll, his look-alike British cousin, end product of a brief affair of an ancestor; the radiant Madeleine Carroll is the royal betrothed, who falls in love with the pretender; Raymond Massey portrays Black Michael, Rudolf's scheming half-brother; and, best of all, a youthful Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., son of silent Hollywood's greatest swashbuckler (and a pretty fair swashbuckler, himself), is the definitive Rupert of Hentzau, the suavely villainous ally of Michael.

In the hands of this PERFECT cast (with terrific support by C. Aubrey Smith, a young David Niven, and Mary Astor) "Zenda" becomes a stylish tale of love, intrigue, and derring-do. High points include an astonishingly beautiful Royal Ball, where Colman and Carroll reveal their love; a very funny yet menacing meeting between Colman and Fairbanks, as they discuss the real King's potential fate; and best of all, a MAGNIFICENT climactic swordfight between the pair, as they lunge and parry furiously through the halls of a castle, while exchanging quips and one-liners about a British education!

MGM, in their 1952 remake, tried to surpass the earlier version by creating a technicolor 'scene-for-scene' duplicate of the film, utilizing some of their biggest stars, and reworking Alfred Newman's original musical score. The end result, however, was a mixed bag...

Stewart Granger, MGM's resident 50s swashbuckler, certainly was more athletic than Colman, but lacked the older actor's panache, and more importantly, 'The Voice', that distinctive, oft-imitated but never duplicated speaking voice that made Ronald Colman so unique. While Deborah Kerr was as regally beautiful as Madeleine Carroll, she lacked Carroll's fragile quality, which made the doomed love so heartbreaking. Robert Douglas was excellent as Black Michael, but James Mason, as Rupert of Hentzau, was miscast in the role. While a brilliant actor, Mason was too old, and actually TOO villainous! While Rupert is jaded and unscrupulous, he also has to be such a young, likable scoundrel that his escape, after the climactic duel, disappoints no one, not even the hero he nearly defeats, which ideally suited the cocky, younger Fairbanks. Seeing a malevolent Mason escape 'justice' seems unfair!

David Niven, in his autobiography, said he thought MGM's remake was a ridiculous idea, and that he was pleased that the newer production, even as a scene-for-scene copy, failed. While I think he was, perhaps, too hard on the Granger film, which is still entertaining, I have to agree that it doesn't even come close to the magic of Ronald Colman's 1937 classic!

But better yet, potential buyer...At this terrific price, you can judge for yourself!

Fans of The Prisoner of Zenda continue to debate -- and even argue vehemently -- about which is better, the classic black and white 1937 version or the 1952 remake in glorious Technicolor. Yes, the earlier version starred the great Ronald Colman, but Stewart Granger does a very creditable job in the remake which also has the gorgeous Deborah Kerr in splendid color plus James Mason at his best. Good news: you don't have to choose between these two classic films, this set presents both. Please do yourself a favor and buy this set; you're sure to enjoy one of these versions and quite possibly both versions -- The Prisoner of Zenda is that good.

I am a huge fan of epics/adventure films...thing like Indiana Jones, Lawrence of Arabia, Gladiator, Ben-Hur, Lord of the Rings...and I have been waiting for this DVD for years!

The 1937 version of "The Prisoner of Zenda" is one of my favorite films ever...it's one of the very few movies that both generations of my family enjoy. A splendid story with fairly good action scenes, witty dialogue, and a nobility behind the events and characters which manages to escape being corny or archaic. The characters are cast to perfection (Douglas Faribanks Jr. IS Rupert of Hentzau--this is, essentially, his defining role) and most of the actors would continue to play roles with similar personalities throughout their careers. The coronation scene (using Handel's "See Now the Conq'ring Hero Comes" from Judas Maccabaeus) is particularly notable.

The 50's version is almost a scene-for-scene remake, but with inferior actors, totally fake-looking sets (truly idiotic...Brigadoon-esque), and absurd 'humorous' additions to the script sprinkled throughout.

Buy this for the original film; the set is still worth it.

Oh, and, the novel is even better.

I have been waiting for someone to release the 1937 version of "The Prisoner of Zenda" for quite a time. This has to be one of the best translations of novel to film of its period (and this puts it up against some stiff competition!). What really gives this version its edge is its outstanding cast. First there is the always wonderful Ronald Coleman. Too few of his movies are available on DVD and it will be a happy day indeed when a large collection of his films are issued in a box set. Along with Coleman, there are the always wonderful Madeline Caroll, C. Aubrey Smith, Raymond Massey, Mary Astor, and David Niven. However, the lion's share of acting glory must go to Douglas Fairbanks Jr. Did any actor ever have as wonderful a time playing a role as he does in this film? I doubt it and what a pleasure it is watching him play a world weary villain like Rupert of Hentzau? It really does not get any better than this!

This film comes with a 1952 remake, which though in color is just not as good as the original. The actors, Stewart Granger, Deborah Kerr and James Mason, while good just cannot match the original. However, probably serves to underscore the mastery of the first version.

The Prisoner of Zenda may be romantic nonsense, but it's great romantic nonsense...the 1937 version, that is. The 1952 version, a nearly word-for-word, scene-for-scene remake, comes across as a pint of professionally made but still weak beer. The difference lies in the performances.

The story is all about honor and duty, with a great dollop of noble love added to the mix. In a small middle European country, the king, Rudolph (Ronald Colman/Stewary Granger), is to be crowned, and then he will marry the Princess Flavia (Madeleine Carroll/Deborah Kerr). But Rudolf is a hard-drinking wastrel, the despair of Colonel Zapt (C. Aubrey Smith/Louis Calhern), an elderly, upright military man who served Rudolf's father and is determined to serve the crown no matter how lacking in substance the son is. But Rudolf has a half-brother, Prince Michael (Raymond Massey/Robert Douglas), who is determined to take the throne. His henchman is the thoroughly unprincipled, charming and murderous Rupert of Hentzau (Douglas Fairbanks, Jr./James Mason). Into this seething royal mix arrives Rudolf Rassendyll (also Ronald Colman/Stewart Granger) from England, looking for a spot of good fishing. Due to a liaison years and years ago, it turns out that Rudolph and the king are remote cousins...and are as alike as identical twins. Rudolf and the king, accompanied by Zapt and a young aide, meet by chance near the king's hunting lodge. Before long the king has been drugged and abducted, Rudolph has agreed to Zapt's pleas to impersonate the king for the coronation so as to foil Black Michael's and Rupert's schemes. "Englishman," Zapt says to Rassendyll, "I'm much older than you. As a man grows old he begins to believe in fate. Fate sent you here!" Ah, but then Rudolph meets Flavia and they fall in love. Rudolph must choose whether or not to save the king, who is now imprisoned in Rupert's castle. If he saves the king, he will lose Flavia. All this is going on amidst coronation balls, inside sumptuous palaces and moat-ringed castles, outside stone chalets, in dank dungeons, on galloping horses and with pistols, swords and knives in hand.

Ronald Colman's urbanity and solid projection of a man of honor forms the keystone to the 1937 movie. Colman was a major leading man in the silents of the late Twenties. With his inimitable, cultured voice layered on to a strong, natural screen presence, he became one of the great stars of the Thirties and well into the Forties. He promised a kind of natural, non-competitive camaraderie to men. To women, he seemed to promise nights of romantic passion but without too much emphasis on love's mechanics. Although he makes a dashing sword fighter, he was not the athlete that Stewart Granger was. Granger, however, lacks most of the natural nobility that Colman brings. In diction and line reading alone, Colman outclasses Granger.

The 1937 version also is blessed with an outstanding performance by Aubrey Smith as Colonel Zapt. Smith specialized in craggy aging Englishmen, driven by duty and often irascible toward the young puppies he had to deal with. He's just that here, an old man determined to do his duty and to see that others do, too.

And for a villain, Black Michael may be driven by envy and jealousy, but it is Rupert of Hentzau who seems to be driven by the sheer delight of being reprehensible. "I don't like women who lie to me," he says to Prince Michael's lover. "They don't usually do, as a matter of fact." Then he smiles. "I usually lie to them." Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. tackles the role with great panache; he's very good. Unfortunately, he has to compete with the performance of James Mason in the 1952 remake. It is Mason's performance that makes the 1952 version so rewarding to watch. Mason could slide more irony and amused contempt into his reading of a line than just about any other actor. His delighted and subtle satisfaction with his own murderous betrayals make him impossible to dislike. Pity the actors, particularly Stewart Granger, who had to share scenes with him.

And what are we left with? Who could say it better than the king himself. "You couldn't have served me better, cousin," he tells Rudolf with simple sincerity toward the end of the film. "You taught me how to be a king."

Both movies are on flip sides of the same DVD disk. The 1937 version is in black and white. It's a good transfer. The 1952 version is in color and looks fine. Both sides have one or two inconsequential extras.

They don't make movies like this anymore.

"The Prisoner of Zenda" stars Ronald Colman as Rudolph Rassendyll. Mr. Colman was one of the few movie actors to survive the transition to sound. While many of his peers were found to have horrible speaking voice, Mr. Colman was blessed by the God. His cultivated English accent is a joy to hear. But I digress.

An English gentleman, Rudolph Rassendyll visits the country of Ruritania. Initially he is confused by the stares of the natives. He finds out why after meeting two loyal retainers of Crown Prince Rudolph, Captain von Tarlenheim (David Niven) and Colonel Zapt. Mr. Rassendyll bears an extraordinary resemblance to the Crown Prince Rudolph. Some generations before, a future King of Ruritania had an affair with the wife of an English Lord. Once a generation, the Elphberg face had popped up in the Rassendyll line.

The political situation in Ruritania is precarious. While Rudolph is to become King the next day, he has an older brother, Michael. Due to a legal technicality, Rudolph has precedence to the throne. However, Rudolph is viewed as a drunk and a wastrel by many of the subjects. In some quarters Black Michael is more popular than Rudolph.

Prince Rudolph is drugged to ensure he doesn't make his coronation. A Crown Prince too drunk to make his own coronation will never be King. At this point the movie really begins. Mr. Rassendyll is persuaded (by Colonel Zapt) to replace his cousin at the coronation. The forces of Black Michael led by right hand man, Count Rupert of Hentzau (Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.) kidnap the drugged King as Rudolph is crowned.

The maneuvering and intrigues by both sides are involved and complex. The story is fast-paced and engaging. There isn't a weak performance by any of the actors. These are great professionals having the time of their lives. The good guys are heroic. The bad guys are oily and nefarious. The women are passionate and loyal.

Douglas Fairbanks gives a stand-out performance as Count Rupert. His Count Rupert is a charming sociopath so smooth he'd be your best friend right up to the point he stuck a knife in your ribs with a smile on his face. Like his father Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. does his own stunts. The man was a superb athlete. He had considerable acting skills to match his eye-hand coordination.

Errol who?

This is a movie about duty, loyalty and obligation. It's about doing the right thing even though it will cost you dearly. You don't see that much in movies anymore. On top of this, it is still excellent entertainment.

I can't add much to what's already been said, but be warned: the picture and sound are very slightly out of sync on both films. The first time I've ever come across this on a DVD. The DVD is remarkably cheap, but I would have preferred to pay a little more for exact synchronisation.

Of all the great Hollywood swashbucklers the 1937 Prisoner of Zenda is the most sophisticated, the most adult - perhaps because it dares to have a downbeat ending. The hero and heroine are three-dimensional grown-ups in a way that Warner's Robin and Marion aren't - love them though I may.
And, one has to marvel at the cast Selznick assembled. There are seven memorable star turns here, all individually remarkable, and all playing together perfectly. Ronald Coleman's patented rueful romantic lead here is every bit as good as his Sydney Carton in Tale of Two Cities, just funnier. And Fairbanks Jr.'s turn as the smiling, scheming villain is still thrilling and just plain strange. Was he ever anywhere near as good?
Everything about this picture works beautifully- it holds up much better than creaky fare like Grand Hotel. I just wish the picture on this DVD were restored.
The 1952 version isn't as good, but is does serve up the irresistible plot well enough. Stewart Granger is actually quite good; he just doesn't have Coleman's depth. Other cast members are better actors than there predecessors (Deborah Kerr, James Mason); they're just not as perfect in their roles. The film retains the same script and the same gorgeous score as the earlier version. The only changes are that the climactic duel is much longer (clearly making extensive use of James Mason's double) and for some reason they left out the hero's rakish salute in the final shot.

The Prisoner of Zenda 2 pack is a real treat for fans of the story & the films. Watching them side by side invites the inevitable comparisons and the 1952 version comes up way short. This is not a criticism of that film; rather it is an affirmation of how great the 1937 version is. The '52 entry is a shot-by-shot remake using the same script and much of
the same score but filmed in color. The action sequences are beefed up and the climactic sword duel is well-staged and goes on forever. The critical difference in the films is not necessarily the casting but the performances. In general the actors in the '52 film seem very histrionic and overwrought in many scenes while the performers in the earlier version are more subtle, nuanced, and ultimately more effective. The only performer in the second film that is not up to snuff is Jane Greer as Antoinette, who is awful. Deborah Kerr is hard to take as the virginal Flavia while Madeleine Carroll in the '37 film looks like she stepped out of a storybook. Raymond Massey, no stranger to chewing scenery, is perfectly sinister & tragic in the '37 film while Robert Douglas is just evil and unlikeable in the later version. In the lead role of Rudolph Stewart Granger is suave and certainly athletic but has an overwrought edge in tense scenes that could have used a more tongue-in-cheek flair. Ronald Colman is nothing short of brilliant in the earlier film in one of his signature roles. Perhaps the biggest gap of performance effectiveness is the actors in the role of Rupert of Hentzua. James Mason is a brilliant actor but seems miscast and too old for the role; his attempts at being a suave lady-killer are laughable. Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. is a complete joy in the '37 version. He is a laughing cavalier; certainly evil but a truly likeable rogue that we are happy to see escape in the end.
Overall, I enjoyed the 1952 film but it suffers in comparison the 1937 classic. Ronald Colman was such a unique star, so suave and romantic, that the memory of him in the lead role lingers forever. The cast was perfect, the black-and-white photography lush, and the musical score both rousing and touching in appropriate spots. See this version first and the '52 copy won't stand a chance.

I love these classic tales, exhibiting the best and worst of human character, with action and romance at the core. Although I love Ronald Coleman in anything he did, my favorite is the Stewart Granger, Deborah Kerr, James Mason 1951 version because of the chemistry so apparent between Granger and Kerr. Other than that, the movies are almost interchangeable scene-for-scene.