Classic Movie Review: The Prisoner Of Zenda Summary

Recently, a friend of mine has been introducing me to movie classics that I’d never seen or in some cases even heard of before. One of the most recent was “The Prisoner of Zenda.” Enjoy the prisoner of Zenda summary here and learn about this movie classic.
There have been several remakes of this movie, but we explored the 1952 version that starred Stewart Granger and Deborah Kerr. I had not seen it but with Stewart Granger starring in it, decided to give it a go.

I had heard of the film, but from the title assumed it was a prison film and avoided it. Turns out it had little to do with prison in the strictest sense of the word. In fact, it was one of Hollywood’s most fascinating “twin switch” films.

 

The Storyline

The movie centres on Rudolf V (Granger), a Central-European King, who is just about to be crowned, much to the chagrin of his jealous half-brother Michael (played by Robert Douglas). As luck would have it, the night before his coronation, he runs into a distant cousin (also played by Granger), Rudolf Rassendyll. What is amazing about the meeting is that he and his cousin could easily pass for twins.

The king invites his cousin to his estate where he proceeds to get drunk. It seems there is little “kingly” about the man who is about to take hold of an important throne. Part of the deal means that he must marry the beautiful Princess Flavia (played by Deborah Kerr). There is only one small sticking point. The couple cannot stand one another.

However, when the king’s wine is doused with a heavy dose of sedative, it becomes clear that we won’t be able to take the throne at all unless his look-alike cousin agrees to take his place for the coronation. Of course, he does agree to do just that in order to keep the kingdom out of Michael’s ruthless hands.

The ceremony goes well, and it seems that all is right with the world until two events occur. The first comes when the false king falls in love with the princess. The second comes when he attempts to switch back with the rightful heir, only to discover that Michael’s men have kidnapped him.

So Rassendyll is forced to continue the charade until he and the king’s men can figure out where Rudolf is being held. Eventually, they get lucky when Michael’s mistress (played by Jane Greer) seeks to prevent Michael from taking the throne so that he’ll marry her instead of the princess.

Antoinette (Greer) leads the king’s men to where he is being held, and the battle begins between the two factions of the kingdom. Who will win? Who will become king? Will love prevail over duty? These are questions that I cannot answer without spoiling the film.

 

I don’t remember Stewart Granger from my childhood. However, I have seen several of his films over the years and I really love him in the role of a hero. There is something about his carriage and mannerisms that are stately. Yet he is still able to exhibit a few scoundrel-like qualities without diminishing his shining armour one iota. I really liked him in the role of Sir Edward Matherson in the military film about the mercenaries The Wild Geese.

I’m a huge fan of Deborah Kerr so I’m actually surprised I’d never seen this movie before. I rarely missed anything in which she played. She is a magnetic and charming actress that commands presence whenever she is on screen. The film does the book justice, by the way!

I have to admit, however, that my favourite character in this film was Colonel Zapt (played by Louis Calhern). He was deliciously devilish and irreverent, the kind of villain you can’t help but love to hate.

“The Prisoner of Zenda” has been re-colourized and digitally restored so it is just as, if not more, beautiful as the day it hit the big screen. The colours are vibrant the rich and the picture is magnificent. Our the prisoner of Zenda summary has covered all the interesting aspects of this classic.

I can’t speak to how well the screenwriters did with the script having neither read the book nor seen the other versions of the film. However, I believe that director Richard Thorpe did an excellent job of balancing the movie’s storyline.

The Prisoner Of Zenda Summary Score

I really liked this film. I’m adding it to my list of classic favourites and giving it three out of five stars.

RATING SCALE USED:
0 = A stinker. Don’t waste the money!
1 = Bad. Rent it at your own risk.
2 = Below average. See only if you have time to kill.
2.5 = Average. A toss up.
3 = Good. Worth a looksee.
3.5 = Very Good. I recommend it.
4 = Excellent. Don’t miss it!
4.5 = Outstanding. What are you waiting for?
5 = Destined to become a classic. You will be sorry if you don’t see it.