The Prisoner of Zenda main backdrop
The Prisoner of Zenda main poster

The Prisoner of Zenda

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6.2/10 • 17

1922-09-111h 53m

AdventureDrama

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.

Directors
Rex Ingram
Writters
Slavko Vorkapich, Mary O'Hara
Editors
Slavko Vorkapich, Mary O'Hara, Grant Whytock

Top Billed Cast

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  1. Lewis Stone

    Lewis Stone

    Rudolf Rassendyll / King Rudolf

  2. Alice Terry

    Alice Terry

    Princess Flavia

  3. Robert Edeson

    Robert Edeson

    Colonel Sapt

  4. Stuart Holmes

    Stuart Holmes

    Grand Duke 'Black' Michael

  5. Ramon Novarro

    Ramon Novarro

    Rupert of Hentzau

  6. Barbara La Marr

    Barbara La Marr

    Antoinette de Mauban

  7. Malcolm McGregor

    Malcolm McGregor

    Capt. Fritz von Tarlenheim

  8. Edward Connelly

    Edward Connelly

    Marshal von Strakencz

  9. Lois Lee

    Lois Lee

    Countess Helga

Reviews1

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CinemaSerf Avatar

CinemaSerf

Jun 6, 2022

7/10

This is one of my favourite swashbuckling stories - and this silent version is as good as they get. Lewis Stone is the travelling English baron "Rassendyll" who, through damned ill-luck happens to be in the tiny kingdom of Ruritania on the day before their new king "Rudolf" is to be crowned. Whilst walking in the woods, he is approached by two soldiers - "Sapt" (Robert Edeson) and "Fritz" (Malcolm McGregor) who happen to work closely with the king - and who are astounded to discover the Englishman is the spitting image of their sovereign. They adjourn to his hunting lodge where, equally astonished, the king and his distant cousin have a few drinks. Next morning, all is not well - the king has been drugged and there is no way he will make his coronation. "Sapt" explains that the crown would likely go to his scheming half-brother "Michael" (Stuart Holmes), the man likely behind this fiendish plot - unless they can find a way to get the king to his ceremony. Substitution appears the order of the day - but only for a short while - and they can thwart the evil Duke's ambitions... Except, the new "King" meets his soon to be bride "Flavia" (Alice Terry) and it all starts to get even more complicated... Can they rescue the real king before it is all too late? Well, that's the plot and Rex Ingram keeps it going well. Terry is lovely as the Princess and Stone plays his roles with loads of flair and style. As ever with these adventures, it's really all about the last fifteen minutes - and we have sword-fighting action a-plenty then. The sets and costumes are all top drawer and the inter-titles keep the story clear and concise. There can be no doubt that colour aided the subsequent versions of this, but otherwise this holds up well against any comparisons.

Media

  • The Prisoner of Zenda poster

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Status
Released
Original Language
English
Budget
$323,062.00
Revenue
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Keywords
assassinprisonerbased on novel or bookcoronationheir to the thronehalf-brotherlook-alikemistressheld captivecaptivesilent filmimpersonationfictitious countrydraw bridge