Underplayed Gems

The Prisoner of Zenda (1952)

The Prisoner of Zenda poster
Directed by
Richard Thorpe
Genre
drama film, comedy film, adventure film, romance film
Country
United States
Runtime
1h 30m
Rated
NR
Rating
6.9 of 10 from 60 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
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How it feels

An English gentleman on holiday in a small European country is asked to impersonate the king who has been drugged and kidnapped. He must take the king's place to prevent a usurper from seizing the throne while also navigating a romance with the king's betrothed.

romanticsuspensefulswashbucklingdramaticlightheartedcolorfuladventurous

What happens

The Prisoner of Zenda is a 1952 American Technicolor adventure film version of the 1894 novel of the same name by Anthony Hope and a remake of the 1937 sound version and the 1922 silent. This first color version, made by Loew's and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, was directed by Richard Thorpe and produced by Pandro S. Berman. The film stars Stewart Granger, Deborah Kerr, and James Mason, with Louis Calhern, Robert Douglas, Jane Greer, and Robert Coote in supporting roles. The screenplay, attributed to Noel Langley, was nearly word-for-word identical to the 1937 Ronald Colman version. It was written by John L. Balderston, adapted by Wells Root, from the Hope novel and the stage play by Edward Rose. Additional dialogue was written by Donald Ogden Stewart. Alfred Newman's 1937 music score was adapted by Conrad Salinger; Newman was unavailable to work on this version. The cinematography was by Joseph Ruttenberg, the art direction was by Cedric Gibbons and Hans Peters, while the costume design was by Walter Plunkett. The Prisoner of Zenda was released to cinemas on November 4, 1952. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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