The Prisoner of Zenda (1952)

Director:

Richard Thorpe

Writers (WGA):

John L. Balderston (screenplay) and
Noel Langley (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

14 November 1952 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure

Plot:

An Englishman vacationing in a Ruritarian kingdom is recruited to impersonate his cousin, the soon-to-be-crowned king when the monarch is drugged and kidnapped.

Plot Keywords:

Castle | Ruritarian Kingdom | Coronation | Half Brother | Tourist

Cast

Stewart Granger	...	Rudolf Rassendyll / King Rudolf V
Deborah Kerr	...	Princess Flavia
Louis Calhern	...	Col. Zapt
Jane Greer	...	Antoinette de Mauban
Lewis Stone	...	The Cardinal
Robert Douglas	...	Michael, Duke of Strelsau
Robert Coote	...	Fritz von Tarlenheim
Peter Brocco	...	Johann
Francis Pierlot	...	Josef
James Mason	...	Rupert of Hentzau
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jay Adler	...	Customs Officer (uncredited)
Eric Alden	...	Prison Guard (uncredited)
Guy Bellis	...	Chamberlain (uncredited)
Emilie Cabanne	...	Lady with the Cardinal (uncredited)
Mary Carroll	...	German Wife (uncredited)
Kathleen Freeman	...	Gertrud Holf (uncredited)
John Goldsworthy	...	Archbishop (uncredited)
William Hazel	...	Aide (uncredited)
Thomas Browne Henry	...	Detchard (uncredited)
George J. Lewis	...	Uhlan Guard at Hunting Lodge (uncredited)
Doris Lloyd	...	Lady Topham (uncredited)
Stanley Logan	...	Lord Topham (uncredited)
Peter Mamakos	...	De Gautet - Conspirator (uncredited)
Paul Marion	...	Uhlan Guard at Hunting Lodge (uncredited)
Alphonse Martell	...	Nobleman (uncredited)
Joseph Mell	...	Railroad Guard (uncredited)
Forbes Murray	...	Dignitary (uncredited)
Manuel París	...	Nobleman (uncredited)
Bruce Payne	...	Chamberlain (uncredited)
Alex Pope	...	German Husband (uncredited)
Hugh Prosser	...	Uhlan Guard at Hunting Lodge (uncredited)
Gordon Richards	...	Dignitary (uncredited)
Stephen Roberts	...	Albert von Lauengram (uncredited)
Victor Romito	...	Aide (uncredited)
Elizabeth Slifer	...	Woman (uncredited)
George Slocum	...	Vendor (uncredited)
Michael Vallon	...	Passport Official (uncredited)
Peter J. Votrian	...	Newsboy (uncredited)
Charles Watts	...	The Porter (uncredited)
Bud Wolfe	...	Bersonin (uncredited)

Directed by
Richard Thorpe

Writing credits (WGA)
John L. Balderston		(screenplay) and
Noel Langley		(screenplay)
Wells Root		(adaptation)
Anthony Hope		(novel "The Prisoner of Zenda")
Edward E. Rose		(dramatization) (as Edward Rose)
Donald Ogden Stewart		(additional dialogue) originally uncredited

Produced by
Pandro S. Berman	....	producer

Original Music by
Alfred Newman

Cinematography by
Joseph Ruttenberg

Film Editing by
George Boemler

Art Direction by
Cedric Gibbons
Hans Peters

Set Decoration by
Richard Pefferle
Edwin B. Willis

Costume Design by
Walter Plunkett		(costumes)

Makeup Department
Sydney Guilaroff	....	hair stylist
William Tuttle	....	makeup creator

Production Management
Dave Friedman	....	production manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Sid Sidman	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Douglas Shearer	....	recording supervisor

Special Effects by
Warren Newcombe	....	special effects
Richard Newcombe	....	special effects (uncredited)

Stunts
Jean Heremans	....	fencing master (uncredited)

Music Department
Conrad Salinger	....	music adaptor: Alfred Newman's 1937 score
Albert Sendrey	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Other crew
Robert Brower	....	technicolor color consultant
Henri Jaffa	....	technicolor color consultant

Production Companies

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (controlled by Loew's Incorporated)

Distributors

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1952) (USA) (theatrical)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1973) (USA) (TV)
• MGM/UA Home Video (1990) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2007) (USA) (DVD) (double feature with the 1937 version)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (195?) (Netherlands) (theatrical)

Other Companies

• Turner Entertainment  VHS package design

Also Known As:

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Finland:K-12 | Sweden:Btl | UK:U | USA:Approved (certificate #15979) | Australia:PG | Netherlands:14 (original rating) (1953)

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

The Ruritanian Royal Train seen briefly as Rassendyl and the others travel to Strelsau for the coronation is stock footage of the Salzkammergut Lokalbahn, a narrow-gauge railway in the Salzburg area of Austria, that closed in 1957.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: In the opening shot of the movie, showing a train labeled "The Orient Express," there are a couple of very, very tall, California-type palm trees in the background.

Quotes:

Rudolf Rassendyll:[having difficulty putting on the King's ring] I hope the crown's a better fit.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in The Great Race (1965)

Old mythology that works, for a change

The old swashbuckling mythology in capital letters: King, Country, Duty, Courage, and Honor, featuring a handsome, fearless Hero; a beautiful and perfectly behaved Princess; a stalwart Elderly Advisor; a grasping Villain; his insinuating Right Hand; and so on. It's so stereotyped that it could take up a whole chapter of Carl Jung.

So it's amazing that this production manages to pull it off so well. Maybe it's the unusually effective screenplay, which doesn't waste a line, and somehow manages not to rehash creaky dialogue. Maybe it's the actors, who carry their roles with as much dignity as if this is the first time anyone's ever done them. Or maybe it's James Mason as the only recognizable human in the story, a charming and calculating psychopath with razor-sharp wit and stunning powers of manipulation.

However they did it, the results are a joy. Swordplay, love affairs, grand balls, royalty, and political intrigue - it all works. Put your brain in low gear, sit back, and enjoy the ride.