The Prince and the Pauper (1977)
"Crossed Swords" (original title)

A poor boy and the Crown Prince of England exchange identities, but events force the pair to experience each other's lives as well.

Director:

Richard Fleischer

Writers:

Berta Domínguez D. (original screenplay), Pierre Spengler (screenplay),

Stars:

Oliver Reed, Raquel Welch, Mark Lester

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Oliver Reed	...	Miles Hendon
Raquel Welch	...	Lady Edith
Mark Lester	...	Edward / Tom
Ernest Borgnine	...	John Canty
George C. Scott	...	Ruffler
Rex Harrison	...	The Duke of Norfolk
David Hemmings	...	Hugh Hendon
Harry Andrews	...	Hertford
Julian Orchard	...	St.John
Murray Melvin	...	Prince's Dresser
Lalla Ward	...	Princess Elizabeth
Felicity Dean	...	Lady Jane
Sybil Danning	...	Mother Canty
Graham Stark	...	Jester
Preston Lockwood	...	Father Andrew

Storyline

Tom Canty is a poor English boy who bears a remarkable resemblance to Edward, Prince of Wales and son of King Henry VIII. The two boys meet and decide to play a joke on the court by dressing in each other's clothes, but the plan goes awry when they are separated and each must live the other's life.

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Plot Keywords:

boy | prince | king | king henry viii | identity swap | 

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Genres:

Adventure | Family

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 March 1978 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Prince and the Pauper

Filming Locations:

Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$8,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

International Film Production, Prince and the Pauper Film Export A.G.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min 121 min (DVD)

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk, Knight of the Garter, and Earl Marshal of England (1473 - 1554), portrayed by Rex Harrison, was a real life Tudor period politician. He was also the uncle of both Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, two of the six wives of King Henry VIII. Norfolk had a major role in the drama and arrangements behind both marriages. Norfolk fell out of favor with King Henry VIII in 1546, when he was stripped of his titles and imprisoned in the Tower of London. However, soon after his imprisonment, Henry VIII died, and Norfolk was able to cheat trial and execution, being finally released on the accession of Edward VI oldest sister, Queen Mary I. He was of assistance to Catholic Mary succeeding to the throne, thereby setting the stage for alienation between his Catholic family and the successive Protestant monarchs beginning with his great niece, Queen Elizabeth I. In 1546-1547, Norfolk would have been aged about 73, quite a bit older than Harrison (born 1908), who was aged about 59 at the time of production in 1977.

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Quotes

Tom Canty: If you think the food may be poisoned, why not feed it to a dog, or a plumber?

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Connections

Version of The Prince and the Pauper (1996)

User Reviews

More Than You Bargain For

For those who are expecting a straight telling of Mark Twain's story or a remake of the Errol Flynn classic, you're going to get more than you bargain for. The characters have been greatly expanded and several new ones have been created to give the plot a little more body.

Mark Lester, nine years after being the screen's Oliver, plays the dual role of Edward Tudor who becomes Edward VI of England and Tom Canty the beggar boy doppleganger. Young Tom is a much brighter lad and has been given the curse as his father Ernest Borgnine sees it of reading which encourages idleness. It's not good to be idle when your father is trying to teach you the family trade of thievery.

Tom's not cut out for it and one day in eluding pursuers he stumbles into the royal palace where Prince Edward notices the resemblance straight off. As a joke the two of them exchange clothing, but then the real Prince of Wales gets tossed out of the palace and back into Ernest Borgnine's clutches.

In the meantime King Henry VIII played by Charlton Heston with considerable padding is dying and shuffles off the mortal coil with Tom Canty given some real upward mobility, unheard of in Tudor England. And the real prince struggles dealing both with his father's death and how to get out of this predicament, making only one real friend out there, Oliver Reed as Miles Hendon.

Director Richard Lester was lucky enough to secure four Best Actor Oscar Winners for his cast, Borgnine, Heston, Rex Harrison as the Duke of Norfolk and George C. Scott as the Ruffler. My favorite in the film is Scott in the added role of the Ruffler, former monk now turned head of an outlaw band because Henry VIII closed the monasteries and looted them for his treasury. It's one droll and witty performance, Scott steals the film when he's in it.

The Ruffler is only addition to the plot. There's a subplot involving David Hemmings as Reed's brother Hugh stealing the family estate out from under Reed while he was serving abroad and his bride Raquel Welch besides. So Crossed Swords now deals with two usurped heirs.

Though I liked seeing all these people, I'm not sure that a more straight forward version of the story wouldn't have been better. Still the film is entertaining enough, but I think the classic Warner Brothers film is better.