Prisoner of Honor (TV 1991)

"Prisoner of Honor" documents the French Dreyfus Affair that saw a French Captain sent to Devils' Island for espionage near the end of the nineteenth century. Richard Dreyfuss plays Colonel... See full summary »

Director:

Ken Russell

Writer:

Ron Hutchinson

Stars:

Richard Dreyfuss, Oliver Reed, Peter Firth

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Richard Dreyfuss	...	Col. Picquart
Oliver Reed	...	Gen. de Boisdeffre
Peter Firth	...	Maj. Henry
Jeremy Kemp	...	Gen. de Pellieux
Brian Blessed	...	Gen. Gonse
Peter Vaughan	...	Gen. Mercier
Kenneth Colley	...	Capt. Dreyfus
Catherine Neilson	...	Eloise
Lindsay Anderson	...	War Minister
Christopher Ashley	...	Orator #1
Shauna Baird	...	Henry's wife
David Bamford	...	Boy prostitute
Duncan Bell	...	Army doctor
John Bennett	...	Magistrate
John Cater	...	New War Minister

Storyline

"Prisoner of Honor" documents the French Dreyfus Affair that saw a French Captain sent to Devils' Island for espionage near the end of the nineteenth century. Richard Dreyfuss plays Colonel Picquart who is given the job of justifying Dreyfus' sentence. Instead, he discovers that Dreyfus, a Jew, was merely a convenient scapegoat for the actions of the true culprit, a member of the French General staff. His attempt to right the wrong sees his military career ended and the famous French author, Emile Zola, found guilty of libel.

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Plot Keywords:

dreyfus affair | anti semitism

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Taglines:

The crime of one nation. The courage of one man. (dvd)

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Genres:

Biography | Drama

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 November 1991 (USA)

Also Known As:

Der Gefangene der Teufelsinsel

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dreyfuss / James Productions, Etude, Warner Bros. Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Richard Dreyfuss (who plays Col. Picquart in this film) has claimed to be a descendant of Capt. Alfred Dreyfus (played by Kenneth Colley), the main character in this film.

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Soundtracks

"Jamais"
Written by Barry Kirch and Phil Steele
Performed by Phil Steele

User Reviews

A worthy entrant of the Dreyfuss saga

There is more than enough intensity of emotion in this overlooked movie to suit me. The acting is quite good. What else do you expcct from British stage pros? I wonder if Richard Dreyfuss had the good sense to be scared sh..... to go in with these guys? Afterall this is not a rock and roll sitcom that Dreyfuss excells at. I think he did quite well. I am not a rah rah, temple attending Jew, looking for anti=semitism everywhere, but I think it worthwhile every generation, to remind everyone that in France about a century ago, the army knowingly sent an innocent man to disgrace in Devil's Island, and attempted to let the German spy in their ranks go free, just so they could, "Get the Jew". This was "honor", according to the French army. I love the country, the culture, and have been a tourist there and will go again, but I think we have to remember that when the Nazis marched in in 1940, there were a lot of people that were not that unhappy, to see them, and Nazi officers did not want for bedmates, from shopgirls to movie stars. There was an active and brave resistance(would you risk your neck against the Gestapo) but we have to be realistic about France's paradoxical attitude toward's the Nazis. I highly recommend this movie which may be the last appearance of the great Bill Sikes from "Oliver", Oliver Reed, may he rest in peace.