The Prince and the Pauper (1920)

A poor boy named Tom Canty and Edward, the Prince of Wales exchange identities but events force the pair to experience each other's lives as well.

Director:

Alexander Korda

Writers:

Mark Twain (novel), Lajos Biró

Stars:

Tibor Lubinszky, Alfred Schreiber, Adolf Weisse

Cast

Cast overview:
Tibor Lubinszky	...	Prince Edward / Tom Canty (as Tibi Lubinsky)
Alfred Schreiber	...	Henry VIII
Adolf Weisse	...	Lord Chancellor (as A.D. Weisse)
Franz Herterich	...	John Canty
Franz Everth	...	Miles Herndon
Wilhelm Schmidt	...	Hugh Herndon
Ditta Ninjan	...	Lady Edith
Lilly Lubin	...	Isabel

Storyline

A poor boy named Tom Canty and Edward, the Prince of Wales exchange identities but events force the pair to experience each other's lives as well.

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Plot Keywords:

foreign language adaptation | children | identity swap | based on novel | character name in title | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

Austria

Language:

German

Release Date:

13 August 1922 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Prince and the Pauper

Company Credits

Production Co:

Sascha-Film

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Version of The Prince and the Pauper (2000)

User Reviews

"Though he were a thousand times mad, yet shall he sit on my throne."

This Mark Twain story has been recorded at least twenty times according to the Internet Movie Database, so I'm going to assume any readers of this review know some version of the tale and write about its handling in this 1920 silent version. It has just been made available on DVD by Grapevine Video from a print that is handsomely tinted, but, alas, not particularly crisp in its details. Grapevine works hard to find the best prints available and if a better print shows up later, they'll make a DVD of that and swap it for your earlier purchase free. They always operate on the "better something than nothing" thesis and I'm glad they made this early Alexander Korda movie with a script by Lajos Biros available.

Unfortunately, the version will not be particularly accessible. There is some fine formal cinematography, but the technique is old-fashioned for 1920 and almost unwatchable today. The film makers were too fond of the details of the book and produced an "illustrated text" sort of film, in which the audience sees a title, and then the action shows us what we have just read.

Part of that was undoubtedly due to the fact that this was shot in Germany by Hungarians émigrés and the titles I saw were intended for an American audience. Still, the effect is stodgy and I would urge you to seek out a livelier version.