Crossed Swords (1977)

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

Director:

Richard Fleischer

Writers:

Berta Domínguez D. (original screenplay) (as Berta Dominguez D.), 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 (Mark Lester) is a poor English boy who bears a remarkable resemblance to Edward, Prince of Wales (Mark Lester) and son of King Henry VIII (Charlton Heston). 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:

slapstick comedy | period drama | boy | prince | king | 

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Taglines:

Another rollicking adventure from the creators of The Three Musketeers.

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Drama | Family

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

Mark Lester's last acting role. He gave up acting due to the film's poor reception, although he did revive his acting career once when was cast as King Harold II in [error].

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Goofs

Tom Canty and Prince Edward were supposed to eight years old but Mark Lester was eighteen when he played the dual roles.

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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

Featured in The Making of 'The Prince and the Pauper' (1978)

User Reviews

Star-studded version of Twain's Prince and the Pauper

I haven't seen this movie in 20 years, but I remember going to it mostly because of the impressive cast. The lead, playing the dual roles of the prince and the pauper, was Mark Lester, lately of "Oliver". It was too "lately". By the time this movie came out, Lester was FAR too old for the part(s) of street urchin and child king. Charlton Heston (he's Henry VIII here) seems attracted to this phenomenon. He also did Treasure Island with a too old Christian Bale as Jim Hawkins. Anyway, Heston and the rest of the cast did fine jobs, and the picture is good fun if you can fully suspend disbelief in deep voiced Lester as an innocent child.

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 March 1978 (USA)

Also Known As:

Crossed Swords

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 (70 mm prints) Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1