Alicia I love this movie so much

Actuakers One of my all time favorites.

Chirphymium It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

Bob This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

JohnHowardReid Copyright 13 October 1952 by Loew's Inc. A Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer picture. New York opening at the Capitol: 4 November 1952. U.S. release: November 1952. U.K. release: 9 February 1953. Australian release: 2 January 1953. Sydney opening at the St. James. 100 minutes.NOTES: Metro made its first version of "The Prisoner of Zenda" in 1922. Lewis Stone, who plays the cardinal in this version, had the dual role, Alice Terry was the princess, Stuart Holmes, Black Michael. Rex Ingram directed, John F. Seitz photographed. In the definitive 1937 version, Ronald Colman played the prisoner opposite Madeleine Carroll. There's also a 1915 silent version, starring the great Henry Ainley as Rassendyll, directed in England by George Loane Tucker, who also handled the 1915 sequel Rupert of Hentzau. This sequel was also filmed in 1923, this time by Selznick Pictures. Lew Cody played the title role, Bert Lytell was Rassendyll whilst Elaine Hammerstein essayed Flavia. Victor Heerman directed.Oddly, the sequel has never been filmed in the talkie era, though both sound versions allow for it by letting Hentzau escape.Re-made by director Richard Quine as a Peter Sellers vehicle in 1979.Although this version was only modestly successful in America and England, it proved a smash hit in Australia, coming in 14th at the 1953 box-office, just behind "The African Queen", and well ahead of the widely touted "Snows of Kilimanjaro".COMMENT: Nobody likes this version except the paying public. The critics — all with fond memories of the Colman impersonation — the actors, particularly Stewart and Mason (who couldn't stand working with non-indulgent, quickie director, Dick "Print It!" Thorpe), the technicians and even the studio brass hate it.Yet it's actually quite entertaining. Richly costumed and set, cleverly and attractively photographed, fairly pacily scripted and at times even stylishly directed (love that enormous dolly shot which Thorpe uses to show off the magnificence of the grand staircase to the ball-room). Newman's music still serves a treat. Best of all, Stewart, Mason and Douglas are appropriately dashing and/or villainous, and have the well-tuned support of seasoned players like Jane Greer, Robert Coote and Peter Brocco. Calhern is a bit too stiff, Stone too sententious and Miss Kerr as usual is a pain, but fortunately these roles are not large enough to cause too much loss of interest. And at all screenings I've attended, the special effects drew gasps of admiration and amazement. I thought the costumes were ghastly. — James Mason.A lot of the playing is grandly theatrical. Mason provides an ingratiatingly sly, delightfully tongue-in-cheek portrayal, whilst Robert Douglas is wonderfully, eminently hissable. Granger has presence and flair, hitting his stride particularly well in the early impersonation scenes which he skilfully plays for humor rather than melodrama; but the convolutions of the plot tend to swamp him. And of course the pallid Deborah Kerr is little help. — JHR writing as Charles Freeman.Every day, Mr. Thorpe had me look at Mary Astor in the part on a movieola. I took him literally when he asked me to repeat her performance. That's why I was so bad. Little did I know the remainder of the cast were playing tongue-in-cheek. — Jane Greer.

Prismark10 Stewart Granger plays twin roles. An Englishman called Rassendyll on a fishing trip to a small European kingdom of Ruritania and gets strange looks from the locals. This is because he looks a lot like the new King Rudolf, a distant cousin of his. After a night of partying with the king, Rassendyll soon discovers that thanks to the king's brother their is intrigue to wrest the crown from the decadent Rudolf before his coronation. Rassendyll agrees to step into the place of the King to keep the country steady. He falls in love with Princess Flavia (Deborah Kerr) while dastardly Rupert of Hentzau (James Mason) also wants to take control of the kingdom.This is a lavish Technicolor remake of the Ronald Colman version, a faithful pedestrian remake though. It should had been more cavalier but Mason makes a sinister villain and there is plenty of swashbuckling.

MartinHafer This is a very familiar but fun tale of a man whose exact double is the kidnapped prince of a fictional European country. This exact double is asked to fill in for the man who is to be crowned king--and gets caught up in all sorts of intrigue and romance.If you watch this film, you will no doubt enjoy it. After all, the story is wonderful and the actors are quite good. The problem for me is that although this is a lovely film, it's also completely unnecessary, as the 1937 film version was nearly perfect. Ronald Colman was perfect in the lead and his supporting cast (including C. Aubrey Smith, David Niven, Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and Raymond Massey) were perfectly cast as well. Here, Stewart Granger and James Mason (among others) were good but at no point did they make me prefer this over the classic 1937 version. My advice is to just see this earlier film. Other than being in black & white, it's better in every way.

Spikeopath While on holiday an Englishman who resembles the king of a small European nation gets mixed up in palace intrigue and royal romance when his royal doppelgänger is kidnapped.A Technicolor remake of Anthony Hope's much filmed story sees Stewart Granger, Deborah Kerr and James Mason star, while directing is Richard Thorpe, composing the score is Alfred Newman and cinematography is by Joseph Ruttenberg.Lush and at times lavish, this MGM production is however rather ponderous at times. The first hour positively crawls and while Granger is just fine in the dual roles of Rudolf Rassendyl/King Rudolf V, the dynamism and breezy pace of the Ronald Colman starring 1937 version is sadly lacking. A better director than Richard "One Take Only" Thorpe could have made better use of the budget. There's also a distinct lack originality in the piece since it's practically the same film as the 37 movie. Even using the same Newman score. You have to wonder what was the point really?Still, there are some enjoyable moments in here to not make it a complete waste of time. James Mason, in spite of it being a rare occasion where he's miscast, is worth a watch for his line in campy villainy. While Ruttenberg's camera-work doesn't waste the chance to swash that buckle in a Technicolor sheen. The duelling sequence, that sadly seems to take forever to arrive, is well choreographed (better than anything in the 37 movie actually), and the costumes by Walter Plunkett are very pleasing on the eye. 5/10