To me, this movie is perfection.

I like Black Panther, but I didn't like this movie.

I gave it a 7.5 out of 10

Entertaining from beginning to end, it maintains the spirit of the franchise while establishing it's own seal with a fun cast

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.

"The prisoner of Zenda" (1952) is a wonderful swashbuckler ,a movie the whole family can enjoy! I've already seen it three or four times and I've never got tired of it.Stewart Granger is absolutely perfect as the hero,playing two parts with gusto:I love the crowning where he manages to be as majestic as a king and yet shows he is not completely at ease ;his waltz with Deborah Kerr is also a great moment.James Mason vies with Robert Douglas in wickedness ,greed and Machiavelism.Deborah Kerr is gorgeous as Princess Flavia.This kind of story belongs to an imaginary remote past -although it is supposed to happen in 1897-like the fairy tales.That's why "the prisoner" is so magical.

This adaptation of The Prisoner Of Zender has Stewart Grainger playing European King Rudolf V at Strelsau who is the constitutional head of a version of a feudalistic system. In order to retain this version of a European feudal system, then it is crucial for King Rudolfe to be crowned. But like some kings (for example Great Britain's Edward VII, -9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910)he leads a merry and decadent life of irresponsibility. This makes him vulnerable and as such rife for usurping by his half brother Michael, Duke of Strelsau (Robert Douglass). But Michael's threat to the the crown lays in his courtier, the villain Rupert of Hentzau (James Mason)who seeks glory and power for himself via Michael as opposed for the latter.Therefore the threat to the crown and the feudalistic system in this film is that of a republican nature in that Rupert of Hentzau has desires of power. In this respect the fairytale-like plot is not too far from what is interpreted as reality by the British press. To further explain, some sectors of the British press would have former British Prime Minister Tony Blair as a one time pretender to the crown. This ambition is interpreted as being dangerous for the people in the form of Rupert of Hentzau in The Prisoner Of Zender.Elements of William Shakespeare's ( some say, propaganda) play, Richard III are found in The Prisoner of Zender. Like Richard III, the Prisoner Of Zender illustrates a fragile monarchy, and the feudal system which buttresses it destabilised by a treacherous half brother. As the film illustrates, the feudal system is bound by the loyalty of an aristocracy which in turn is furnished with a privileged lifestyle. This is illustrated by Princess Favia (Deborah Kerr) who isn't willing to give such a privileged lifestyle up. Such a privileged lifestyle comes to define the meaning of national patriotism that binds its subjects (the people) to. With the nobility defining patriotism then all who disagree with them are disloyal, traitors and usurpers as seen in Rupert of Hentzau.Indeed, Rupert of Hentzau is keen to break the feudalistic system as witnessed in the swashbuckling sword-fencing scene where he defies the rules of play. This prominent scene is one of the best in the film. Where Grainger is urbane, and charming in his style of acting his duel role, Mason is the scene stealer. The latter's acting is first rate, and it never lets up. Another prominent actor in The Prisoner Of Zender is Jane Greer who plays Antoinette de Mauban with conviction.The Technicolour of the film reflects and captures the ostentatiousness of a regal lifestyle, here directed by alleged budget conscious Richard Thorpe. Moreover, the Technicolour brings the film to life and adds to its fairytale-like appeal. This makes the film a feast for the eyes.In sum this film is on the surface superficial, but beneath its Technicolour, movie star glamour it is a Shakespereanesque tale of political intrigue!

Englishman Rudolf Rassendyll travels to see his distant relative King Rudolf V. When he arrives in the country he gets some funny looks and, when he meets King Rudolf he understands why – they are the total spit of one another, apart from a moustache. The two men spend all night drinking, a habit King Rudolf is oft to entertain but Rassendyll is a light weight and has fallen asleep long before the final bottles are opened. The next morning he wakes up with a sore head but the King is out for the count for much longer due to a drugged bottle of wine – the work of his brother Michael, who seeks to claim the throne in the chaos that he hopes will follow the cancellation of the day's coronation. Rassendyll steps into the place of the King in a cunning ploy to keep the country steady; however he finds himself in the midst of a much more serious ploy than drugged wine.Despite the fact that it has been made many times, I must confess to this being the first time I've seen this story told. I must also confess that for the most part I found it quite dull. On paper I can see how fascinating it could have been because it has political intrigue, betrayals, sword fights and action. However the film opens with a sort of criss-cross humour that didn't really engage me at all. It wasn't funny and it seemed to undercut the serious business of telling a good yarn. Things get a bit better once the villains turn up but even then I was surprised by how plodding it was all delivered. The final scenes were pretty good and it was a welcome arrival for sword fighting in a very talky film but I did wish there had been a bit more swagger to the rest of the film, if not actually action.The cast are reasonably good. Granger does well but his sudden transformation from innocent abroad into action hero at the end was a gear change too much. Kerr is pretty but mostly pretty bland. Calhern is solid and Greer was a strange find. I liked Douglas but it was Mason who dominated the film. He seems a bit out of place but he has some great lines and generally he looks like he is having fun and not taking any of it too seriously. He is a breath of fresh air among the rest of the stiff material and he stole every scene he was in.A good story then but delivered in a rather flat and dull fashion that put me off early on and never really got me back. It all looks good in glorious Technicolor but other than that the only other thing that kept me with it was a delicious little turn from Mason, who at least has the good taste to have a bit of fun – something that I had hoped to do myself but sadly did not.