The Prisoner of Zenda (1937)
Directed by a pair of stalwart Hollywood directors, featuring a cast with big names like Ronald Colman and Douglas Fairbanks Jr., and shot by the great James Wong Howe, this should be a first rate movie top to bottom. And technically it is-it looks great, feels solid, has great lighting and pace, and the acting is charming and entertaining. Yes, it's good! But it's all based on a storybook feel that is something like a youth novel brought to screen. I suppose the really big element in the story, the romance between the two men played by Colman and the leading lady Madeleine Carroll, is adult material in its appeal to honor and love, but in all, to like that, you have to like the breezy entertainment it is. I've tried to read into the plot some hint of what was brewing in Europe (usurping of genuine rule by force) or a twist on Shakespeare (court intrigue) but it really is simpler than that. And Colman, who is terrific, and Fairbanks, who is even more charming than Colman, both make it all fun, and in fun. This makes you like them, but it does drain some drama away. This is the first and more liked of the Zenda films, the second mostly interesting in relation to this one. However the second one (from the 1950s) made a ton of money, while this one just squeaked a profit. Highlights? Some of the acting and typecasting is really enjoyable, the swordfights are well done and well lit, and the general clever plot is a hoot. Feasibility is not an issue here--just go for the ride.
Directed by a pair of stalwart Hollywood directors, featuring a cast with big names like Ronald Colman and Douglas Fairbanks Jr., and shot by the great James Wong Howe, this should be a first rate movie top to bottom. And technically it is-it looks great, feels solid, has great lighting and pace, and the acting is charming and entertaining. Yes, it's good! But it's all based on a storybook feel that is something like a youth novel brought to screen. I suppose the really big element in the story, the romance between the two men played by Colman and the leading lady Madeleine Carroll, is adult material in its appeal to honor and love, but in all, to like that, you have to like the breezy entertainment it is. I've tried to read into the plot some hint of what was brewing in Europe (usurping of genuine rule by force) or a twist on Shakespeare (court intrigue) but it really is simpler than that. And Colman, who is terrific, and Fairbanks, who is even more charming than Colman, both make it all fun, and in fun. This makes you like them, but it does drain some drama away. This is the first and more liked of the Zenda films, the second mostly interesting in relation to this one. However the second one (from the 1950s) made a ton of money, while this one just squeaked a profit. Highlights? Some of the acting and typecasting is really enjoyable, the swordfights are well done and well lit, and the general clever plot is a hoot. Feasibility is not an issue here--just go for the ride.