When the king is drugged and abducted by his ambitious brother, a lookalike relative must take his place to keep the evil sibling off the throne.When the king is drugged and abducted by his ambitious brother, a lookalike relative must take his place to keep the evil sibling off the throne.When the king is drugged and abducted by his ambitious brother, a lookalike relative must take his place to keep the evil sibling off the throne.
- Awards
- 1 win
Ramon Novarro
- Rupert of Hentzau
- (as Ramon Samaniegos)
Fairfax Burger
- Bersonin
- (as Fairfax Burgher)
S.E. Jennings
- De Gautet
- (as Al Jennings)
Ted Billings
- Train Passenger Eating Banana
- (uncredited)
Carrie Daumery
- Lady-in-Waiting
- (uncredited)
Bynunsky Hyman
- Coronation Parade Spectator
- (uncredited)
Eric Mayne
- Lord Burlesdon - Rudolf's Brother
- (uncredited)
Lon Poff
- Archbishop
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- Anthony Hope(uncredited)
- Mary O'Hara
- Edward E. Rose(uncredited)
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaA few days before shooting was to start, director Rex Ingram realized that Metro had forgotten to order costumes for Lewis Stone. The desperate director frantically phoned Stone and asked if he still had the costumes from the stage version. Luckily the actor had them stored in his attic.
- GoofsDuring the climactic fight scene, a stool is kicked over twice.
- Quotes
[intertitles]
Rudolf Rassendyll: While you're unhung, Hentzau, hell lacks its master!
- Alternate versionsThe Turner library print is a re-release of the original version, with an uncredited piano music score and a running time of 113 minutes. Its opening credits were changed to list Ramon Novarro first, as he was then very popular, and also uses the name he is now known by. Also credited onscreen was John George and Snitz Edwards.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Cinéman (2009)
- SoundtracksZenda
Music and Lyrics by Louis Breau and Ernst Luz
Featured review
Very impressive for 1922
Can you imagine the perpetually tired Lewis Stone in The Prisoner of Zenda? He has to play the senior advisor to the king, right? He's far too old and patriarchal to play the lead. . . So one would think. Well, in 1922, Lew was neither old, fatherly, nor tired. He played the dual leads, and he was given a brown wig! Full of energy, wonderful expressions to communicate to the audience without words, and the ability to both perform stunts and woo a fair maiden, Lew takes charge and acts like a leading man.
If you've never seen any of the movie versions or read the book, the story is very exciting. Just before a king's coronation, his evil brother plans to drug and kidnap him so that he can't be crowned the king. However, the king's faithful aides find a lookalike, completely by accident, and get him to impersonate the king during the coronation! If you've seen the modern-day comedy Dave, starring Kevin Kline, you'll have a basic understanding of the story.
I've seen three versions of this movie, and while the 1937 version is the best, this one is extremely impressive. It's amazing to see what Hollywood was capable of in 1922: the costumes, the sets, the elaborate action scenes with moats, drawbridges, and swordfights. At almost two hours, this is a lengthy silent movie, and there are quite a lot of title cards for you to read, but if you know the story, you won't be lost. Those who don't like silent movies will be incredibly bored, but if you like the change of pace and different way of storytelling, this is one worth watching, if only to see what Lewis Stone looks like with brown hair. It doesn't feel like it was made so early in the decade; if it had a 1928 timestamp on it, I'd believe it.
If you've never seen any of the movie versions or read the book, the story is very exciting. Just before a king's coronation, his evil brother plans to drug and kidnap him so that he can't be crowned the king. However, the king's faithful aides find a lookalike, completely by accident, and get him to impersonate the king during the coronation! If you've seen the modern-day comedy Dave, starring Kevin Kline, you'll have a basic understanding of the story.
I've seen three versions of this movie, and while the 1937 version is the best, this one is extremely impressive. It's amazing to see what Hollywood was capable of in 1922: the costumes, the sets, the elaborate action scenes with moats, drawbridges, and swordfights. At almost two hours, this is a lengthy silent movie, and there are quite a lot of title cards for you to read, but if you know the story, you won't be lost. Those who don't like silent movies will be incredibly bored, but if you like the change of pace and different way of storytelling, this is one worth watching, if only to see what Lewis Stone looks like with brown hair. It doesn't feel like it was made so early in the decade; if it had a 1928 timestamp on it, I'd believe it.
helpful•10
- HotToastyRag
- Jan 12, 2020
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Fången på Zenda
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $323,062 (estimated)
- Runtime2 hours 5 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1
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Top Gap
By what name was The Prisoner of Zenda (1922) officially released in Canada in English?
Answer