The Prisoner of Zenda (1937)

An Englishman on a Ruritarian holiday must impersonate the king when the rightful monarch, a distant cousin, is drugged and kidnapped.

Directors: John Cromwell, W.S. Van Dyke
Cast: Ronald Colman, Madeleine Carroll, C. Aubrey Smith, Raymond Massey, Mary Astor, David Niven, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Montagu Love, Philip Sleeman, Eleanor Wesselhoeft, Florence Roberts, Torben Meyer, Arthur Byron, Francis Ford, Margaret Tallichet, Wilhelm von Brincken, Evelyn Beresford, Ricardo Lord Cezon, Spencer Charters, Sally Conlin, D'Arcy Corrigan, Bonnie Gaye Cowen, Alexander D'Arcy, Billy Diamond, Ralph Faulkner, Billy Finnegan, Byron Foulger, Charles K. French, Otto Fries, Lawrence Grant




John Cromwell's direction sparks this entry into " The Prisoner of Zenda" This film redone by MGM with James Mason as Black Michael and in colour( Color)

This version has more wit and sweep even though its in black and white. For sure the screenwriters and Cromwell made Doug Fairbanks Jr into more of a rascal than a criminal and of course he escaped in the final reel. I like Coleman and Carroll in their leading roles as well as C A. Smith and Niven as the co conspirators

Raymond Massey looks like he is uncomfortable with his lines and would rather be doing Hamlet Nevertheless this is the best version and it still has legs and looks more Gothic than the MGM Vehicle which is saturated in colors and may cause headaches after the first reel
~ charles-pope

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