Hitchcoc This is a great book brought to the screen. Ronald Colman is good in dual roles. He is a visiting Englishman who bears a striking resemblance to the soon to be crowned king. When the King's half brother drugs him, the Brit becomes the only option. If the king is not crowned, the crown reverts to the evil brother. Colman's character is now in command of the country and is to marry his cousins, played by Madeline Carrol. Because the substitute is better than the original, she is taken with him because he "has changed." Of course, Michael, the half brother, knows something is fishy, but he can't blow the whistle without implicating himself. For all who know this story, we can't have thing as they should be because of courtly law. It's a great book.

MissSimonetta The 1937 version of The Prisoner of Zenda ranks up there with the best swashbucklers of Old Hollywood, even The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938). It has everything: action and romance, humor and poignancy, all of which combine beautifully. It has a sense of glamor and soft-focus fantasy which modern cinema finds unfashionable; such a shame, because when it's done well, as it is in Zenda, the results are unforgettable.The cast is perfection: Ronald Colman, Mary Astor, Madeline Caroll, and of course, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., one of the best and most charming screen villains ever. The action scenes are shot with great verve and the romance, while a bit cheesy at times, comes off splendidly. Though they know one another for only about a day, you really believe Colman and Caroll are soul mates.Fifteen years later, this classic was remade shot for shot and in color, but wouldn't you know it, it was not nearly as fun or memorable. Instead of being unique, it tried too hard to copy a nearly perfect movie. Out of all the many Zenda adaptations that have ever been, the 1937 film is the one to watch.

Claudio Carvalho In the end of the Nineteenth Century, the Englishman Major Rudolf Rassendyll (Ronald Colman) travels to the Province of Zenda to spend a couple of days fishing at the Royal Game Preserve. He meets King Rudolf V (Ronald Colman), whose coronation will happen on the next day, riding with his loyal Colonel Zapt (C. Aubrey Smith) and Captain Fritz von Tarlenheim (David Niven) and they all become astonished with the resemblance of Rassendyll and Rudolf V. They conclude that they might be distant cousins and the King invites the newcomer to drink wine in his castle. King Rudolf is an alcoholic and drinks too much; however, he is drugged by his brother Michael (Raymond Massey) and Rudolf V is no able to participate at the ceremony of coronation. Colonel Zapt and Captain Fritz asks Rassendyll to impersonate Rudolf V, otherwise his greedy brother would take his place and be crowned king. Rassendyll accepts to participate in the fraud but when he meets King's Rudolf V fiancée, the Princess Flavia (Madeleine Carroll) of the Royal House Court of Strelsau, the immediately fall in love for each other. Meanwhile, the evil and ambitious Rupert of Hentzau (Douglas Fairbanks Jr.) abducts Rudolf V and brings him to the dungeons of his castle. However, Michael's mistress Antoinette de Mauban (Mary Astor) secretly summons Rassendyll to her Boulevard Elsberg and proposes to help him to rescue the King. In return, Michael would be exiled without any other additional punishment. Rassendyll accepts to risk his life trying to save Rudolf V, even knowing that his love with Princess Flavia would be affected by his action."The Prisoner of Zenda" is one of the most delightful classic adventures of cinema industry. The performances and the ironic and witty dialogs are awesome and unfortunately this type of film is innocent film that is hardly made by the studios. My vote is nine.Title (Brazil): "O Prisioneiro de Zenda" ("The Prisoner of Zenda")

Daniel Kincaid In "The Prisoner of Zenda", a British major impersonates a foreign king to save his station. The film starts as more of a drama film and makes a transition to action film near the end. It also features nice sets in the old Hollywood style and an appropriate score.The film's cast delivers great performances. Ronald Colman is charming as Major Rudolf Rassendyll. Madeleine Carroll plays Princess Flavia, who is slated to marry the king. Colman and Carroll have chemistry together and nicely develop a relationship. C. Aubrey Smith is well-cast to play the part of Colonel Zapt, the king's loyal helper, and David Niven has a small role, also on the king's support staff. Douglas Fairbanks Jr. creates a memorable villain as the brazen and obnoxious but somewhat clever Rupert of Hentzau. Raymond Massey is decent as the other main villain, Michael, but not on par with Fairbanks.The start of the movie develops the film's premise and then the characters. The film mostly has an interesting story and clever dialogue,but it does have some slower spots in the middle. However, the film makes a transition to an action-oriented approach near the end. This was appropriate and in particular there was one duel with some amusing banter that was a highlight of the action. The film culminates in a satisfactory conclusion and is overall worth seeing for its premise, characters, dialogue and action toward the end.