The Prince and the Pauper (1977 film)
The Prince and the Pauper | |
---|---|
Directed by | Richard Fleischer |
Written by | Berta Dominguez D. & Pierre Spengler (original screenplay) George MacDonald Fraser (final screenplay) |
Based on | The Prince and the Pauper 1881 novel by Mark Twain |
Produced by | Pierre Spengler |
Starring | Mark Lester Ernest Borgnine Oliver Reed Raquel Welch Rex Harrison |
Cinematography | Jack Cardiff |
Edited by | Ernest Walter |
Music by | Maurice Jarre |
Production companies | International Film Production Prince and the Pauper Film Export A.G. |
Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
Release dates |
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Running time | 113 minutes |
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
Budget | $7 million[1] or $8 million[2] |
The Prince and the Pauper (US title: Crossed Swords) is a 1977 British
Plot
In 16th-century
In his royal chamber, Edward, Prince of Wales, refuses to wear a costume to the masked ball and his attendants leave him. Tom falls down the chimney into the chamber, and Edward demands to know who he is. Tom introduces himself and explains his situation. Intrigued by Tom's resemblance to him, Edward decides they should swap appearances and clothes to attend the masked ball, adding that the Prince's Seal stays with the true Prince. Mistaking Edward for Tom, the Duke of Norfolk orders that he be escorted out of the palace. Outside, Edward is rescued by skilled swordsman Sir Miles Hendon. At the masked ball, the Duke of Norfolk is arrested, and the king and the guests laugh at Tom's dancing. Tom repeatedly insists that he is not the Prince of Wales.
Meanwhile, Edward repeatedly insists that he is the Prince of Wales. Miles says he believes him, but in fact he does not. He takes the boy to John Canty, and Edward discovers what Tom's life is like. When John attempts to beat Edward, Miles intervenes, and in the resulting fight John pushes Miles off a roof into a stream. John is declared a murderer, and he flees London with Edward. At the castle, King Henry has been ill since the morning after the masked ball, and he orders that no one is to declare that Tom is not the Prince, not even Tom himself. Although some of the royal household are suspicious of the sudden change of demeanour of the "Prince" (even going as far as mentioning the possibility that he could be an
In a forest, some unfriendly men escort John and Edward to a
The day of the coronation arrives, and Edward and Miles race to London after waylaying a horse and cart that Hugh and Edith are in. Miles swaps clothes with Hugh and ties him up in the cart, but Hugh breaks out in London and attempts to have Miles arrested. Miles and Edward fight off the guards and Edward gets inside Westminster Abbey before the doors are closed. Edward halts the ceremony, and he and Tom change back to their original positions, admitting to each other that they were not good at playing each other's roles. Archbishop Cranmer and other witnesses are stunned until Edward produces the Prince's Seal and takes his position as the rightful King.
After the ceremony, Edward makes Tom Governor of Christ's Hospital and Tom's mother sets up shelters for the homeless. Miles' brother Hugh agrees to a divorce from Edith and enjoys a political career in America. Miles is restored to his honour as a Knight and marries Edith (although their marriage isn't the "happily ever after" kind). The Duke of Norfolk has his enemies put to death, and Princess Elizabeth later becomes Queen, keeping her promise to take "good care of England".
Cast
- Oliver Reed as Sir Miles Hendon.[3]
- Raquel Welch as Lady Edith
- Edward VI of England and Tom Canty
- King Henry VIII
- Ernest Borgnine as John Canty
- George C. Scott as The Ruffler
- Rex Harrison as The Duke of Norfolk
- David Hemmings as Hugh Hendon
- Harry Andrews as Hertford
- Julian Orchard as St. John
- Murray Melvin as Prince's Dresser
- Princess Elizabeth
- Felicity Dean as Lady Jane Grey
- Sybil Danning as Mother Canty
- Graham Stark as The King's Jester
- Preston Lockwood as Father Andrew
- Arthur Hewlett as Fat Man
- Tommy Wright as Constable
- Harry Fowler as Nipper
- Richard Hurndall as Archbishop Cranmer
- Don Henderson as Burly Ruffian
- Dudley Sutton as Hodge
- Ruth Madoc as Moll
Production
The film was in limbo during the development. Berta Dominguez (the wife of Alexander Salkind) and Pierre Spengler wrote a script based on the novel for the Salkinds in 1968. A key change in the adaptation was changing the ages of the prince and the pauper from nine in the novel to sixteen. George Cukor was to direct but he wanted to go back to the original novel and cast an actor to play nine-year-old boys - Mark Lester. The Salkinds wanted to cast someone older, having Leonard Whiting in mind for the parts. The Salkinds lost enthusiasm for the project and instead went on to make The Light at the End of the World.[1][4]
The Salkinds had a big success with The Three Musketeers (1973) which re-activated their interest in The Prince and the Pauper. They originally intended to follow up Musketeers with The Prince Malange starring Oliver Reed and Peter O'Toole. Then O'Toole became unavailable and filming was threatened with sets already half-built. In addition, the Salkinds needed money while developing Superman. The Salkinds decided to use the old script for Prince and the Pauper and use existing sets and commitments.[1]
Richard Fleischer was approached to direct. He agreed provided he could have a new script and a bigger budget - $7 million. The Salkinds agreed. George MacDonald Fraser was hired to rewrite the script.[1]
Shooting took place in England and Hungary.[5] Filming started on 17 May 1976 at Penshurst Place, England. Filming took place there for two weeks before moving to Pinewood Studios. Most filming in Hungary took place in Sopron and Budapest.
Release
The film was released on 3 June 1977 in London and on 29 July 1977 in Ireland by
Reception
The film generally performed poorly at the box office. However, in New York, it was the last film planned to be shown at
See also
- Cultural depictions of Henry VIII of England
References
- ^ a b c d What the paupers play Mills, Bart. The Guardian 24 Aug 1976: 8.
- ^ Producer Finds His Superman Lee, Grant. Los Angeles Times 28 Feb 1977: f7.
- ^ R. Kent Rasmussen, Critical Companion to Mark Twain: A Literary Reference to His Life and Work (New York, 1995), p. 385.
- ^ Petrou and Dominguez p5-8
- ^ MacDonald Fraser, George (2002). The Light's On at Signpost. HarperCollins. pp. 26–43.
- ^ "This Is The Week Of Mourning As Radio City 'Folds'; Oscar Wins Help N.Y.; 'Pretty Baby', $70,000". 12 April 1978. p. 10.
Sources
- Petrou, David; Dominguez, Bertha (1978). The Making of Crossed Swords. Ace Books.