The Prisoner of Zenda (1979 film)
The Prisoner of Zenda | |
---|---|
The Mirisch Corporation | |
Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
Release date |
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Running time | 108 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $10 million[1] |
Box office | $7.65 million (US/Canada rentals)[2][3] |
The Prisoner of Zenda is a 1979 American comedy film directed by Richard Quine that stars Peter Sellers, Lynne Frederick, Lionel Jeffries, Elke Sommer, Gregory Sierra, Jeremy Kemp, and Catherine Schell. It is adapted from the 1894 adventure novel by Anthony Hope.[4] The novel tells the story of a man (Peter Sellers) who has to impersonate a king, whom he closely resembles, when the king is abducted by enemies on the eve of his coronation.
The comedy was loosely adapted by
The score by Henry Mancini was a highlight of the film and gained some critical acclaim. It was also Quine's final film as a director.[5]
Plot
King Rudolf IV of Ruritania dies in a balloon accident upon the celebration of his eightieth birthday. In order to secure the throne, General Sapt and his nephew Fritz travel to London, where the King's son, Rudolf V, lives through the day in London's pleasure establishments; but the King's demented half-brother Michael, thinking that he is the better claimant, sends an assassin after them. Hansom cab driver Sydney (or Sidney) Frewin, the new King's half-brother from an affair with a British actress, rescues Rudolf from an assassination attempt. Once his resemblance to the King is noticed, Frewin is hired by the general, ostensibly as the King's coachman but actually to play the role of a decoy. The ruse is quickly uncovered, however, when during an attack by Michael's men the royal guardsmen address Frewin as their new king, and the two look-alikes get acquainted.
In an unattended moment, Rudolf is captured and brought to Michael's castle of Zenda. Out of necessity, Frewin has to keep masquerading as the King for the coronation ceremony. Princess Flavia, Rudolf's fiancée, is perceptive enough to see through the ruse, and after Frewin and the general have confided in her, she quickly becomes Frewin's trusted ally and love interest. Complicating the scheme on Frewin's side is the jealous Count Montparnasse whose wife has become infatuated with Rudolf, and on Michael's side, his mistress Antoinette, who is wildly jealous about the prospect of Michael marrying Flavia and in turn is the romantic interest of the slightly unbalanced Rupert von Henzau, Michael's second-in-command.
After several failed assassination attempts, Michael attempts to lure Frewin into a trap. While the trap fails, Frewin, posing as Henzau's coach driver, is recognized and captured upon arrival in Zenda. Frewin and Rudolf escape with Antoinette's help, and when Sapt and his men arrive at the castle, Henzau switches sides and aids Frewin and Rudolf against Michael, opens the castle gates and rides away, telling Sapt that he will report for duty next week. Michael and his men attempt to capture Rudolf and Frewin, but they jump off the battlements into the moat, and Sapt has Michael arrested for treason. Assuming Frewin's identity, Rudolf pursues his interests in the countess and the London
Cast
- Peter Sellers as Rudolf IV / Rudolf V / Sydney Frewin
- Lionel Jeffries as General Sapt
- Lynne Frederick as Princess Flavia
- Elke Sommer as Nathalie, Countess Montparnasse
- Gregory Sierra as Gilles, Count Montparnasse
- Simon Williams as Fritz
- Jeremy Kemp as Prince Michael
- Catherine Schell as Antoinette
- Stuart Wilson as Rupert of Hentzau
- John Laurie as Archbishop
- Graham Stark as Erik
Production
Walter Mirisch pitched the film to Sellers while the latter was making Murder by Death. Sellers liked the idea but not the script and requested a new one be written by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais.[6]
The film was announced in December 1976.[7] and was shot in Austria.[1] Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna represented the "Ruritania" royal palace; other filming locations included Burg Kreuzenstein, St. Martin's Church in Klosterneuburg and Salzburg Cathedral.[1]
The film's production was frequently tense: Sellers qualms about the production and struggles with his declining health led to several angry confrontations with his wife and co-star, Lynne Frederick, as well as the film's director, Richard Quine.[8]
When Sellers saw a preview of the film, he objected strenuously, claiming Mirisch had arranged for new footage to be shot without him or Quine turning it into "a Pink Panther movie".[9]
Critical reception
Time Out called it "A limp and shoddy farce in which neither Sellers' lifeless double-role mugging, nor a dire fish-out-of-water script by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, encourage anything more than a deepening nostalgia for the straightfaced swashbuckling of previous adaptations";
References
- ^ a b c "The Prisoner of Zenda – History". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. American Film Institute. Retrieved May 18, 2019.
- ^ "Big Rental Films of 1979". Variety. January 9, 1980. 70.
- ^ "The Prisoner of Zenda". IMDb. 17 August 1979.
- ^ "Prisoner of Zenda, The (1979) – Misc Notes". Turner Classic Movies.
- ^ "One Hundred Unreleased Scores". www.filmscoremonthly.com.
- ^ Roberts, Glenys (17 June 1979). "Peter Sellers--hiding behind a mask of mimicry: Mimicry provides a mask for the Sellers insecurities". Chicago Tribune. p. g31.
- ^ Flatley, Guy (Dec 10, 1976). "At the Movies". New York Times. p. 62.
- ^ Mann, Roderick (Jan 28, 1979). "CALENDAR: MOVIES PETER SELLERS: HE'S NOT READY TO PACK IT IN YET". Los Angeles Times. p. k36.
- ^ Mann, Roderick (Apr 10, 1979). "Sellers: No Way to Treat 'Prisoner'". Los Angeles Times. p. b21.
- ^ "The Prisoner of Zenda".
- ^ Maslin, Janet (May 25, 1979). "Screen: Sellers in New 'Zenda'". The New York Times. C4.
- ^ McCarthy, Todd (May 23, 1979). "Film Reviews: The Prisoner of Zenda". Variety. 22.
- ^ Siskel, Gene (May 31, 1979). "'Prisoner of Zenda' not exactly a Sellers' market". Chicago Tribune. Section 2, p. 10.
- ^ Thomas, Kevin (May 25, 1979). "Sellers Stars in a Silly 'Zenda'". Los Angeles Times. Part IV, p. 24.
- ^ Arnold, Gary (May 25, 1979). "New 'Prisoner of Zenda': Afflicted by an Enemy Crisis With Peter Sellers". The Washington Post. E6.
- ^ Gill, Brendan (June 4, 1979). "The Current Cinema". The New Yorker. 155.
- ^ Ansen, David (June 11, 1979). "Peter Sellers in Wuwitania". Newsweek. 97.
- ^ Taylor, Paul (November 1979). "The Prisoner of Zenda". The Monthly Film Bulletin. 46 (550): 232.