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The Prisoner of Zenda (1937 and 1952 Versions)

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Directors: John Cromwell, Richard Thorpe, W.s. Van Dyke
Actors: Ronald Colman, Madeleine Carroll, C. Aubrey Smith, Raymond Massey, Mary Astor
Studio: Warner Home Video
Category: DVD

List Price: ~~$19.98~~
Buy New: $11.61
You Save: $8.37 (42%)

New (42) Used (10) from $9.19

Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

27 reviews
Sales Rank: 9567

Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Subtitled, Ntsc, Full Screen
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Subtitled)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 201
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6

MPN: 79508
UPC: 012569795082
EAN: 0012569795082
ASIN: B000KJU13C

Theatrical Release Date: November 14, 1952
Release Date: March 6, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days

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Editorial Reviews:

Product Description
Two versions of Anthony Hope's THE PRISONER OF ZENDA are brought to the screen here. The version from 1952 stars Stewart Granger and Deborah Kerr while the 1937 adaptation features Ronald Colman in a dual role as dead ringers Rudolph Rassendyll a commoner and Rudolf V the crown prince of Ruritania.System Requirements:Running Time: 201 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA Rating: NR UPC: 012569795082 Manufacturer No: 79508

Customer Reviews: Read 22 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars

prisoner of zenda September 26, 2008
I recommend this movie for anyone who is a fan of the golden age of
Hollywood, when stars were glamorous with real class and not trying
to top eachother with the biggest scandle on the cover of People magazine!
Stewart Granger is wonderful in his duel role, and deborah kerr is great
as the princess. And james mason is the ulimate villian, his role should have been bigger. I've loved this movie since was a kid, and I've read the
book several times. If you love action and romance the old fashioned way,
this movie is for you.

5 out of 5 stars

Great Show September 4, 2008
My Mom and I love this movie. It is great to see people acting the way they should instead of just out of love or infatuation. Duty is important. Responsibility is to be considered even when you are in love. Thanks for a great movie.

The movies are identical in dialog. Only the actors and color is different. Both are fun to watch.

5 out of 5 stars

A Classic & Above-Average Copy July 8, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

The Prisoner of Zenda 2 pack is a real treat for fans of the story & the films. Watching them side by side invites the inevitable comparisons and the 1952 version comes up way short. This is not a criticism of that film; rather it is an affirmation of how great the 1937 version is. The '52 entry is a shot-by-shot remake using the same script and much of
the same score but filmed in color. The action sequences are beefed up and the climactic sword duel is well-staged and goes on forever. The critical difference in the films is not necessarily the casting but the performances. In general the actors in the '52 film seem very histrionic and overwrought in many scenes while the performers in the earlier version are more subtle, nuanced, and ultimately more effective. The only performer in the second film that is not up to snuff is Jane Greer as Antoinette, who is awful. Deborah Kerr is hard to take as the virginal Flavia while Madeleine Carroll in the '37 film looks like she stepped out of a storybook. Raymond Massey, no stranger to chewing scenery, is perfectly sinister & tragic in the '37 film while Robert Douglas is just evil and unlikeable in the later version. In the lead role of Rudolph Stewart Granger is suave and certainly athletic but has an overwrought edge in tense scenes that could have used a more tongue-in-cheek flair. Ronald Colman is nothing short of brilliant in the earlier film in one of his signature roles. Perhaps the biggest gap of performance effectiveness is the actors in the role of Rupert of Hentzua. James Mason is a brilliant actor but seems miscast and too old for the role; his attempts at being a suave lady-killer are laughable. Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. is a complete joy in the '37 version. He is a laughing cavalier; certainly evil but a truly likeable rogue that we are happy to see escape in the end.
Overall, I enjoyed the 1952 film but it suffers in comparison the 1937 classic. Ronald Colman was such a unique star, so suave and romantic, that the memory of him in the lead role lingers forever. The cast was perfect, the black-and-white photography lush, and the musical score both rousing and touching in appropriate spots. See this version first and the '52 copy won't stand a chance.

4 out of 5 stars

prisoner of zenda May 30, 2008
Extremely good - both versions but Ronald Coleman the better actor. Only differences in the two films were the actors and costumes. Dialogue exactly the same - makes one wonder why second film was made at all when the first was so very good. However, to compare performances was interesting and amusing.

5 out of 5 stars

The two finest versions of Anthony Hope's classic adventure on one disc December 16, 2007
David O. Selznick's 1937 version of Anthony Hope's oft-filmed and equally as oft-imitated warhorse The Prisoner of Zenda is often hailed as the best of many versions, and it's certainly a classic example of the genius of the Hollywood system in the Golden Age. With the plot so familiar even then - as with Gone With the Wind, Selznick was warned that the film would be a disaster, the producer betting successfully that the impending coronation of King Edward VII of Great Britain would create public interest for the Ruritanian romantic adventure - much of the strength is in the pitch perfect casting. Ronald Colman is a perfect Rudolf Rassendyl, charming, heroic and decent against all odds, the perfect gentleman but with a likeable sense of self-deprecating wit that keeps him from being remote or stuffy, though those are qualities that work against him as the uncrowned king a distant family scandal has left him the identical double of: he's not bad in his second role, but Colman never really did dissolute. Madeleine Carroll is the perfect princess and Mary Astor makes the most of the meatier role as the villain's mistress trying to save him (and her own place by his side) from his ambition. Raymond Massey's sneering looks and Old Testament disdain ensured that he never had to overexert himself to make a convincing villain as the illegitimate "Black" Michael, and he glowers splendidly here, though Douglas Fairbanks Jr. never quite gets the chances from the screenplay that he needs to outshine him as the more charismatically dastardly Rupert of Hentzau, something that would be corrected in MGM's1952 version. C. Aubrey Smith and a young David Niven also make an impression on the side of the angels.

Of course, producer David O. Selznick was as much of a star as any of his cast - even though more than ably directed by John Cromwell (alongside an uncredited George Cukor, who shot the lovers' final farewell scene, and W.S. Van Dyke II, who shot the final duel), there's no doubt that Selznick is the true auteur here. It's lavishly produced, with no expense spared design by Lyle Wheeler (albeit largely limited to exteriors: Selznick never had much of a backlot) and some attention-grabbling camerawork from James Wong Howe such as the long crane shot down a magnificent ceremonial staircase to a waiting reception, never letting the attention flag en route to the grand duel between Colman and Fairbanks Jr. It's never quite a match for the very best of Errol Flynn's swashbucklers (though Flynn would have made a better King than a Rassendyl), but 70 years on it still holds up as grand entertainment.

MGM's 1952 version of The Prisoner of Zenda is often dismissed as a shot-for-shot remake with nothing added but Technicolor, but while it does often closely follow the blueprint of the excellent 1937 Ronald Colman version it also improves on the screenplay to a surprising degree thanks to Noel Langley's script polish while offering at least one better action sequence. Rupert of Hentzau always had the best lines, but with James Mason in the part, the role is considerably expanded to particularly good effect, with Mason making the most of the charismatic villainy even if there's some rather obvious stunt doubling for him in the final swordfight. There's even the addition of a second scene between Stewart Granger's player king and Mason's charmingly untrustworthy rogue as befits Mason's star status, with Mason winning on points despite having the more ridiculous hairstyle. Not that Granger is any slouch here himself, at the height of his powers in the dual lead role and even allowing the real king a bit more dignity than usual too (though look out for the moment where Granger inadvertently reveals he's a pipe man offscreen when he has to light a cigarette!). While Louis Calhern isn't quite up to C. Aubrey Smith in the original as Colonel Zapt, the always likeable Robert Coote outshines David Niven in the earlier film as Fritz and Deborah Kerr makes for an excellent leading lady. Tremendous entertainment.

Although it's a shame that the originally announced 1922 silent version is not included on the DVD, but it still makes a good package: the 1937 version also includes a radio adaptation, the cartoon `The Wayward Pups and short film `Penny Wisdomn' while the 1952 includesa James Fitzpatrick travelog `Land of theTaj Mahal,' the Oscar-winning Tom and Jerry cartoon Johann Mouse and the original theatrical trailer.

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