Verdict
Summary
A goofy swashbuckling comedy that relies on pratfalls, unintelligible accents, and Sellers, who takes on three roles to varying effect, The Prisoner of Zenda might not be a slam-dunk of a comedy or as a swashbuckler, but it’s got gorgeous Viennese locations and a nice score by Henry Mancini to help give it a little pep. Watch for a young Stuart Wilson (Lethal Weapon 3, No Escape, The Mask of Zorro) as one of the lead villains.
Plot:
A king swaps places with a cabbie, leading to confusion and adventure.
Review:
On his 80th birthday, King Rudolf of Ruritania (Peter Sellers) rides a hot air balloon to get a good look at his country, but then he falls out, and dies. His doltish son Rudolph the V (also Sellers) inherits the throne, but his sniveling brother The Count (Gregory Sierra) wants the throne so badly he can taste it. He begins scheming to kill his brother before the coronation, and Rudolph’s magistrates have a plan: They’ll swap him with a lookalike so that Rudolph is never actually in any danger. Luck has it that a lowly, humble cabbie named Syd (Sellers too) is picked because he’s a dead ringer for Rudolph, but the catch is that Syd never realizes he’s a patsy / double for the king, because so few people have actually laid their eyes on the new ruler. When The Count and his cronies begin chasing Syd and when other begin calling him Your Majesty, he is completely flummoxed and confused … until the penny drops and he realizes the big idea. After Rudolph is kidnapped and thrown into a dungeon, it’s up to Syd to completely reverse the course of destiny and save The Prisoner of Zenda!
A goofy swashbuckling comedy that relies on pratfalls, unintelligible accents, and Sellers, who takes on three roles to varying effect, The Prisoner of Zenda might not be a slam-dunk of a comedy or as a swashbuckler, but it’s got gorgeous Viennese locations and a nice score by Henry Mancini to help give it a little pep. Watch for a young Stuart Wilson (Lethal Weapon 3, No Escape, The Mask of Zorro) as one of the lead villains. From director Richard Quine.
Kino Lorber brings The Prisoner of Zenda to Blu-ray in a striking high definition transfer, and the disc comes with an audio commentary by two film historians, plus the trailer, an alternate artwork sleeve, and a slipcover.
