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By
NICK ZEGARAC
Producer David O. Selznick
never thought small. John Cromwell's The Prisoner
of Zenda (1937) is a lavishly mounted, rousing
romantic swashbuckler. Based on Anthony Hope's
best-selling novel, the tale concerns Rudolph
Rassendyll (Ronald Colman), a Major in service to
England who is on a fishing expedition in the
fictional far away province of Zenda. There, he
accidentally meets two of the country's most loyal
subjects; Colonel Zapt (C. Aubrey Smith) and Capt.
Fritz von Talenheim (played with subtle comedic
charm by newcomer, David Niven). Both are
astonished by the striking resemblance between
their king and Rassendyll.
As it turns out, Rassendyll is the king's distant
cousin. Immensely pleased by Rassendyll's
likeness, the king invites one and all to dine at
his hunting lodge on the eve before his
coronation. Unfortunately, the king's half
brother, Michael (Raymond Massey) has drugged the
wine. Unfit and unable to be crowned, Rassendyll
arrives at the coronation in the king's stead,
forcing Michael to send his unscrupulous henchman,
Rupert of Henzau (Douglas Fairbanks Jr.) back to
the hunting lodge to unravel the mystery of what
went wrong.
Meanwhile, Rassendyll has fallen hopelessly in
love with the future queen, Princess Flavia
(Madeleine Carroll). She is unable to reconcile
how the person she knew as a spiteful arrogant and
presumptuous child has grown into such a loving
and respectful suitor. Her curiosity is
temporarily quelled when Rassendyll is summoned by
Zapt to rescue the king from his captors and
preserve the rightful lineage of the monarchy.
Stunningly photographed by James Wong Howe, this
preferred version of Zenda is a melodramatic
fairytale that continues to sparkle as few
adventure yarns of any vintage do. Colman is his
usual adroit and charming self – fittingly regal
as the king, understandably noble as his cousin.
Massey and Fairbanks are formidable villains, oily
and dangerous. Madeleine Carroll is a luminous
Flavia.
In 1952, MGM remade The Prisoner of Zenda,
mustering up all their formidable resources for
another stab at the gilded lily of bygone romance
and adventure. Although director Richard Thorpe's
spectacle adds Technicolor to these proceedings –
retaining mostly scenes, dialogue and even music
cues from Selznick's original – the results are
not quite as satisfying this time around. Stewart
Granger takes over from Ronald Colman; Deborah
Kerr is his Flavia. But the chemistry between
these two luminous costars is strangely lacking.
Though a very gifted actor, James Mason is
ill-suited to play Rupert as the youthful rake
that Fairbanks was in the original. Mason is even
more ill at ease in his regal costuming than
Robert Douglas, who assumes the thankless duties
of Michael from Raymond Massey. Undeniably lavish
– though at times slightly gaudy - the remake
lacks tempo, spirit and above all else - heart,
that Selznick's B&W epic embraces wholly in
sustaining a paper-thin adventure beneath the
grandeur.
Warner Home Video's flipper disc (the ‘37 is on
side A; the ‘52 on side B) is an acceptable
offering. The B&W elements of the ‘37 version may
lack in a thorough digital restoration but the
grayscale is nicely balanced with refined contrast
levels. Blacks are black. Whites are light gray.
Film grain is moderate to light – stock footage
and exterior shots are plagued by a more obvious
patina of dirt and scratches. Age related
artifacts are present throughout, but for the most
part do not distract. Occasionally, there is
slight image instability, wobbling from left to
right. Previous laserdisc and VHS releases have
suffered from a decidedly strident audio
characteristic. The DVD's audio is mono but has
been cleaned up and is, at long last, presented at
an adequate listening level.
The ‘52 version of Zenda exhibits a Technicolor
presentation that is perhaps not quite as refined
as one might expect. Flesh tones appear very warm;
either orangey or pink. Reds often adopt a
slightly orange tint. Contrast levels appear just
a tad weaker than expected. Age related artifacts
are present but do not distract. The audio is mono
and – owing to advancement in recording
technologies in the interim - exhibits a more
refined sonic characteristic than the ‘37 with
slightly more bass tonality. There are NO extras
on either version. |
