Der Prinz und der Bettelknabe

A cute classic and very well executed, tried to be the most faithful to the work, great setting and costumes, the original work served as social criticism, which works well here too, it seems that Erich Kästner the boy doesn't do as well as the girl Hayley Mills (Operation Cupid), which seems to be based on the same central idea, but we enjoyed with pleasure this great children's copy, fun and with beautiful messages...

A fun adaptation of Mark Twain's ultimate doppelgänger story. Sean Scully is the beggar ("Tom Canty") who stumbles into the palace of Henry VIII (Paul Rogers) where he encounters a curious Prince of Wales - who might be his twin! The Prince is struggling to find attire for a rather tiresome fancy dress party and hits on the idea of swapping clothes with his new, scruffy, friend. The guards assume the prince is really the pauper and evict him from his grandeur to make his way in the squalid streets of "Offal Court"; where he meets "Miles Hendon" (Guy Williams) and sets about convincing him, and everyone else of his true identity. Meantime "Tom" is having as equally an hard time convincing all the folks in the palace that he isn't actually the Prince - and when Henry VII dies - the King too. It's an enjoyable, colourful historical adventure with some swash and buckle; good attention to the detail of Tudor Court and costumes and the likes of Jane Asher, Donald Houston and Laurence Naismith all support the young Scully well.

Disney was really into hiring one child actor to play multiple roles. However, unlike their success in this in The Parent Trap films, Scully just isn't quite up to the task. Each of the boys is clearly written, but the layers of deception are lost under a doe-eyed dullness.

Given the stature of the studio today, it is easy to see what an outlier this was at the time. Produced overseas (so Walt was not in charge) and written as an uncertain combination of drama and/or musical, badly written, badly cast, badly acted, and badly directed. With a runtime of only 1:09. (Except of course for Williams, the one and only Zorro -- eat your heart out Anthony Hopkins).

A film crew and actors arrived in County Meath, Donaghpatrick in the early 1960s. A thatched cottage with road and grass frontage (no wall or gate) was used. It was on a very quiet country road running parallel to the Blackwater river. (Half way between Navan and Kells). We think this was The Prince and the Pauper. Another local cottage was used as a make-up studio.