The Prisoner of Zenda

Rex Ingram was one of the great visual stylists of the silent cinema, but his version of "The Prisoner of Zenda" is a little slow and ponderous and visually not as interesting as other Ingram films. But it's still pretty good with strong performances from Ingram's wife Alice Terry and the marvellous Lewis Stone. Although Ramon Novarro has top billing, Stone actually has the lead role - Ramon's role is a supporting one - an evil nobleman. But he is splendid - darkly handsome with a little beard and a monocle - and convincingly evil. It is interesting to see him before he became type-cast as the energetic sweet boy - he shows here that he had more range as an actor than he was allowed to show.

The entire supporting cast is excellent and, although the sets are ordinary, the costumes are very fine. I expected more from Ingram, but this film is still worthwhile. Does anyone know if the Ingram - Novarro "Scaramouche" is still in existence?

Expensive silent film of a king who is marked for assassination. He switches identities with a look alike (both played by Lewis Stone) who takes his place at his coronation. But the real king is kidnapped. While his followers try to find him, the fake king falls in love with Princess Flava (Alice Terry).

Slow moving but the film looks great. No action...just lots of exagerrated looks and people endlessly talking. The sets, costumes and acting helps. Seeing Stone (who went on to play Judge Hardy in the Andy Hardy movies) so young and being a romantic lead is interesting. He's also very good. Terry is regal and also very good as the princess. Ramon Novarro (still an unknown) plays the evil villain. That's quite a shock--he always played heroes in his later films. He pulls it off though.

So, it's beautiful but I can't totally recommend it.

I've seen both Rex Ingram's "Scaramouche" and "The Prisoner of Zenda" and by far "Scaramouche" the more entertaining film. This film though, was very fascinating. Lewis Stone acquits himself well as the hero/drukand king and swordfights quite well. Alice Terry made a very beautiful princess. Ramon Novarro played the monocled villain, somewhat unintentionally funny. Barbara La Marr, the closeups of her face, wow! Seeing Valentino's "cousins" from "The Four Horseman of the Acapolyse" in supporting roles was really cool.

However, the Colman/Fairbanks Jr. version is far superior.

Can you imagine the perpetually tired Lewis Stone in The Prisoner of Zenda? He has to play the senior advisor to the king, right? He's far too old and patriarchal to play the lead. . . So one would think. Well, in 1922, Lew was neither old, fatherly, nor tired. He played the dual leads, and he was given a brown wig! Full of energy, wonderful expressions to communicate to the audience without words, and the ability to both perform stunts and woo a fair maiden, Lew takes charge and acts like a leading man.

If you've never seen any of the movie versions or read the book, the story is very exciting. Just before a king's coronation, his evil brother plans to drug and kidnap him so that he can't be crowned the king. However, the king's faithful aides find a lookalike, completely by accident, and get him to impersonate the king during the coronation! If you've seen the modern-day comedy Dave, starring Kevin Kline, you'll have a basic understanding of the story.

I've seen three versions of this movie, and while the 1937 version is the best, this one is extremely impressive. It's amazing to see what Hollywood was capable of in 1922: the costumes, the sets, the elaborate action scenes with moats, drawbridges, and swordfights. At almost two hours, this is a lengthy silent movie, and there are quite a lot of title cards for you to read, but if you know the story, you won't be lost. Those who don't like silent movies will be incredibly bored, but if you like the change of pace and different way of storytelling, this is one worth watching, if only to see what Lewis Stone looks like with brown hair. It doesn't feel like it was made so early in the decade; if it had a 1928 timestamp on it, I'd believe it.

A retiring English country gentleman, Rassendyll, is mistaken for his distant cousin, King Rudolph of Ruritania. When the king is taken hostage by his jealous brother, Black Michael, Rassendyll agrees to act as the king in the coronation ceremony.

It takes a long time for this version of 'The Prisoner of Zenda' to get moving. The first hour or so is stodgy and less than riveting film-making, and then it gradually picks up momentum, and the last half hour packs a decent punch, especially action-wise. But all in all, a rather more lackluster, even crude entertainment than I had expected after the exhilarating 'Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse', also by Rex Ingram.

The script is largely at fault, with the scenes so disjointedly put together that it does not in long stretches make a lot of sense. It has the makings of some interesting psychological insights, but does not explore them. I would have made more - MUCH more - out of the fact that for a long while Black Michael seems a pretty decent fellow, genuinely in love with Antoinette and understandably preoccupied about leaving the fate of his country to his feeble-minded brother. But Ingram makes nothing of it and seems curiously uninspired.

The youngish Lewis Stone is an earnest Rassendyll/Rudolph, and sort of holds his own in the climactic sword-fight with, among others, Ramon Novarro. And now we are getting somewhere. This is Novarro's film. He was hardly a star when it was made, and his role does not take up a lot of screen time, but Novarro eats up the scenery with his monocled, slick diabolism. "While you're unhung, Rentzau, hell lacks its master!", Stone says, and right he is. Novarro is pure evil, and a delight to watch.