Elaborate adventure drama is the latest acquisition in Eastman House’s nitrate motion picture collection

THE PRISONER OF ZENDA (1937) directed by John Cromwell and starring Ronald Coleman, Madeleine Carroll, and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. is based on the 1894 novel The Prisoner of Zenda: Being the History of Three Months in the Life of an English Gentleman by Anthony Hope.  It is the story of King Rudolf V (Ronald Coleman) who, the night before his coronation, meets a man who is identical to himself.  

As they toast their shared ancestors, the king falls ill, and the look-alike takes his place on the throne until he recovers.  Along the way, the look-alike falls for the lovely Princess Flavia (Madeleine Carroll), the king’s intended.  She finds the “new king” much kinder and begins to love him in return.

Watching the film, some in the audience may think to themselves “Hey, this sounds a lot like the movie DAVE (1993) starring Kevin Kline and Sigourney Weaver” and you would be right-up to a point.  Here the plot changes and THE PRISONER OF ZENDA becomes more of an adventure story with sword fights, castles, and dungeons.

THE PRISONER OF ZENDA was a box office hit when released, giving producer David O. Selznick his second hit that year (the first was A STAR IS BORN with Janet Gaynor and Frederic March.)               

Accepted by the acquisitions committee, these elements make up a complete nitrate print, with material created in 1937 and 1945.  While the material is brittle due to the age, the shrinkage is very low, and the image quality is good.  Long term cold storage will ensure this print will last for years to come.

You May Also Enjoy:

1. Yes, it’s Nitrate…or is it? Working in a facility that stores over 24,000 reels of...
2. Warning! Watching silent movies can be addicting!! Last week I received the March edition of Turner Classic...
3. Conserving Hollywood History at George Eastman House One of the greatest films made about life in...
4. Idiocracy Mike Judge’s Futuristic Vision of Uhhh-merica Office Space (1999), writer-director Mike Judge’s trenchantly funny look at...
5. A Personal Look at a Sports Movie for People Who Hate Sports Movies I feel about the movie Breaking Away the same way...