The Prisoner of Zenda (1979)
August 17, 1979Release Date
The Prisoner of Zenda (1979)
August 17, 1979Release Date
Plot.
Where to Watch.
This Movie Is About.
Cast & Crew.
Peter Sellers
Rudolf IV / Rudolf V / Syd Frewin
Stuart Wilson
Rupert
Lynne Frederick
Princess Flavia
Lionel Jeffries
General Sapt
Elke Sommer
The Countess
Gregory Sierra
Count Montparnasse
Richard Quine
Director
Catherine Schell
Mauban
Jeremy Kemp
Duke Michael
Dick Clement
Writer
John Laurie
Archbishop
Ian La Frenais
Writer
Anthony Hope
Writer
Ian Abercrombie
Johann
Edward E. Rose
Writer
Walter Mirisch
Producer
Brendan Dillon
Joseph (uncredited)
Henry Mancini
Original Music Composer
Arthur Ibbetson
Director of Photography
John J. Lloyd
Production Design
Byron 'Buzz' Brandt
Editor
Lesley De Pettit
Casting
Sue Yelland
Costume Design
David Tomblin
Second Unit Director
Media.
Details.
Wiki.
The Prisoner of Zenda is a 1979 American comedy film directed by Richard Quine that stars Peter Sellers, Lynne Frederick, Lionel Jeffries, Elke Sommer, Gregory Sierra, Jeremy Kemp, and Catherine Schell. It is adapted from the 1894 adventure novel by Anthony Hope. The novel tells the story of a man (Peter Sellers) who has to impersonate a king, whom he closely resembles, when the king is abducted by enemies on the eve of his coronation. In 1952, an earlier adaptation of the story was made into a film starring Deborah Kerr and Stewart Granger, and directed by Richard Thorpe.The comedy was loosely adapted by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais. It has echoes of not only Hope's book but also several other well-known novels, especially Dumas's The Man in the Iron Mask. Sellers plays three roles: that of the Ruritanian King Rudolph V and the London cab driver Sydney Frewin who is brought in to portray the missing King with whom he shares an uncanny resemblance. Sellers also portrayed the aged King Rudoph IV at the start of the film, before he is killed in a hot air balloon accident.
The score by Henry Mancini was a highlight of the film and gained some critical acclaim. It was also Quine's final film as a director before he died in 1989.