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      The Prisoner of Zenda

      PG Released May 25, 1979 1h 49m Comedy List
      Reviews 41% 100+ Ratings Audience Score A plotting duke has a look-alike commoner (Peter Sellers) pose as Rudolf V, the next king of Ruritania. Read More Read Less

      Audience Reviews

      View All (10) audience reviews
      steve d Two Peter Sellers is two too many. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member Great looking film but you can see Sellers is ill and mad which scuppers a lot if good work from the other actors Rated 2 out of 5 stars 08/04/18 Full Review Audience Member Inoffensive but dull retelling of the classic tale. Good cast. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 03/08/18 Full Review s r Wasn't the best direction. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Loosely based upon the adventure classic from 1894 by Anthony Hope, this comedy take on it was adapted by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, and directed by Richard Quine (How to Murder Your Wife (1965)), this is a routine comedy which is just an excuse for it's star to put on silly voices and do sub-Pink Panther slapstick all over again. Set in the European kingdom of Ruritania, the elderly Kind Rudolf IV (Peter Sellers) is killed in a hot air balloon accident, and the heir to the throne is his son Rudolf V (Sellers again), is currently residing in London, so General Sapt (Lionel Jeffries) and his nephew Fritz (Simon Williams) go to London to bring Rudolf home, however, Rudolf finds himself being targeted by an unseen assassin, and they're saved by London cab driver Syd Frewin (Sellers again), who bears an uncanny resemblance to Rudolf. Sapt has an idea, he convinces Sid to come with them to Ruritania, to act as a decoy for Rudolf. But, when Rudolf ends up being kidnapped by his evil half-brother Prince Michael (Jeremy Kemp), Sid ends up reluctantly taking on the role of king. It's a very silly and even for 1979, quite dated comedy-adventure, it's just a Pink Panther film disguised as a historical epic, and even Sellers is on auto-pilot thoughout, despite a cast including Norman Rossington, Elke Sommer, Graham Stark and John Laurie. When it comes to comedy versions of historical novels, Marty Feldman did it better with The Last Remake of Beau Geste (1977) Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/05/23 Full Review Audience Member Resolved: The only thing more sublime than one Peter Sellers character in a film is two. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/28/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

      Cast & Crew

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      Photos

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      The Prisoner of Zenda

      The Prisoner of Zenda (1979) The Prisoner of Zenda (1979) The Prisoner of Zenda (1979) The Prisoner of Zenda (1979) View more photos

      Critics Reviews

      View All (2) Critics Reviews
      Augusto Martínez Torres El Pais (Spain) The movie is tailored to Peter Sellers' talents and it also develops the modern structure of the cartoon. [Full Review in Spanish] Aug 8, 2019 Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Rated: C Jun 14, 2005 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis A plotting duke has a look-alike commoner (Peter Sellers) pose as Rudolf V, the next king of Ruritania.
      Director
      Richard Quine
      Screenwriter
      Anthony Hope, Dick Clement, Ian La Frenais
      Distributor
      Universal Pictures
      Production Co
      Universal Pictures
      Rating
      PG
      Genre
      Comedy
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Theaters)
      May 25, 1979, Original
      Runtime
      1h 49m
      Sound Mix
      Mono