Monday Morning Maybe

Add your email and we'll match picks to the services you stream at home.

Poster for The Prisoner of Zenda

The Prisoner of Zenda

Seen it?

1937 | 101 min | Romance, Adventure

Saturday Specialearly rating

Why it’s a Saturday Special

Critics loved it (100% on Rotten Tomatoes), despite little lasting buzz. A strong pick for the weekend.

Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.

Is it for you?

Who'll love it
Made for romantics and adventure fans. If you loved The Three Musketeers, start here.
The mood
Warm and romantic.
The pace
Moves along nicely, at 1 hr 41 min.
What might put you off
Made in 1937: an older pace and style.

A kingdom's ascending heir, marked for assassination, switches identities with a lookalike, who takes his place at the coronation. When the real king is kidnapped, his followers try to find him, while the stand-in falls in love with the king's intended bride, the beautiful Princess Flavia.

How it earned its rating

  • CriticsVery strong

    100% on Rotten Tomatoes

  • AudiencesNot counted

    Not measured yet: not enough ratings

  • AwardsSolid

    Nominated for 2 Oscars.

  • Box office & staying powerSolid

    $5 million worldwide on a $1 million budget; still draws a steady audience long after release

  • Buzz & cultural impactBelow par

    About 29K people sought it out in the past year

Trailer

More like this

Want more like this, picked just for you? Get my picks

Cast & crew

Directed by John Cromwell

  • Ronald ColmanMajor Rudolf Rassendyll / The Prisoner of Zenda
  • Madeleine CarrollPrincess Flavia
  • Douglas Fairbanks Jr.Rupert of Hentzau
  • Mary AstorAntoinette de Mauban
  • C. Aubrey SmithColonel Zapt
  • David NivenCaptain Fritz von Tarlenheim
  • Raymond MasseyBlack Michael
  • Montagu LoveDetchard
  • Philip SleemanAlbert von Lauengram
  • Eleanor WesselhoeftFrau Holf the Cook