The Prisoner of Zenda is a 1913 silent film adaptation of a play by Edward E. Rice, which was in turn based on the 1894 Anthony Hope novel of the same name. It was directed by Edwin S. Porter and Hugh Ford, and starred stage actor James K. Hackett, Beatrice Beckley and David Torrence. ^[1]

In 1913, Adolph Zukor lured Hackett from the stage to star in a role which Hackett had played in the theater numerous times. Since feature films were in their infancy, Hackett was at first reluctant to take the part, so Zukor tried to convince Hackett in person; as Neal Gabler writes, "When Hackett came to visit Zukor, he was the very picture of the faded matinee idol. He wore a fur-collared coat with frayed sleeves and carried a gold-headed cane". ^[2]

According to silentera.com, the Library of Congress possesses two paper positive prints, and the International Museum of Photography and Film at George Eastman House also has a partial positive print. ^[1]

Plot summary

King Rudolf of Ruritania is saved from a coup attempt by the help of his lookalike cousin, who falls in love with the king's fiancee.

Cast

• James K. Hackett as Rudolf Rassendyll / King Rudolf of Ruritania
• Beatrice Beckley as Princess Flavia
• David Torrence as Michael, Duke of Strelsau
• Fraser Coalter as Colonel Sapt (as Frazer Coulter)
• William R. Randall as Fritz von Tarlenheim (as C. R. Randall)
• Walter Hale as Rupert of Hentzau
• Frank Shannon as Detchard
• Minna Gale as Antoinette de Mauban (as Mina Gale Haines)
• Charles Green as Johann
• Tom Callahan as Josef
• Sidney Barrington as Marshal Strakencz

See also

• The House That Shadows Built, a 1931 Paramount promotional compilation, includes an excerpt from this film.
• Edwin S. Porter filmography

References

External links

• The Prisoner of Zenda at IMDb
• The Prisoner of Zenda at the TCM Movie Database
• The Prisoner of Zenda at AllMovie
• The Prisoner of Zenda at the American Film Institute Catalog
• The Prisoner of Zenda (1913) at Silent Era
• The American Film Institute(Wayback)
• lantern slide(archived)
• poster(Wayback Machine)

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