The guys are all in uniforms throughout pretty much the whole movie, which is not necessarily a bad thing. So, for reference, here’s an illustration by Charles Dana Gibson from 1898 of a scene from the novel: Also, there is absolutely no hairpin/bobby pin shortage here.Īlthough the novel was published in 1894 and the setting seems to be even earlier since the book is recalling events in the past, the movie is set in 1897 (as a ball invitation helpfully tells us). There’s lots of glamour because it all takes place at the royal court of Ruritania during a coronation and the Technicolor doesn’t hurt. While The Prisoner of Zenda is obviously a product of its time in its costuming, hair, and makeup, it’s still a pretty glorious visual spectacle. With regard to the cast, Stewart Granger is a swashbuckler par excellence as both Rudolf Rassendyll and the king that Rudolf so greatly resembles, Deborah Kerr makes a lovely and elegant Princess Flavia, James Mason is a cunning and charming Rupert of Hentzau (although a bit old for the role of the young Rupert), and Jane Greer is beautiful (and very Technicolor) as the passionate Antoinette de Mauban. The costumes are by Walter Plunkett, who is most famous for costuming Gone with the Wind (1939) but also had a long career in Hollywood designing costumes for a number of frock flicks. TCM explains that the 1952 version is shot almost identically to the 1937 version, except that the fight scenes were improved (more swashbuckling!) and it’s in glorious Technicolor.
It’s also a remake of an earlier film version from 1937 and the novel was adapted into film many times before this in silent versions. It’s an adaptation of the popular 1894 novel of the same name by Anthony Hope that gave rise to the genre of the Ruritanian romance, usually an adventure in which the setting is a fictional European country.
The Prisoner of Zenda (1952) is a swashbuckling adventure, filled with romance, swash, and (you guessed it!) buckling. She is currently working on her PhD in English literature. Frock Flicks note: This is a guest post by our friend Sabrina, a historical costume enthusiast who enjoys sewing historical costumes from various eras.
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