The Prince and the Beggar Boy (1937)
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | The prince and the beggar boy |
| Original title | The Prince and the Pauper |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1937 |
| length | 118 minutes |
| Rod | |
| Director | William Keighley |
| script | Laird Doyle |
| production |
Robert Lord Hal B. Wallis for Warner Brothers |
| music | Erich Wolfgang Korngold |
| camera | Sol Polito |
| cut | Ralph Dawson |
| occupation | |
| |
The Prince and the Beggar Boy ( aka : With an Iron Fist ) is a 1937 American adventure film directed by William Keighley and starring Errol Flynn , Claude Rains and the Mauch twins . It is based on the novel of the same name by Mark Twain .
action
In England during the Tudor rule: The son of the scandalous King Henry VIII is the ailing Prince Edward, who is pampered by everyone. Edward lives in a golden cage that he often wishes to break out of. At the same time, the same-looking Tom Canty is growing up as the son of the brutal criminal John Canty. He lives with his family in great poverty and earns money as a beggar boy.
Edward and Tom meet by chance and are amazed at their resemblance. They swap clothes for fun. When the captain of the court guard appears, he thinks Tom is the prince and throws Edward out of the castle, because he thinks he is the beggar boy because of his clothes.
But nobody at court believes the alleged Prince Tom's story that he was a beggar boy. Only the devious Earl of Hereford believes him, but secretly he sends the captain of the court guard out to find the real king's son and kill him. Everyone thinks the prince at court is crazy because of these stories. Then Henry VIII dies and Tom is being prepared for his coronation. The Earl of Hereford hopes to make a big impact on the heir to the throne and become a shadow king.
The real Prince Edward finds a protector in former soldier Miles Hendon. At first he doesn't believe the story, but when he learns of the Earl of Hereford's search for the true prince, he takes his role as protector seriously. Edward sees the suffering of the population meanwhile.
Coronation day has come in London. In the middle of the ceremony, Edward bursts in, reveals himself, which Tom immediately confirms, and lays claim to the crown. With the help of Tom, Edward can finally prove that he is the real prince and is crowned. He remains friends with Tom Canty. Miles is named Earl of Kent while Earl of Hereford is banished from England.
background
The Prince and the Begging Boy can be classified in the series of Errol Flynn adventure films Under Pirate Flag , The Treason of Surat Khan and Robin Hood, King of the Vagabonds , which were made by Warner Brothers from the mid-1930s. In contrast to the other adventure films, this one contains some socially critical elements and there is no mistress, who was usually played by Olivia de Havilland . The film on the occasion of the coronation of George VI. brought to theaters.
First, Freddie Bartholomew was in discussion for the roles of Edward and Tom. Ultimately, director William Keighley hired the twins Billy and Bobby Mauch, each of whom received what was then the high salary of 350 US dollars per week. In addition, her mother, who never let her sons in sight on the set, was paid $ 150 a week. William Keighley had to be replaced by William Dieterle for a short time during filming due to illness . Westminster Abbey was recreated for the coronation scene, and the filming of this scene lasted a full seven days.
The film adaptation adheres to the essential features of the Mark Twain story The Prince and the Beggar Boy . However, a side episode about Miles' family was left out. In addition, it is not mentioned that the historical model for Edward was only 15 years old, probably because this would have made the end much sadder. Twain only mentioned this in an epilogue. In addition to this Hollywood film adaptation, Twain's novel saw other implementations: The Austrian silent film Prince and Beggar Boy (1920) by Alexander Korda , The Prince and the Beggar Boy (1962) by Don Chaffey with Sean Scully and Guy Williams , The Prince and the Beggar (1977 ) by Richard Fleischer with Oliver Reed and Raquel Welch ; and the television film The Prince and the Beggar Boy (2000) with Alan Bates .
Reviews
The online version of the TV magazine Prisma gives the film three out of five stars and describes it as a “lively spectacle”. The lexicon of international films judged: "Undemanding, but largely exciting adventure film based on a novel by Mark Twain that has been filmed several times."
Web links
- The Prince and the Pauper in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Prince And The Pauper, The (1937) - (Movie Clip) We'll Skin Him!
Individual evidence
- ↑ The prince and the beggar boy , review by Prisma.de
- ↑ The Prince and the Begging Boy at the Internet Movie Database
- ↑ The Prince and the Beggar at the Internet Movie Database
- ↑ The Prince and the Beggar Boy (2000) at the Internet Movie Database
- ↑ The Prince and the Beggar Boy , Prisma.de
- ↑ With an iron fist. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed July 3, 2017 .