Ronald Colman in his second outing playing a dual role. The Masquerader being the first, is an Englishman come to the mythical Balkan kingdom of Zenda for a little fishing R&R. Nobody's more astonished than he to discover that he's a dead ringer for the monarch about to be crowned. The king is also played by Colman.<br /><br />Crowned unless he can overcome his own dissolute character and the machinations of his half brother Raymond Massey. And there's another guy in there, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., who's got his own agenda working while aligned with Massey. <br /><br />The women aren't out of the picture either. Colman the king is set to marry his cousin Madeleine Carroll who's in line for the succession herself. If he can elbow Colman out of the way, Massey would like her for himself. That does not sit well with Mary Astor the woman who is crushing out big time on him.<br /><br />The king's two trusted aides, C. Aubrey Smith and David Niven, discover Colman the traveler and introduce him to Colman the king. At the hunting lodge of the king, the king gets slipped a present from one Michael Finn and he's out of it on the day of the coronation.<br /><br />With Massey ready to declare martial law and assume the crown himself, Smith and Niven count it as divine providence that the other Colman is there. He takes the king's place and gets crowned the ruler of Zenda. But Massey and Fairbanks aren't through by any means.<br /><br />I counted nine different versions of this novel for the screen, including three silent films and one animated version. Still this one sets the standard. Everyone is so well suited for their parts.<br /><br />It certainly is one of Ronald Colman's most beloved characterizations, both of them. He essays both the character of the weak king who summons up enough grit to take on the job and the carefree English traveler that maybe providence did put in the right spot.<br /><br />The Prisoner of Zenda marked the return of Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. to the American screen and as he relates it in his memoirs he wasn't flooded with good offers. He was reluctant to take on the part of Rupert of Hentzau as he had not taken swashbuckling roles deliberately so as not to be compared to his father.<br /><br />But Fairbanks did ask dad and his father said that his role is the best one in the story, that he wished he was young enough to do it himself and that he should run not walk to accept the part. Fairbanks did and he got rave reviews as the charming, but deadly Rupert. <br /><br />The Prisoner of Zenda's release was timely indeed with memories of the abdication of Edward VIII who would not step up to the plate and do his duty by his country. C. Aubrey Smith's admonitions about doing one's duty to Colman the king were exactly what Stanley Baldwin and others were trying to beat into Mr. Windsor's head.<br /><br />Though a good version of this was done in the Fifties by Stewart Granger and James Mason, this one is still by far the best.