The Prisoner of Zenda (1979) on Netflix
NR19791h 48mActionAdventureComedy
Ruritania's King Rudolf IV dies in a balloon accident; the throne goes to his son, Rudolf V, in London. Cab driver Sydney Frewin, who shares his face, saves him from an assassin.
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- Netflix2.7/5
- IMDb5.3/101,514 votes
- Rotten TomatoesNot available
Trailer
Plot summary
Ruritania's King Rudolf IV dies in a balloon accident on his eightieth birthday, and his son Rudolf V lives in London, spending his time in the city's pleasure establishments. Michael, the dead king's half-brother, holds that he is the better claimant and sends an assassin after him. Hansom cab driver Sydney Frewin, the new king's half-brother through an affair with a British actress, rescues Rudolf from the attempt. Once the resemblance between the two men is noticed, General Sapt hires Frewin, in name as the King's coachman, to play the role of a decoy.
Cast
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Did you know?!Facts and trivia about The Prisoner of Zenda (1979)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Peter Sellers objected strenuously after seeing a preview of The Prisoner of Zenda, claiming Mirisch had arranged for new footage to be shot without him or director Richard Quine, turning it into "a Pink Panther movie".
- The making of The Prisoner of Zenda was frequently tense: Peter Sellers' qualms about the production and his declining health led to several angry confrontations with his wife and co-star Lynne Frederick and with director Richard Quine.
- Walter Mirisch pitched The Prisoner of Zenda to Peter Sellers while Sellers was making Murder by Death; Sellers liked the idea but not the script, so Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais were asked to write a new one.
- The Prisoner of Zenda was Richard Quine's final film as a director and the final film performance by John Laurie before his death.
