The Prince and the Pauper

"Mark Twain's Immortal Classic !"

1937 1h 58m EN

👍

6.8

SOLID

★6.8TMDB · 42

AdventureDramaFamilyFantasy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Two boys – the prince Edward and the pauper Tom – are born on the same day. Years later, when young teenage Tom sneaks into the palace garden, he meets the prince. They change clothes with one another before the guards discover them and throw out the prince thinking he's the urchin. No one believes them when they try to tell the truth about which is which. Soon after, the old king dies and the prince will inherit the throne.

“Mark Twain's Immortal Classic !”

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Cast

Errol Flynn
Miles Hendon
Claude Rains
Earl of Hertford
Henry Stephenson
Duke of Norfolk
Barton MacLane
John Canty
Billy Mauch
Tom Canty
Robert J. Mauch
Prince Edward
Alan Hale
Captain of the Guard
Eric Portman
First Lord

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: William Keighley
Writers: Laird Doyle
Languages: English, Spanish
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

89 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Spanish.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by William Keighley, shot by Sol Polito. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Original score by Erich Wolfgang Korngold. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Ralph Dawson shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Errol Flynn and Claude Rains and Henry Stephenson carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Mark Twain's Immortal Classic !".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0029440 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

William Keighley directs. Sol Polito behind the camera. Erich Wolfgang Korngold scores. Ralph Dawson cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English, Spanish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

189 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Spanish.
3Directed by William Keighley, shot by Sol Polito. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Erich Wolfgang Korngold. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Ralph Dawson shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Errol Flynn and Claude Rains and Henry Stephenson carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Mark Twain's Immortal Classic !".
8IMDB entry: tt0029440 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 42 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
10Classified under 11 themes, including "based on novel or book", "slum", "prince", "guard".

The technical file

Cinematography: Sol Polito
Original score: Erich Wolfgang Korngold
Editing: Ralph Dawson
Costume design: Milo Anderson
Runtime: 118 min · 1h 58m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: The Prince and the Pauper (1937)

Also by

William Keighley

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2022-06-20
★ 7/10
So Henry VIII finally has his beloved son - the Prince Edward whom he protects at all costs. All the walls and guards, though, don't stop the wandering urchin "Tom Canty" from getting into his apartment. The two boys chat and decide it might be a bit of fun to swap clothes as the King is throwing a fancy dress party that night. Their roles now reversed, the wrong boy now comes a cropper at the hands of his own guards and is turfed out leaving "Tom" to fill some rather luxurious britches. Despite his protestations that he's not the Prince, he isn't believed - not even by his own ailing father (Montagu Love) - a fact that the scheming Hertford (Claude Rains) plays to his full advantage when the king dies and he gets himself appointed the Lord Protector. If "Tom" thinks he's having it bad, just wait and see what the real Prince is having to deal with. Clad in rags and proclaiming his true status, everyone just thinks he's a bit bonkers. About to get a sound beating, he is saved by soldier of fortune "Miles Hendon" (Errol Flynn) who takes the boy under his wing. Initially, he's no more convinced about the tales of royalty either, but gradually he begins to believe and together they have to find a way to stop the coronation before the wrong boy is crowned and Hertford lops of the head of the Duke of Norfolk (Henry Stephenson) and rules the roost. Now, the pair have quite a few adventures and along the way the boy realises some of the iniquities of his kingdom, vowing that he will be a better king if he ever gets the chance. Will he? Flynn is on good form here but it's really the two Mauch twins - Robert is the Prince and Billy is the pauper, who steal the show. They look like they are having good fun playing their way through parts that were probably every boy's dream. Eric Portman and Alan Hale pop up now and again too and there's precisely no romance at all to clutter up the swash, buckle, duplicity and entertainment. It's one of Mark Twain's better stores, I think, and this is the best version made for the silver screen.

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