Rassendyll is obviously quite dazzled by her. Nobody else realises the deception, not even the gorgeous Princess Flavia (Deborah Kerr), who, though she’s been intended as Rudolf’s bride since her childhood, hasn’t seen him for years. They stand outside, waiting along with hundreds of others, for the king who won’t come.īut the king-in the convincing form of Rassendyll- does come, and Michael and Rupert are flabbergasted. When Michael leaves, Rupert tries to flirt (in a nasty, contemptuous fashion) with Antoinette, and then goes to join Michael. Michael’s henchman, the slimy and sharp-tongued Rupert, Count of Hentzau (James Mason), comes to report on the successful sabotage of the coronation: with the king missing, it can’t possibly take place. Michael has little time for Antoinette and her fears. He’s equally fascinated by the Princess Flavia, intended consort of the king, whom he intends to marry once he’s on the throne. His mistress, a Frenchwoman called Antoinette (Jane Greer) is anxious, because she’s realised that the throne isn’t the only thing Michael’s got his eye on.
Michael (Robert Douglas) has already prepared his declaration of assumption of power as the Regent. On the train to Strelsau, von Tarlenheim and Sapt help him rehearse the oath of office.Īt Strelsau, meanwhile, the villains have been rejoicing.
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Rassendyll’s moustache is shaved off (thank heavens! I never liked it), his greying sideburns are covered over with boot blacking, and he’s given a crash course in how to behave like royalty. By nightfall the king will be right as rain and will take over. But Sapt and von Tarlenheim are nothing if not good at persuasion, and they succeed, mainly by reassuring Rassendyll that it’ll be only for one day. This just won’t do and he’s bound to be caught. There’s only one solution, and he’s staring them in the face. And the coronation can’t be postponed it’ll simply give Michael the opportunity he needs to grab the throne. The news is dire: the king isn’t dead, but he’s deeply unconscious and Sapt (I didn’t know this guy was a doctor too) says he’ll remain so for the next few hours. The next morning, Sapt wakes Rassendyll (by splashing him with a jug of water: why not just shake him by the shoulder?). The next thing he knows, he’s feeling dizzy, reeling-and then keeling over onto the carpet, dead to the world. He almost returns it, then changes his mind and has a hefty swig. Sapt leaves, and with both Rassendyll and von Tarlenheim now asleep, Rudolf finds himself the only customer for the latest bottle of wine fetched from the cellar. As the night progresses, the king begins to reveal some of his frailties: he drinks like a fish, and when Sapt tries to intervene, he slaps the older man. The coronation is to be held the next day, and Rudolf tells Rassendyll about his enemy, his half-brother Michael, Duke of Strelsau, who wants the throne for himself. He invites Rassendyll to his hunting lodge nearby.Īt the hunting lodge, they talk, eat and drink long into the night. Rudolf is a jovial, carefree sort when he asks Rassendyll what the Englishman’s being doing and the reply is that, like their mutual ancestor, he’s guilty of “fishing in forbidden waters,” Rudolf’s very amused. The king too comes along, and the mystery is cleared up: Rudolf V’s great-great-grandfather had gone to England and been up to some hanky-panky with Rassendyll’s great-great-grandmother, and ever since, every couple of generations, a Rassendyll is born with the features of the Ruritanian royal family. Both are amazed at Rassendyll’s resemblance to the king.
He is awakened by two of the king’s men, Colonel Sapt (Louis Calhern) and Fritz von Tarlenheim (Robert Coote). Rassendyll goes off to the province of Zenda to fish (completely disregarding a `Fishing prohibited’ sign), and dozes off. Rassendyll ignores the startled looks of the locals and he doesn’t notice the poster of the new king of Ruritania, who’s the spitting image of Rassendyll himself. Among those arriving is Rudolf Rassendyll (Stewart Granger), an Englishman who admits he’s here not for the coronation, but for a holiday-he wants to go trout fishing. Ruritania’s new king, Rudolf V, is to be crowned, and hordes of visitors are descending on Strelsau for the festivities. Sometime in the late 19th century, in a fictional country called Ruritania, a train stops by at the capital, Strelsau.
So, without further ado, let’s begin with the story. And, best of all: not one Granger, but two: he’s in a double role here (well, one of the characters is hardly there, but still). When the film in question boasts of Deborah Kerr opposite Granger, lots of swordplay and palace intrigue, a magnificently villainous villain, and some very fancy costumes: my day is made. Like Robert Mitchum, Stewart Granger is one of those actors who just needs to be in a film for me to want to see it.
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