''The Prince and the Pauper'' is a British

action Action may refer to: * Action (narrative), a literary mode * Action fiction, a type of genre fiction * Action game, a genre of video game Film * Action film, a genre of film * ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford * ''Action'' (1980 fil ...

adventure An adventure is an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. Adventures may be activities with danger such as traveling, exploring, skydiving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, river rafting, or other extreme spo ...

film of 2000 directed by

Giles Foster Giles Foster has been an English television director since 1975, specialising in television dramas. He has also directed in Australia and in Germany (2012-2014). He wrote some television dramas in the 1970s. He is from Bath, Somerset and was ed ...

, based on the 1881 novel ''

The Prince and the Pauper ''The Prince and the Pauper'' is a novel by American author Mark Twain. It was first published in 1881 in Canada, before its 1882 publication in the United States. The novel represents Twain's first attempt at historical fiction. Set in 1547 ...

'' by

Mark Twain Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, entrepreneur, publisher, and lecturer. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has p ...

. It stars Alan Bates,

Aidan Quinn Aidan Quinn (born March 8, 1959) is an American actor who made his film debut in '' Reckless'' (1984). He has starred in over 80 feature films, including ''Desperately Seeking Susan'' (1985), '' The Mission'' (1986), ''Stakeout'' (1987), ''Aval ...

, and the twin brothers Jonathan and Robert Timmins as the lookalikes

Edward VI of England Edward VI (12 October 1537 – 6 July 1553) was King of England and Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death in 1553. He was crowned on 20 February 1547 at the age of nine. Edward was the son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour and the first ...

and

Tom Canty Thomas "Tom" Canty is a fictitious character from Mark Twain's 1881 novel ''The Prince and the Pauper.'' He was born the same day as Edward Tudor, the Prince of Wales in 1537 and grew up in a life of poverty with his abusive, alcoholic father and ...

Plot

In the 16th-century

City of London The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London fr ...

, a poor boy called

is bullied by his criminal father into stealing five shillings from a stranger. He is chased and escapes by getting through a gate into a palace garden. There, he meets and befriends Edward, Prince of Wales. They find they look very alike and that each craves the life of the other, so they swap clothes. Edward is then mistaken for Tom and marched out of the palace by guards. A stranger, Sir Miles Hendon (

), meets the boy and takes him to join Tom's father, John Canty. They fight, and Canty believes he has killed Miles, so flees from London into the country, taking Edward with him. Meanwhile, in the palace, Tom does not know how to play the part of a prince and reveals who he is to the scheming Lord Hertford (

Jonathan Hyde Jonathan Stephen Geoffrey King (born 21 May 1948), known professionally as Jonathan "Nash" Hyde, is an Australian-English actor. Hyde is perhaps best known for roles as Herbert Arthur Runcible Cadbury in the 1994 comedy film '' Richie Rich'', Sa ...

). Edward's father, Henry VIII, ( Alan Bates) falls seriously ill, and after giving orders that no one is to go on doubting that Tom is his son, he dies. Tom is accepted by the court as king. Word of these developments reaches John Canty and Edward, on the run, before Canty is killed in a fight. Edward again meets Miles, recovered and very much alive, who takes him to Hendon Hall, his family seat, where they find Miles's younger brother Hugh has seized his property. Hugh imprisons Miles and Edward, but they escape, and Edward persuades Miles that he is not Tom but the new king. On the day of the coronation, Edward and Miles travel to Westminster. Edward is able to halt the ceremony, and he and Tom are again able to exchange their clothes and identities. Archbishop Cranmer and others are suspicious, but Edward produces the Great Seal of the Realm to prove who he is. Afterwards, Edward gives Tom an official position, and Miles is restored to his lost honours.

Cast

as Sir Miles Hendon *Jonathan Timmins as Prince EdwardSue Parrill, William B. Robison ''The Tudors on Film and Television'' (McFarland, 2013), p. 7 * Robert Timmins as

* Alan Bates as King Henry VIII *

Ian Redford Ian Petrie Redford (5 April 1960 – 10 January 2014) was a Scottish professional footballer who played as a midfielder or forward. He played for Dundee before joining Rangers for a then Scottish record transfer fee. At Rangers he won in three d ...

as John Canty * Alison Newman as Ann Canty *

as Lord Hertford *

Tim Potter Tim Potter is an English actor in theatre, films and TV since the 1980s. Career Potter's stage work includes playing the role of Salvador Dalí in the original production of Terry Johnson's ''Hysteria'' at the Royal Court in 1993, and Charles I ...

as Chief Gentleman * James Greene as Archbishop Cranmer *

Perdita Weeks Perdita Rose Weeks (born 25 December 1985) is a British actress who plays Juliet Higgins in the CBS-turned-NBC reboot series ''Magnum P.I.'' Life and education Weeks was born in South Glamorgan, to Robin and Susan (née Wade) Weeks, was educat ...

as Lady Jane Grey * James Saxon as Abbot *

Lajos Balázsovits Lajos Balázsovits (born 4 December 1946) is a Hungarian film actor. He appeared in 60 films from 1968 to 2006. Selected filmography * ''The Upthrown Stone'' (1969) * '' The Confrontation'' (1969) * ''Milarepa'' (1974) * ''Electra, My Love'' ( ...

as High Sheriff *

Paul Brooke Paul Brooke (born 22 November 1944) is a retired English actor of film, television and radio. He made his film debut in 1972 in the Hammer film '' Straight on till Morning'', followed by performances in '' For Your Eyes Only'' (1981), ''Return o ...

as Magistrate *

Ruth Platt Ruth Platt is a British actress, writer and director, who has appeared in '' The Pianist'' (2002). Early life Platt studied English literature at University College, Oxford, before training at RADA. Career In 2015, Platt directed a British horror ...

as Sarah *János Gyuriska as Hugh Hendon *Márta Bakó as Grandmother Canty *Gyula Mesterházy as Prince's Servant *László Áron as Court Physician * Michael Mehlmann as Gentleman of the Balm *Luke Smith as Kitchen Boy *Aaron Keeling as Daniel Hunter *Sam Jones as Stephen Bartlett *Joanna Bacon as Woman with Applecart *Sándor Téri as Bystander *Zoltán Gera as Merchant *Zoltán Bezerédy as Ruffian *Piroska Molnár as Farmer's Wife *Laszlo Gorog as Magistrate's Clerk *Ben O'Brien as Constable *Tibor Szervét as Palace Guard

Production

The use of twin brothers to play Tom and the Prince echoes the casting of

Billy and Bobby Mauch William John Mauch (July 6, 1921 – September 29, 2006) and his identical twin brother, Robert Joseph Mauch (July 6, 1921 – October 15, 2007), were child actors in the 1930s. They had starring roles in the 1937 film ''The Prince and th ...

in a previous production starring

Erroll Flynn Errol Leslie Thomson Flynn (20 June 1909 – 14 October 1959) was an Australian-American actor who achieved worldwide fame during the Golden Age of Hollywood. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles, frequent partnerships with Olivia ...

, ''

'' (1937).Parrill and Robison (2013), p. 166 The picture was filmed on location in and around

Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...

, and most of the minor roles were played by local Hungarian actors.

Notes

External links

*
The Prince and the Pauper
at tudorplace.com.ar {{DEFAULTSORT:Prince Pauper 2000 2000 films 2000s historical adventure films Films about Henry VIII British historical adventure films English-language Hungarian films Prince and the Pauper 2000 Films set in London Films set in palaces Cultural depictions of Edward VI of England Hungarian historical films Films directed by Giles Foster 2000s English-language films 2000s British films

Plot

Cast

Production

See also

Notes

External links