''The Prince and the Pauper'' (German: ''Prinz und Bettelknabe'') is a 1920

Austrian Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen, see Austrian nationality law * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ...

silent

adventure film An adventure film is a form of adventure fiction, and is a genre of film. Subgenres of adventure films include swashbuckler films, pirate films, and survival films. Adventure films may also be combined with other film genres such as action, ani ...

directed by

Alexander Korda Sir Alexander Korda (; born Sándor László Kellner; hu, Korda Sándor; 16 September 1893 – 23 January 1956)Tibor Lubinszky Tibor Lubinszky (26 November 1909 - 1 April 1956) was a Hungarian film actor. Lubinszky became famous as a child actor, starring in a number of silent films during the 1910s and 1920s.Kulik p.30 In the 1920 Austrian film ''The Prince and the Paup ...

, Albert Schreiber, and Adolf Weisse. It is based on

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 pr ...

's 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 ...

'' about a poor boy who switches places with

Edward Edward is an English given name. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements '' ēad'' "wealth, fortune; prosperous" and '' weard'' "guardian, protector”. History The name Edward was very popular in Anglo-Sax ...

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rule ...

in Tudor England. For the first time in this Austrian film, a

child actor The term child actor or child actress is generally applied to a child acting on stage or in movies or television. An adult who began their acting career as a child may also be called a child actor, or a "former child actor". Closely associated t ...

, the Hungarian

Tibor Lubinszky Tibor Lubinszky (26 November 1909 - 1 April 1956) was a Hungarian film actor. Lubinszky became famous as a child actor, starring in a number of silent films during the 1910s and 1920s.Kulik p.30 In the 1920 Austrian film ''The Prince and the Paup ...

, who at eleven years old could already boast a respectable career in cinema, was called to play the double role of protagonist.

Production

The film's producer

Alexander Kolowrat Count Alexander " Sascha" Joseph von Kolowrat-Krakowsky (29 January 1886 – 4 December 1927) was an Austrian film producer of Bohemian-Czech descent from the House of Kolowrat. A pioneer of Austrian cinema, he founded the first major film stud ...

wanted to emulate the spectacle of Italian costume epics, and was particularly inspired by two recent German films, '' Madame Dubarry'' (1919) and ''

Anna Boleyn ''Anna Boleyn,'' also known as ''Deception'', is a 1920 German historical film directed by Ernst Lubitsch. It stars Henny Porten as Anne Boleyn and Emil Jannings as King Henry VIII. The film was produced by Paul Davidson's Union Film, a su ...

'' (1920) by

Ernst Lubitsch Ernst Lubitsch (; January 29, 1892November 30, 1947) was a German-born American film director, producer, writer, and actor. His urbane comedies of manners gave him the reputation of being Hollywood's most elegant and sophisticated director; as ...

. It was Korda's first film after leaving his native

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, Cr ...

and moving to Austria to work for

Sascha-Film Sascha-Film, in full Sascha-Filmindustrie AG and from 1933 Tobis-Sascha-Filmindustrie AG, was the largest Austrian film production company of the silent film and early sound film period. History The business was established in 1910 by Alexande ...

. He collaborated with the screenwriter

Lajos Bíró Lajos Bíró (; born Lajos Blau; 22 August 1880 – 9 September 1948) was a Hungarian novelist, playwright, and screenwriter who wrote many films from the early 1920s through the late 1940s. Life He was born in Nagyvárad, Kingdom of Hunga ...

, who had also been forced to leave Hungary, for the first time. They would later work on twenty three more films together.

Reception

The film was largely praised on its release in Britain. Albert Schreiber's portrayal of

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...

was particularly praised for avoiding the buffoonery usually associated with the monarch. The critical reception was also favourable in Austria, Germany and the United States. The film's American release was delayed due to a legal dispute with an American company which was also planning a film version of the novel. Once it was eventually released it proved to be a great success. The film's financial success in America inspired Korda towards his later ambitions to make "international films" which would have global market appeal, a strategy he put into place when working later in Britain which led to the worldwide success of his 1933 film ''

The Private Life of Henry VIII ''The Private Life of Henry VIII'' is a 1933 British film directed and co-produced by Alexander Korda and starring Charles Laughton, Robert Donat, Merle Oberon and Elsa Lanchester. It was written by Lajos Bíró and Arthur Wimperis for London F ...

''.Kulik p.31

Cast

as Prince Edward/ Tom Canty * Albert Schreiber as

* Adolf Weisse as Lord Chancellor *

Franz Herterich Franz Herterich (3 October 1877 – 28 October 1966) was a German actor. He was born in Munich and died in Vienna. Partial filmography * ''The Eye of the Buddha'' (1919) * ''Der Traum im Walde'' (1919) - alter Diener * ''Todestreue'' (1919) * '' ...

as John Canty * Franz Everth as Miles Herndon * Wilhelm Schmidt as Hugh Herndon * Ditta Ninjan as Lady Edith * Lilly Lubin as Isabel

References

Bibliography

* Kulik, Karol. ''Alexander Korda: The Man Who Could Work Miracles''. Virgin Books, 1990.

External links

* 1920 films Austrian silent feature films Austrian historical adventure films Films directed by Alexander Korda Prince and the Pauper 1920 Films set in London Prince and the Pauper 1920 Films set in the 1540s 1920s historical adventure films Cultural depictions of Edward VI of England Australian black-and-white films Silent adventure films {{Austria-film-stub