The Prisoner of Zenda (1922)

This is one of my favourite swashbuckling stories - and this silent version is as good as they get. Lewis Stone is the travelling English baron "Rassendyll" who, through damned ill-luck happens to be in the tiny kingdom of Ruritania on the day before their new king "Rudolf" is to be crowned. Whilst walking in the woods, he is approached by two soldiers - "Sapt" (Robert Edeson) and "Fritz" (Malcolm McGregor) who happen to work closely with the king - and who are astounded to discover the Englishman is the spitting image of their sovereign. They adjourn to his hunting lodge where, equally astonished, the king and his distant cousin have a few drinks. Next morning, all is not well - the king has been drugged and there is no way he will make his coronation. "Sapt" explains that the crown would likely go to his scheming half-brother "Michael" (Stuart Holmes), the man likely behind this fiendish plot - unless they can find a way to get the king to his ceremony. Substitution appears the order of the day - but only for a short while - and they can thwart the evil Duke's ambitions... Except, the new "King" meets his soon to be bride "Flavia" (Alice Terry) and it all starts to get even more complicated... Can they rescue the real king before it is all too late? Well, that's the plot and Rex Ingram keeps it going well. Terry is lovely as the Princess and Stone plays his roles with loads of flair and style. As ever with these adventures, it's really all about the last fifteen minutes - and we have sword-fighting action a-plenty then. The sets and costumes are all top drawer and the inter-titles keep the story clear and concise. There can be no doubt that colour aided the subsequent versions of this, but otherwise this holds up well against any comparisons.