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The villainous Rupert of Hentzau gives his name to its 1898 sequel.
The Ruritania books were extremely popular at the time they were published and inspired a host of imitations, including the Graustark novels by George Barr McCutcheon .
The Hon. Rudolf Rassendyll, younger brother of the Earl of Burlesdon and (through an ancestor's indiscretion) a distant cousin of Rudolf V, the new King of Ruritania - a fictional Germanic kingdom situated between the German and Austrian Empires. King Rudolf is a hard-drinking, feckless playboy, unpopular with the common people, but supported by the aristocracy, the Church, the army, and the wealthier classes in general. His political rival is his younger half-brother, Michael, Duke and Governor of Strelsau, the capital city. Michael has no legal claim to the throne because he is the son of their father's second, morganatic marriage: there are hints, regarding his swarthy appearance and Rassendyll's use of the word 'mongrel' to taunt him, that he may be part- Jewish. He is regarded as the champion of Strelsau's impoverished working-class, and is also popular in the countryside. (The morality of the novel - that propping up a dissolute despot is a 'good thing' - is disconcerting. It is possible that the author, something of an ironist, is playing with his readers, or perhaps wishes us to see Rassendyll as a not-entirely reliable narrator.)
When Rudolf is abducted and imprisoned on Michael's orders, Rassendyll has to impersonate the King at his coronation. There are various complications, plots and counter-plots, with the schemings of Michael's mistress Antoinette de Mauban, and of the villainous henchman Rupert of Hentzau, and Rassendyll falling in love with Princess Flavia, the King's betrothed. The King is finally restored to the throne - but the lovers must part.
The novel has been adapted many times for film and television, the best-known screen version being the 1937 film. It stars Ronald Colman, Madeleine Carroll, C. Aubrey Smith , Raymond Massey, Mary Astor, David Niven and Douglas Fairbanks Jr..
The movie was adapted by Wells Root , John L. Balderston , Donald Ogden Stewart (additional dialogue) Ben HechtBen Hecht ( February 28, 1894 April 18, 1964) was one of the most prolific of all Hollywood screenwriters, even though he professed hatred and disdain for the motion picture industry. Life and Hollywood Hecht was raised in Racine, Wisconsin, and as a youn (uncredited) and Sidney HowardSidney Coe Howard born June 26, 1891 in Oakland, California, United States died August 23, 1939 in Tyringham, Massachusetts, was a playwright and screenwriter who became the first person to win both a Pulitzer Prize and an Academy Award. He graduated from (uncredited) from the novel and the adapted play by Edward E. Rose . It was directed by John Cromwell .
It was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Art DirectionThe Academy Awards are the oldest awards ceremony for achievements in motion pictures. The Academy Award for Best Art Direction recognizes achievement in art direction on a film. The films below are listed with their production year, so the Oscar 2000 for and Best Music, ScoreFrom "Rule Sixteen" of the "Special Rules for The Music Awards Original Score An original score is a substantial body of music in the form of dramatic underscoring written specifically for the film by the submitting composer. The years shown are the produ. The film has been deemed "culturally significant" by the United States Library of CongressThe Library of Congress the unofficial national library of the United States, is one of the most important libraries in the world. Originally founded as a research library for the United States Congress April 24th 1800, its original collection were the bo and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.
The Prisoner of Zenda has been made several other times: