ronald colman in his second out play a dual role . the masquerader be the first and be an englishman come to the mythical balkan kingdom of zenda for a little fishing r and r. nobody more astonished than he to discover that he a dead ringer for the monarch about to be crown . the king be also play by colman . crown unless he can overcome his own dissolute character and the machination of his half brother raymond massey . and there another guy in there and douglas fairbanks and jr. and who get his own agenda work while align with massey . the woman aren not out of the picture either . colman the king be set to marry his cousin madeleine carroll who in line for the succession herself . if he can elbow colman out of the way and massey would like her for himself . that do not sit well with mary astor the woman who be crush out big time on him . the king two trusted aide and c. aubrey smith and david niven and discover colman the traveler and introduce him to colman the king . at the hunt lodge of the king and the king get slip a present from one michael finn and he out of it on the day of the coronation . with massey ready to declare martial law and assume the crown himself and smith and niven count it a divine providence that the other colman be there . he take the king place and get crown the ruler of zenda . but massey and fairbanks aren not through by any mean . i count nine different version of this novel for the screen and include three silent film and one animate version . still this one set the standard . everyone be so well suit for their part . it certainly be one of ronald colman most beloved characterization and both of them . he essay both the character of the weak king who summon up enough grit to take on the job and the carefree english traveler that maybe providence do put in the right spot . the prisoner of zenda mark the return of douglas fairbanks and jr. to the american screen and a he relate it in his memoir he wasn not flood with good offer . he be reluctant to take on the part of rupert of hentzau a he have not take swashbuckling role deliberately so a not to be compare to his father . but fairbanks do ask dad and his father say that his role be the best one in the story and that he wish he be young enough to do it himself and that he should run not walk to accept the part . fairbanks do and he get rave review a the charming and but deadly rupert . the prisoner of zenda release be timely indeed with memory of the abdication of edward viii who would not step up to the plate and do his duty by his country . c. aubrey smith admonition about do one duty to colman the king be exactly what stanley baldwin and others be try to beat into mr. windsor head . though a good version of this be do in the fifty by stewart granger and james mason and this one be still by far the best .