PRISONER OF ZENDA ('37 & '52)

He has the appearance and manner of the king, yet he's really a lookalike...and on his shoulders rests all hope of foiling a blackguard's plot to usurp the throne. Adventure, pageantry and royal intrigue are forged at sword point in this screen version of the beloved 1894 novel filmed many times. Ronald Colman plays the double role in the resilient 1937 David O. Selznick production, making palpable the heartbreak of the royal stand-in whose gallantry is tested by his love for the real king's fiancee (Madeleine Carroll). Stewart Granger stars in the eye-filling 1952 color version, romancing Deborah Kerr and wielding bold steel in the film's bravura climactic duel!