User reviews

The Prince and the Pauper is a charming and witty film. Errol Flynn, although appearing a little late in the film, gives a great performance as an adventurer who protects what he believes is a delusional boy. The Mauch twins, Billy and Bobby, are perfect foils for Flynn, who's interaction with the Prince of England is touching, warm and comedic. As usual with Flynn's films Erich Wolfgang Korngold's music is brilliant, weaving a childlike main theme with an undercurrent of adventure. Every time you hear the score one almost picture a child giggling, while playing hide-and seek. It is one of Korngold's least known scores, but it is a gem. Flynn was a tragic figure, a larger then life adventurer and lover who 's reputation, after death, naturally, was smeared by a several books, now proved to be false. Truly, a man born in the wrong century. There is no actor capable of pulling off what Flynn did in his hay day. He has been largely ignored by Hollywood. Hypocrites, I think might be an appropriate term to attach to today's Academy moguls. A rake, drunk and scalawag? Yes. But he was the guy who has a least a half dozen classics that have stood the test of time. Unfortunately, the Prince and the Pauper is rarely seen on TV nowadays. A shame. Where would we Walter Mitty's be without the last of the true swashbucklers?

Bobby Mauch and Billy Mauch are "The Prince and the Pauper," a 1937 film based on the Mark Twain story. The film also stars Errol Flynn and Claude Rains. When Tom, the pauper, is caught by the guards, the young Prince sees a playmate in him and invites him in. They change clothes so that the Prince can go and get his dog from the kennel for their next game, but he's caught by the cruel guards who think he's the pauper. This leaves the hapless Tom stuck in the palace as a prince who is about to become king any minute. He has a protector forced upon him, the Earl of Hertford (Rains), who does not have the best interests of the English people in mind.

While he's in Tom's world, Prince Edward gets a good look at the horrible way the English people are forced to live because of bad laws. Eventually he meets Miles Hendon (Flynn) who saves him from Tom's wretched father. The question is, once Hendon is convinced that he's in the presence of the true King, can he get him to the coronation before the beggar is crowned? This is a wonderfully fun movie, filled with the meanest of the mean in Alan Hale as a palace guard, Barton MacLane as Tom's father, and the diabolical, unfeeling Earl. All are very convincing. The twins are delightful. As for Errol Flynn, he's as dashing and charming as ever as he wields a sword and rides a horse. A great cast and a marvelous film for the whole family. Highly recommended.

Those who hope to see a lot of Errol Flynn in this movie will be disappointed ... it is a good hour before he makes his appearance as Miles Hendon.

The novel by Mark Twain looked at what might have happened if the future Edward VI was swapped for a beggar boy who looked identical, and what that might mean for the (simplified) political situation on the death of his father, Henry VIII.

As Edward and the beggar, Tom Canty, identical twins Billy and Bobby Mauch are charming. Much better than the split screen versions in later remakes of the 60s and 70s. They were both good little actors as well, which helps in this story.

Claude Rains excels as the villain of the piece, while Alan Hale, Eric Portman, and others make up the cast. Flynn himself is fun as Hendon, swashbuckling with the best.

After 70 years this film has not dated one jot - highly enjoyable.

In 1937, the WB, capitalizing on Errol Flynn's spectacular performances in CAPTAIN BLOOD and THE CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE, cast him in four films, with varying degrees of success. The best, by far, was William Keighley and William Dieterle's production of the Mark Twain classic, THE PRINCE AND THE PAUPER, where he supported new WB 'discoveries' Billy and Bobby Mauch, portraying London urchin Tom Canty and his look-alike, Prince Edward Tudor. The twins were gifted, young (12 at the time of the filming) actors, with a Freddie Bartholomew-like quality of engaging innocence, and they gave this version of the oft-filmed tale a sense of reality that split-screen performances by a single actor could never achieve.

The story is an engaging one, as young Canty, inspired by his mother and a local priest to dream of a finer life than his father, an ill-tempered beggar (Barton MacLane) could provide, sneaks onto the grounds of Buckingham Palace. There, he meets young Prince Edward, who is thrilled to meet a boy his own age...and, after cleaning him up a bit, is astonished to discover that the pair could pass as twins. Edward decides this is a golden opportunity to see what life outside the Palace is really like, so, against Canty's misgivings, the two exchange clothing, and the Prince leaves...creating far more of an uproar than either boy could ever imagine!

Canty is soon considered 'mad', as he insists he is not Edward, and the Prince, abused and ridiculed by Tom's father, is unceremoniously thrown off the Palace grounds when he attempts to return, by a disbelieving Captain of the Guards (Alan Hale, in the first of 11 films he'd make with his friend, Errol Flynn). The ambitious Earl of Hertford (the always brilliant Claude Rains) investigates Canty's claim, and realizes, after interviewing the Captain, that the boy is telling the truth, giving him a golden opportunity to seize power. Ordering the Captain to find and kill the Prince, the Earl then threatens to kill Canty if he doesn't obey his commands.

Things grow desperate for the young Prince, as he attempts to evade his murderous 'father' on the streets, until Miles Hendon (Flynn), a roguish but good-natured 'soldier-for-hire' comes to his aid. Offering his protection to the lad, Hendon thinks him a bit balmy, as well...until events (the child's obvious despair over the death of Henry VIII, the Palace search party, and a sword duel with the Captain, where Flynn KILLS Alan Hale!!!) convince him otherwise. Then it becomes a race against time to smuggle the real King into the Coronation, before Canty is crowned, and the Earl assumes "the Power behind the Throne".

Blessed with a gifted cast, including wonderful character actor Montagu Love as the dying Henry VIII, the film offers a truly exceptional film score by Erich Wolfgang Korngold (who would eventually expand the theme into a symphonic work). Audiences have always been surprised that Errol Flynn's role is not larger, but as a faithful Twain adaptation, the focus had to be on the two boys, and not on the impoverished soldier. Flynn had fun playing Hendon, and the Mauch twins were nothing less than superb as the leads.

With THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD less than a year away, and Errol Flynn's star continuing to ascend, the WB had every reason to celebrate, and THE PRINCE AND THE PAUPER is a pleasure to watch, to this day!

Excellent adaptation of Mark Twain's story about a young prince and a lookalike beggar boy who trade places. The duo are played by real-life twins Billy and Bobby Mauch. They're both very good. Despite receiving top billing, it's nearly an hour in before Errol Flynn shows up. He's lots of fun as you might expect. Claude Rains is great as the villainous Earl of Hertford. He doesn't really get to have scenes with Flynn, however. Fine WB supporting cast includes Alan Hale, Barton MacLane, Henry Stephenson, and Halliwell Hobbes. Spirited, fun adventure story. Despite the length, it never drags. Nice music score by Erich Wolfgang Korngold. Definitely worth checking out.

In the slums of 16th century London, young Billy Mauch (as "Pauper" Tom Canty) makes the most of his life as a beggar; though, he is beaten by his father, and thrown in the mud. Meanwhile, royal Bobby Mauch (as "Prince" Edward VI) lives a life of luxury; soon, he will replace father King Henry VIII on the throne. One evening, Pauper Mauch takes refuge from a storm on Prince Mauch's palace grounds. The look-alike boys meet, and strike up a friendship. Prince Mauch invites Pauper Mauch over to the palace, where the two become intrigued by their different lifestyles, and identical appearance. After they exchange clothing, they become separated, by happenstance. When nobody believes their stories, the boys are forced to assume each other's identities.

This is a well-produced version of the Mark Twain classic. Sadly, the unevenly paced scenario does not produce the film classic which was, evidently, possible (considering those involved). The "Mauch Twins" and Claude Rains (as the Earl of Hertford) are especially strong in their portrayals; and, Erich Wolfgang Korngold's soundtrack should be noted. Don't expect to see top-billed Errol Flynn (as Miles Hendon) until later in the film, as a supporting player. Alan Hale, Barton MacLane, Henry Stephenson, and Montagu Love are also worth noting; but, the film's main strengths are Mr. Rains, Mr. Korngold, and the "Mauch Twins".

******* The Prince and the Pauper (5/5/37) William Keighley ~ Billy Mauch, Bobby Mauch, Errol Flynn, Claude Rains

Mark Twain's classic tale of a pair of look-alike boys in 16th century England is given the glossy Hollywood treatment in this very entertaining effort. Billy and Bobby Mauch, 12 year old twin brothers, star, one as the heir to the throne of England and the other as a street urchin. By accident, each is mistaken for the other and when the king dies, the pauper may be crowned instead of the rightful prince. Claude Rains is his usual steady self as the traitorous wretch who realizes his chance to seize power with the pauper in charge. Errol Flynn may be billed as the star, but he does not appear until halfway through the film. He becomes the prince's protector. Of course, he does not know that the young beggar is the prince. Flynn is good as always in this fun filled film.

Yes, I know that Billy and Bobby Mauch are playing the title roles, but my complaint still stands. Errol = cute; Mauch Twins= Not so much. Flynn really rocks thigh high boots well-- a look that really only works if you're tall and long legged.

Flynn was his usual dashing hero self and Rains was excellent as the Earl. The Mauch twins were fine, though there was a little too much giggling for my tastes. I thought that they brought Mark Twain's story to life pretty well.

I enjoyed Errol's 2:1 sword fight and his eventual duel with Alan Hale. This may be the only film in which Errol and Alan are adversaries rather than allies. While normally I wouldn't have a preference for a film being in color or black and white, I cannot help but think that this film would have looked better in Technicolor. With the elaborate sets and costumes, the addition of Technicolor would have aesthetically enhanced the the look of the film.

"The Prince and the Pauper" is based on Mark Twain's novel of the same name. The story is a hypothetical situation where Edward VI exchanges places with a beggar that resembles him as he is about to become King of England.

The Mauch twins, Bobby and Billy, skillfully play the roles of Edward VI and the beggar Tom Canty. Errol Flynn is well-cast as the dashing hero Miles Hendon, who comes to protect Edward when he's taken for a beggar. Claude Rains was a perfect choice to play his oft-reprised role of a conniving man grasping for power which he plays so well. Also notable are Alan Hale as the captain of the guard, Barton MacLane as Tom Canty's despicable father and Montagu Love as the counseling Henry VIII.

The story is not meant as history, but rather an examination of social disparities. Twain's social commentary is, as usual, mixed with his clever humor. The story moves along well with this mix as well as the machinations at court. The only part that seemed somewhat drawn out was the coronation ceremony.

Errol Flynn's 'Captain Blood' (1935), 'The Charge of the Light Brigade' (1936) and 'The Adventures or Robin Hood' (1938) have all become classics. 'The Prince and the Pauper', which he filmed in between, has not. While it is by no means a bad picture - quite the opposite - it is obvious why today it is so much less well-known than the other films: Flynn appears only in the second half and has even then comparatively little to do. Until then, Claude Rains (almost unrecognizable with a bushy beard), who plays the Earl of Hertford and is plotting to become lord protector for the underage prince Edward, has to carry the plot almost singlehandedly. Not quite singlehandedly, though: There are the twins Billy and Robert Mauch (Tom Canty and Edward), who do a lot of the legwork, and do it well. This was the first time I came across these two child actors, which surprised me considering I have watched quite a number of 1930s films. They are really good. I should also mention the excellent sets and the high production values of 'The Prince and the Pauper'. All in all I think this is a perfect family film. For a proper Errol-Flynn-swashbuckler there is just not enough swashbuckling.

In this adorable adaptation of Mark Twain's famous story The Prince and the Pauper, real twins Bobby and Billy Mauch star as the young boys who swap places. This version is very cute, so if you've never seen it, I suggest you start with the 1937 film.

Bobby and Billy play the title characters, and through a chance meeting, they dress up in each other's clothes just for fun. Then, they're separated and are forced to live in their different surroundings. The pauper-turned-prince lives in the palace and tries to suggest laws to help the people, but he has to dodge enemies that aren't happy to see him on the throne. The prince-turned-pauper has to adjust to life in the gutter, and no one believes he's the rightful heir-until he meets the ruggedly handsome Errol Flynn, who agrees to help him return to the palace.

The Prince and the Pauper is a delightful story in itself, and the cast of this version helps bring it to life as no other version has been able to do. There's something extra magical about black-and-white spectaculars, isn't there? The Mauch twins are so darling, and even though you can tell they're not going to be in any real danger, they still keep you on the edge of your seat, hoping they find their happy endings. They're joined by a supporting cast of Claude Rains, Henry Stephenson, Barton MacLane, Halliwell Hobbes and of course, Alan Hale. You'll also get to hear some really cute, lively music by Erich Wolfgang Korngold. And who doesn't love to see the perfect Errol Flynn fencing in tights?

The Prince and the Pauper (1937) : Brief Review -

A kids' fantasy with equal entertainment for adults and a cult formula of exchange between high classes and low classes. Mark Twain's novel is evergreen, but watching the same thing on screen is a different kind of experience. Since childhood, I have seen this high class and low class exchange/swipe formula in some Hindi and Marathi movies, but I never knew that it was invented by Hollywood in the 30s. This kids' fantasy is so heartwarming to see even as an adult. Two same-looking boys, one from a poor family and one from a royal family, exchange their identities while playing a game, but destiny takes it seriously as they are forced to live with the opposite identities to learn about England, its people, and its kingdom. I was kind of expecting the twin thing to work on a higher level, as they should have realised some unknown facts and taken lessons home with their new surroundings, but the film was quite kid-friendly. Although there are many scenes that relate to adults, the majority of the script is entangled in kid-driven amusement parks. The comedy is really nice. It's organic and has no age bars, so everyone can enjoy it. Billy and Bobby Mauch's performances have left me in awe. I didn't expect the boys to be such mature actors. They have some natural flow and cuteness that make you fall in love with them. Errol Flynn comes pretty late into the picture, and that's unfortunate. I mean, this man had done most of the best swashbuckling adventures of all time, but here his role seems so small. Why not a full-fledged role for someone who is the boss of the genre? Claude Rains nails it like a pro, as he usually does in most of his films. William Keighley puts up a fine adaptation of Mark Twain's novel that can be enjoyed any time, any day, any place, and in any mood. Overall, a super entertaining show with heart, humanism, and patriotism.

RATING - 7/10*

By - #samthebestest.

For all my life I loved the film 'The Adventures of Robin Hood'. I always liked Errol Flynn and his men fight the bad guys. And of course I liked the soundtrack. It earned its composer (E.W.Korngold) an academy award. Yesterday I saw The Prince and the Pauper on TV for the first time. It was great. A lot of music that won the Oscar in Robin Hood appears here in this film (2 years earlier !!). Look out for Little John in the role of the captain of the King's guards. And Dicken, the evil guy, sent to murder King Richard in Robin Hood, appears here as part of a kidnap-the-king team. The film is, for a b/w movie, wonderfully long. The crowning ceremony is admirably detailed. I liked watching it (8/10).

With a sterling cast of Errol Flynn and Claude Rains, who are both perfectly cast, this film was destined to be a success from the start. Freddie Bartholomew would have been a natural for one of the roles, but he didn't have a twin, and the studio already had a pair of twins under contract, so they got the roles. The story of royalty exchanging roles with a pauper was very attractive to audiences in the grip of the Great Depression in the 30s. See and enjoy it yourself. The pace of the film is pretty fast, and the conclusion is very funny. Be sure to catch it.

The reign of Edward VI of England would be little remembered if it not were for the writing of this story by an American of all people, Mark Twain. In point of fact Edward Tudor ascended the English throne in 1547, the son of Henry VIII and died six years later, not even reaching his maturity. His reign, such as it was, was marked by a struggle for power by several factions of nobles. That story can be seen in the films Young Bess and also in Lady Jane. There was no happily ever after endings for young Tudor.

At first glance it wouldn't seem possible that Samuel Langhorne Clemens of Hannibal, Missouri could write a classic tale about medieval England. But thinking about it, is the poverty and young Tom Canty's dealing with it in Offal Court all that different from Huckleberry Finn? Is his father, a coarse and brutal man beautifully played by Barton MacLane, all that different from Huck Finn's pap?

Twain knew his characters well and it he had any trouble with getting the idiom just right he need only have looked to Charles Dickens who was writing about just such people a generation before.

The story is simply that Tom Canty, a beggar boy from Offal Court in London gets into the palace of the king and meets up with young Prince Edward. They look alike enough to be twins and in fact they are played by twin brothers Billy and Bobby Mauch. They exchange places and the switch works only too well.

Top billed in the film is Errol Flynn who plays the fictional Miles Hendon, soldier of fortune just returned from the continent. Flynn was the biggest name in the cast, but the film is half over before he makes his appearance. In point of fact, he's really in support of the Mauch twins. It's Flynn's third appearance with sword in hand for Warner Brothers after Captain Blood and Charge of the Light Brigade.

This film also marks Flynn's first film with Alan Hale who appeared in eleven films with Errol. A film wasn't official at Warner Brothers unless either Alan Hale or Frank McHugh was in it. Jack Warner kept both those guys real busy.

Also in the film are Henry Stephenson and Claude Rains who play competing nobles vying to be top man in their minority monarch's reign. As I said unfortunately that marked Edward VI's entire time on England's throne.

But we have Mark Twain in his classic story and the brothers Warner to thank for bringing Edward VI's story to life for generations to come. I wonder if during his short life, young Edward might really have wished to escape what he had, even if it meant a place like Offal Court.

Everyone knows the story of the spoiled prince who is bored with his life. When he meets his identical twin, a common boy who seems to have some freedom to be a kid, he talks him into trading places. The problem is that when it comes time to trade back, it's not possible, so they need to continue in their new identities. There are complications like a plot to kill the Prince. Also, the true Prince would have known about making government decisions. Meanwhile, the disguised Prince isn't faring much better as he encounters the rowdies that the other kid would be comfortable with. This is a really fun Mark Twain story that boys would have loved to read, and this an adequate,though not outstanding, version.

With Errol Flynn and the Mauch twins.Aslos starring Claude reins as the villain.Nice music,fun,adventure,fights all takens from the immortal novel.Highlight:the laughing scenes with the twins.

It's 1537 London. A prince is born to the King and a boy is born in the slums. The two boys would later meet. They recognize their similarity and decide to exchange identities to experience each other's life. After the King's death, the pauper becomes the new King. The Earl of Hertford (Claude Rains) knows the switch and bullies the new King into becoming his puppet. Miles Hendon (Errol Flynn) protects the real prince from dangers.

Billy Mauch and Robert J. Mauch are twins playing the prince and the pauper. I've never heard of them before. They seem to be good child stars and they play the two different roles very well. I like both performances. It's a classic tale and this is a fine telling.

This version of The Prince and the Pauper had all the ingredients to be good, and it was, great even. Maybe some of the first half of the film takes a little too much time to get going, but everything else really shines. The sets and costumes are very handsome and colourful and the film is sumptuously photographed too. Korngold's score is superb, very sweeping and bombastic, I would go as far to say that it is almost as good as his score for The Adventures of Robin Hood which I have long considered one of the all-time greats in that regard. The dialogue is suitably witty, the swash-buckling itself is energetically and never clumsily choreographed and the story is as timeless as ever. Billy and Bobby Mauch are very endearing as the twins and although he doesn't appear until halfway through Errol Flynn is a gallant charismatic presence. Montagnu Love is a characterful and moving King Henry, but faring best are Claude Rains, doing urbane in a way not many other actors could do, and Alan Hale as a suitably villainous Captain. All in all, a great film, worth noting for Korngold's score, the production values and Rains. 9/10 Bethany Cox

So Henry VIII finally has his beloved son - the Prince Edward whom he protects at all costs. All the walls and guards, though, don't stop the wandering urchin "Tom Canty" from getting into his apartment. The two boys chat and decide it might be a bit of fun to swap clothes as the King is throwing a fancy dress party that night. Their roles now reversed, the wrong boy now comes a cropper at the hands of his own guards and is turfed out leaving "Tom" to fill some rather luxurious britches. Despite his protestations that he's not the Prince, he isn't believed - not even by his own ailing father (Montagu Love) - a fact that the scheming Hertford (Claude Rains) plays to his full advantage when the king dies and he gets himself appointed the Lord Protector. If "Tom" thinks he's having it bad, just wait and see what the real Prince is having to deal with. Clad in rags and proclaiming his true status, everyone just thinks he's a bit bonkers. About to get a sound beating, he is saved by soldier of fortune "Miles Hendon" (Errol Flynn) who takes the boy under his wing. Initially, he's no more convinced about the tales of royalty either, but gradually he begins to believe and together they have to find a way to stop the coronation before the wrong boy is crowned and Hertford lops of the head of the Duke of Norfolk (Henry Stephenson) and rules the roost. Now, the pair have quite a few adventures and along the way the boy realises some of the iniquities of his kingdom, vowing that he will be a better king if he ever gets the chance. Will he? Flynn is on good form here but it's really the two Mauch twins - Robert is the Prince and Billy is the pauper, who steal the show. They look like they are having good fun playing their way through parts that were probably every boy's dream. Eric Portman and Alan Hale pop up now and again too and there's precisely no romance at all to clutter up the swash, buckle, duplicity and entertainment. It's one of Mark Twain's better stores, I think, and this is the best version made for the silver screen.

Mark Twain was a man who sometimes could not get a notion out of his head. He loved the issue of twins and switching births. It pervades much of his fiction, and few seem to comment on it. In one of his early sketches he tells an inquisitive reporter that the tragedy of his life was the strange death of his twin - the boy had one only one mark on his body that differs him from his brother - Twain shows it to the reporter on his own person, and says that was the boy who supposedly died mysteriously and was buried. The reporter leaves after that tidbit.

Of course the novel (which became the subject of this film and several others) is the one that people think of as Twain's "twins switching" story. It isn't. He would write (in the 1880s) a piece called "Those Amazing Twins" about a pair of Italian Siamese twins. The piece (which is not one of his best) became part of the germination that led to his last great Mississippi novel "Pudd'nhead Wilson". He separates the twin Italians into two twin brother Italian counts who turn up in the Mississippi town where the action goes. He also takes the "switched at birth" motif and uses it in the main story of Chambers the slave switched by his mother Roxey with young Tom Driscoll the wealthy heir.

Twins pop up too in "Tom Sawyer Detective" - which was based on an old 17th Century Danish murder case involving twins.

But it's "The Prince And The Pauper" (1876) that is recalled as Twain's "twin story". I think it's because the other pieces are minor or (like Wilson) full of other interesting small matters - like the business of the use of fingerprints to settle the mysteries of the plot (a first in 1894). Here it is central to Twain's looking at an appalling, inequitable social system in Tudor England.

Henry VIII is dying and his son Edward, Prince of Wales is aware that he is going to soon lose his wise father and take over the reins of government. Of course the truth is he is still too young (in 1547 he is only 11) and he really can only rule in his own right when he reaches adult age (presumably 21). He will need a "Protector" and the Duke of Norfolk and the Earl of Herford are the leading contenders.

In the film wise old Henry Stephenson is Norfolk and crafty, power-seeking Claude Rains is Hertford. Henry (Montague Love) appoints both to the governing counsel, but does not name Norfolk over Hertford (or the reverse). So Rains starts jockeying for position in a confrontation with England's premier Duke.

In reality it was more complicated. Norfolk was on the outs with Henry in 1547 (he was facing execution - his son the Earl of Surrey was executed the year before - but Henry's own death saved Norfolk). The two contenders were the Duke of Somerset (Edward Seymour), blood uncle to Edward VI through his mother, and John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland, who dreamed of placing the Dudley family and the Tudors permanently together by marrying the three Tudor heiresses, Princesses Mary and Elizabeth, and Lady Jane Grey, to his sons. One day this plan would blow up in his face (see TUDOR ROSE). Somerset's doom was tied to a similar hair-brained scheme of his brother Admiral Sir Thomas Seymour regarding marrying Princess Elizabeth (see YOUNG BESS).

Edward, in Twain's story, while waiting for the sad news, meets Tom Canty, a boy who looks almost exactly like him (here played - for a change - by the Mauch Twins). As a lark they change clothes so each can see how the other half live. Tom is soon over his head, causing his cousin Jane to question his sanity, and revealing enough to Hertford to realize that the false-King is his own key to power. Edward is unfortunately forced to endure the poverty of Tom's social class, but also the brutality of Tom's father John Canty (Barton McLaine) who is a professional thief. But Edward is soon helped by a young squire, Miles Herndon (Errol Flynn) who is trying to return to his ancestral home to regain his possessions from a greedy brother.

The twisty plot did show much of the underside of English Tudor living that many of the other early Tudor history films barely touched on (except to show the intrigues at court). It also had plenty of humor - look at the business about the usefulness of "the Great Seal of England", which is typical Twain humor. I feel this version of the story is quite good - possibly the best of the different versions of the novel that have reached the screen.

This is the kind of movie which vintage Hollywood does so well, taking a classic tale and dramatising it for the big screen. Here, the story is Mark Twain's familiar "The Prince and the Pauper", where a chance encounter between the young Prince Edward and a beggar boy who could be his twin (!), sees them switch places for fun, only for things to become seriously complicated when King Henry VIII promptly dies, leaving the throne vacant for his son and heir. As coincidence would have it, the young King is mistakenly kidnapped by his doppelgänger's brutish vagrant father and put to work assisting him and his cronies in robbery, while the temporarily ennobled young pauper Tom Canty is amazed to be accepted by the royal court and its officials as the actual king-in-waiting.

In fact it's not long before Claude Rains's scheming, villainous Earl of Hertford, having failed to obtain the dying Henry's deathbed confirmation of him as Lord Protector, quickly dupes the bewildered youngster into making it his first act as new king. However, when Rains becomes aware of the real king's existence out there somewhere, he has to track down the rightful monarch and have him killed to protect his own position.

Thankfully for the now displaced Edward, he has made the acquaintance of Errol Flynn's dashing soldier-adventurer Miles Hendon, who once convinced of the young King's veracity, helps him race back to Westminster Abbey and prevent a right royal miscarriage of justice, where the proof of the king's real identity will hinge on of all things, a make-shift nutcracker.

Nicely shot, with equally convincing evocations of the Royal Court in its pomp and its reverse mirror-image of the capital's poverty-stricken underbelly, its most attractive feature is probably in the natural and engaging performances by the young Mauch twins, Billy and Bobby in the title roles. Flynn could certainly have been used more and I had been hoping there might have been a swordfight between him and Rains before the end but of course the young King has learned something of humanity and humility on his trampish travels and Rains gets off with a mere banishment.

There's also an orchestral score by the well-regarded 20th century classical music composer Erich Korngold which I liked in bits, although I thought his incidental music for Flynn's fencing exploits rather mismatched the visuals.

On the whole though, this was a good story well told and while it's been filmed many times, it still has the look and feel of being the definitive version.

Pauper boy improbably meets the prince. They discover they look alike. Just for laughs, the pauper dresses up in prince gear, while the prince gets greased up to look like a pauper boy.

'Fore ya know it, the king dies, and the fake prince becomes king under the guidance of evil Duke of Earl (Claude Rains). Meanwhile, the actual prince has been tossed back into Shantytown to be abused by all the smelly, toothless Brits who crawl out of the sewer on a daily basis.

Switched identity plots are as old as The Mayflower. This version is harmless fun for pre-teen boys, esp if you don't mind seeing Baron MacLane angrily abuse a kid every 15 minutes or so.

The problem for me is that the teenage Mauch boys play their parts like half-wit 8 year olds. I haven't read the Twain novel so I have no idea how old the characters are supposed to be. They were both terrible actors and they got on my nerves. Frankly, I had no sympathy for either of them.

Speaking of bad acting. Over the course of his career I'd say Errol Flynn more than proved he could act, whether or not he was wearing tights. But here he's rubber-facing as though nobody told him they'd invented talkies.

HIs swordplay is the only fun part of the movies for me.

On the whole, I liked this plot a lot more when it was filmed as The Prisoner of Zenda or even Trading Places.

The family movie in all its splendor !although it's basically" an Errol Flynn movie," it's a long time before the famous handsome actor appears and anyway the real stars of the movie are the sensational Mauch Twins.

Based on a novel which tells an implausible story (but didn't Alexandre Dumas do the same in the "vicomte de Bragelonne " in which the Sun King had a twin too?), with a moral full of wisdom : the taxes on the windows is a theft,says the would be king,because the air and the sun do not belong to us; the royal seal ,which can send people to the scaffold is ridiculed and used as nutcracker; when he visits the dregs of the society ,the would be beggar discovers the sufferings of his people . His protector is foot loose and fancy free and does not care a little bit for the honors or the mountain of things the young king wants to offer .

Billy Mauch,dressed in royal clothings , is at first completely lost in this unknown world of luxury , but he regains strength when he discovers his court's greed (of which the old king Henry- colorful Montagu Love - was aware )Robert is particularly moving when he says her "our father " prayer before a traitor who wants to do away with him .

Fleischer 's color remake (1977) is fine ,but the black and white Twain adaptation was not surpassed.