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Visitors Review

lorenellroy 2012-05-25 12:34:33

Adequate version of the old warhorse

This Hallmark production is -like others from the same source -a televisionmovie based on an established minor classic and is a workmanlike rather thanstartlingly good movie .The youthful Prince of Wales Edward swaps places with Tom a young Londonerfrom the slums ,the two being virtually identical .The escapade is meant tobe temporary but the Prince is thwarted in his attempts to resume hisrightful place leaving the reluctant imposter to cope with the villainousRegent who has tumbled to the situation .The Prince meanwhile is under theprotection of Miles , newly returned from Spain and trying to regain hislands from his usurper brother .It proves an education for the young princeas the injustices of his father King Henry the Eighth are brought fully hometo him .Strong performance from the late Alan Bates as the King and the villain iscapably played by the suitably unctuous Jonathan Hyde .Aidan Quinn isexcellent as Sir Miles and the Timmins twins do well in the title rolesNot as good as the big screen version from some years back but a pleasingdiversion

2012-05-25 05:54:39

The Prince and the Pauper

The person from Carmel Valley, California, who commented in 2006 was wrong. This didn't take place in the 1700's. Look it up again! They didn't dress like that then.

2012-05-24 12:28:12

the best movie version

I am happy to report that this is not only better than the other movie versions of The Prince and the Pauper, but that it is a very good movie. The 1937 version (a.k.a. "the Errol Flynn version") is quite good, but the ending was boggled by the introduction of an unnecessary and unhelpful delaying action, which was then made worse by being repeated (!), dispelling the high tension of the climactic end. The twins who played the lead were very appealing but were made to speak in a very phony (sickeningly sweet) way. There are also technical limitations, such as the sound quality. I'd give it 4 stars. The 1978 version with an all-star cast had much going for it. The big stars all played their roles well, but the movie was ruined by using a 20 year-old boy to play the 12 year-old Prince. And he was repellant as well. Also, the "rollicking" scenes went on a bit too long and too often. I'd give it 3 stars. Fortunately (and for a change), the screenwriters learned from these past versions and this version is flawless. The story rolled smoothly, not too fast, not slow, without repetitions or unnecessary delays or needless complications. The twins who played the lead were appealing and played their parts well. All of the cast were good. The color, the photography, the music, the sound--all good. The ending was just right. This version also added a coda in which the Prince of Wales kept his various promises made to the several poor people who had been kind to him. Bottom line: Don't miss it. Also, the whole family can enjoy this one.

2012-05-20 23:15:03

Very charming family movie

I rated this four stars instead of five simply because it's a poor adaptation to Mark Twain's book. That said, I think that was done on purpose. This film is much lighter, humorous, and adventurous than the book (although the book will always be best, hands down).I am surprised to see Jonathan Hyde, Aidan Quinn, and Alan Bates mentioned as actors... but not one reference to the young actors who played the main characters, the Prince and the Pauper! The boys were twins Jonathan and Robert Timmins, born in 1987 in the UK. They did a fantastic job, I thought.If anyone knows what they're up to now, my family would love to know. Can't find much online about them.Anyway, a good movie when you're not looking for anything "heavy".

2012-05-20 21:29:20

The best of them all!!!

This review is from: The Prince and the Pauper (DVD) I saw this movie years ago, and have been stuck on it ever since. I've seen all of the other versions, but I find this one to be the best. The young prince was excellent, Jonathan Hyde did a wonderful job, and the late Alan Bates was actually a good father. All in All, I loved it!!!!

2012-05-19 14:04:01

Not a loyal adaptation....

This review is from: The Prince and the Pauper (DVD) The Hallmark version of Mark Twain's classic, "The Prince and the Pauper" fails to tell major parts of the story. The acting is very childish, and the many of the characters fail to act their parts. Many scenes are poorly shot, and there are many chapters of the book left out (ex: the "foo-foo, king of the moon calves" scene, the whole character of the priest who teaches Tom to read Latin, and the test to determine the true king at the end of the film). In addition, the wardrobe is aweful. There is really no showing of actual poverty in this film. In the beginning of the film, Tom is wearing a decent set of clothing with shoes. In this time period, if a youth of age twelve was dressed as Tom was, he would not have been considered poor by any means. In addition, Tom speaks like an educated American rather than a poor English youth. Also, Tom's grandmother is a kind, gentle lady quite unlike her portrayal in the novel, where she and her son (i.e. Tom's father) beat Tom, his mother, and sisters. In fact, there is no beating at all in this film. It is more a fairy tale than social film. In short, I believe this film (if rated) would receive a "G" rating. There is no swearing, no real violence, so social crisis, etc. While I realize that teachers have few options for their classes as for COLORED versions of this films to watch, I would recommend the Disney VHS version of the film - ASIN: B000E78DGC. In fact, I really hope Disney eventually releases this 1962 version of the film (starring Guy Williams) on DVD. For the Disney version of the Prince and the Pauper is quite accurate concerning the poverty of Tom Canty and the splendor of the Tudor family.

2012-05-18 20:40:55

Awesome movie!

This review is from: The Prince and the Pauper (DVD) Great family movie with loads of adventure and fun. Good for children of any age!

2012-05-17 18:00:54

Great video!

This review is from: Prince & Pauper [VHS] (VHS Tape) My students really enjoyed this video after reading the Mark Twain play. We developed a Venn Diagram between the two.

Matt1567 2012-05-17 05:03:33

Aidan Quinn and Jonathan Hyde are GREAT!

2 famous actors (Aidan Quinn and Jonathan Hyde)come together and give anoutstanding performance.The movie was very good.It was based on the book"The Prince and the Pauper" by Mark Twain. 8 out of 10.

2012-05-17 09:08:00

Adventure !

This movie takes you on a grand, childhood, adventure. You are right along in this wonderful story; back in the days of horses, swords, nobles, peasants, thieves, castles, kings, and adventurous children. The 1937, version, with Errol Flynn is also very good. I enjoyed them both. The adventures of a poor young boy in England in the 1500's, a prince, a musketeer, and villains, and I can't say more without giving away the plot. Written by Mark Twain, who wrote Tom Sawyer; just as good. Other good period, adventure movies are "Tom Brown's School Days 1935", "David Copperfield 1940 & 2000", "Oliver Twist", "At Swords Point 1952", "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer 1938", "The Three Musketeers 1939", and "The Scarlet Pimpernel 1935".

Grann-Bach 2012-05-17 05:16:00

Look no further for quality

I must admit, I have not read the novel. I would like to, I like MarkTwain. Thus, I cannot comment on how much justice this adaptation doesto his written original. What I can say is that I did not expect thisto be as good as it turned out when I saw it in the televisionlistings, but it really got my attention, and I never grew tired of it.The story is good, well-told and at the same time manages notable focusand many well-done sub-plots. The themes explored are interesting, andin addition to history and perspective, they can be applied to today'sworld. The costumes are immensely well-done. The music is great. Theaction is well-done, shot well and always fun and exciting. The actingis spot-on, throughout, including the children. Hyde is astonishing.The humor does have some juvenile material, however, the vast majorityof it is safe for kids, yet not insulting to adults. This can bewatched by anyone, of any age, and one could, if so inclined, sit downwith their family and enjoy it together. I recommend this to any fan ofthe tale, the author of the book that was the source of this, and/oranyone involved in making this film. 7/10

2012-05-13 21:05:17

Fun to watch.

As you most likely already know I really enjoyed this movie. My fave part was the happy ending and how the prince became a better king this his father, from all that he had learned on his journey. I hope to watch more movies like this soon.

2012-05-13 03:49:06

The Prince and the Pauper is a ultimately a classic!

This review is from: The Prince and the Pauper (DVD) This movie should be in every library of dvd's it is a classic! I highly recommend getting this classic Mark Twain story

2012-05-12 00:08:30

very happy

This review is from: Prince & Pauper [VHS] (VHS Tape) I was very happy with the video and the speedy service. The movie was really cute and enjoyable to watch.

2012-05-11 03:56:18

Good Movie, But It's Not Mark Twain

This review is from: The Prince and the Pauper (DVD) If you are looking for a good adventure movie to watch with your family, this one definitely rates five stars. If, however, you have read the original novel and have great respect for the writing of Mark Twain, you will hate this movie. Several reviewers have rated this version as the best of all the P&P movies. If this one is the best, I don't even want to think about the others.On the plus side, the movie is, as stated, a good adventure family-type movie. It gives a vivid portrayal of medieval England, both the pomp and the grunge. It has plenty of action, fun, pathos, and a happy ending but also deals with the brutality, intolerance and political scheming of the age. The twins who play Prince Edward and Tom Canty are very good -- much more honestly expressive and far less hammy than most of the adult actors. They are attractive and personable without, thank God, being just-too-cute-for-words kid actors. Now for the axe. I do not and never will understand why people who adapt books for movies think that they are better writers than the original authors and can take whatever liberties they like with the plots and story lines. I do understand that it is almost impossible to film a book without leaving out many details and even characters and I can tolerate that. What I cannot tolerate, however, is the outright changing and destroying of as much of the original story as these screenwriters have done, not only weakening it but making certain situations absurd as well as inaccurate. Thus this movie is simply not Mark Twain's imaginative, sometimes biting and brutally frank, often hilarious statement for social justice. So -- by all means buy the movie or rent it if you want an evening of family entertainment. But avoid it like the plague if you are looking for an adjunct to the reading/study of Mark Twain's wonderful novel.

2012-05-11 11:01:50

MIRROR IMAGES

Everyone is no doubt familiar with Mark Twain's classic work of two boys (one a prince, the other a pauper) exchanging identities. In this latest film remake of The Prince and The Pauper (put out by Hallmark Entertainment) we are given an interesting spin on the story. The story line stays intact but subtle emphasis is placed on the two characters' fathers. Prince Edward (Johnathan Timmons) and Tom Canty (Robert Timmons) have fathers that are mirror images of one another as the boys. Both sires exhibit a contempt for women, greed and an insatiable desire to control. Tenderness and mercy are not in the vocabulary of either the king nor the thief. When the young boys exchange clothes they see the reality of life from both sides of the palace walls. Edward is confronted with poverty, unjust laws and the oppression of his father's terror. Tom witnesses the oppulance of the court, endless power plays and the ceaseless back biting. Both boys find themselves having to come to terms with their heritage and doing what they feel is just and right. You won't find superb acting. The Timmons brothers do an adequate job in portraying the two characters. Miles (Aiden Quinn) shows a deep empathy for the pauper who is Edward. Alas the poor boy is mad thinking he is a prince then a king. Miles goes along with the game but after awhile is challenged by Edward to move beyond his own disillusions. This is another good family video. It is entertaining and enjoyable. Mark Twain would no doubt enjoy this rendition of his work.

2012-05-10 21:37:11

EXCELLENT, FUN TO WATCH MOVIE!

I first saw this video in my language class. I immediately fell in love with it! Just to let you know, I'm actually almost 14. Even though the acting doesn't really compare with a real star; it still seems to have a likeable side to it. I kept wanting to watch it until the end! I never got tired of it. It's a VERY interesting video. I would reccomend it for kids about my age, but I don't think adults would be very partial towards it. If you want a movie to promote your kid to read a classic or just have a good time; I would deffinitely reccomend this! It's terrific!

2012-05-09 10:07:37

Prince and the Pauper review

This review is from: The Prince and the Pauper (DVD) I was looking for a version of Prince and the Pauper to show to children. This one was not appropriate for young children (under 10). Overall, the movie was well acted and beautiful to watch.

2012-05-09 06:38:47

Adequate "loose" adaptation with mediocre performances makes this more "pauper" than "prince"

Ah.... HALLMARK HOME ENTERTAINMENT, the production company of clean boring stories for the family! Sorry, but with so many other versions of THE PRINCE AND THE PAUPER done over the years, this production for all of it's star power (Alan Bates, Aidan Quinn and Jonathan Hyde) is rather generic and ultimately unsatisfying. The screenplay is pretty choppy and cuts through alot of the book in order to make the 90 minute deadline required to fit in all of the advertisers.Aidan Quinn is SO much better than this. His role as the king's protector, Miles Hendon, is pretty much nothing! The film has a VERY made-for-television look and feel.What I did find good about this production was the use of real life twins, Robert and Jonathan Timmins to play Edward and Tom. Generally, other productions have used the same actor to play the mirror images. Ultimately what made this film most enjoyable is the excellent soundtrack by veteran composer Stanislas Syrewicz. He has a wonderful sense of period music and he has created a very enjoyable soundtrack that far exceeds the accomplishments of the film itself. Syrewicz's other notes of work are the sountracks to THE CLANDESTINE MARRIAGE, NORA, SEPARATE LIES and THE HOLCROFT COVENANT.

Katharine_Fanatic 2012-05-07 09:04:14

Hallmark does it again

An excellent and worthy adaptation of the classic, "The Prince and thePauper" is the retelling of Edward Tudor and young Thomas Canty, twoamazinglook-alikes caught up in imperial intrigue and scandal. In fleeing from hisviolent father, Tom stumbles into the palace courtyard, and is seen byyoungPrince Edward, who takes him in. Each desiring to see what the other's lifeis like, the boys impulsively switch identities... little knowing whatdisaster lies ahead at this fault of thought. And soon Thomas becomes apawnin the hands of Edward's malicious and greedy uncle, who would have thekingdom for himself.The two lads in the lead do excellently well at their parts, and with asurrounding cast of well-known television and film personalities, the storyshines with beautiful costuming and fine swordsmanship. Fit for parents andchildren alike, it's a masterful adaptation, and one to be proudof.