The Prince And The Pauper (aka Crossed Swords) (1977)

A young pauper (Mark Lester, OLIVER!) on the run after being caught stealing hides in the palace of King Henry VIII (Charlton Heston) and encounters Prince Edward (also Lester). Noticing their physical similarity, they switch clothes but they become separated and the real Prince is tossed out of the palace while the pauper becomes heir to the throne of England. After the international success of their witty take on the THREE MUSKETEERS (1973), the producers understandably thought why not do it again with another classic novel. Thus, Mark Twain's THE PRINCE AND THE PAUPER gets the treatment. However, the MUSKETEERS movies had Richard Lester at the helm directing a George MacDonald Fraser screenplay (Fraser is one several credited writers on SWORDS). Richard Fleischer is a solid craftsman but as a director, nothing in his filmography would suggest he's the director for a comedic revisionist version of a classic novel. He lacks the impudence and wit that Lester brought to the MUSKETEERS project. The emphasis on comedy worked in the Dumas filmization but seems strained and out of place here. The production values are top notch and it's a handsome looking picture and it's watchable if rather clunky in execution. The cacophony is by Maurice Jarre though he does come up with a lovely end title. With Rex Harrison, Oliver Reed, George C. Scott, Raquel Welch, Ernest Borgnine, David Hemmings, Harry Andrews and Sybil Danning.