Prisoner of Honor
| Prisoner of Honour | |
|---|---|
|
VHS Art cover | |
| Directed by | Ken Russell |
| Produced by |
Richard Dreyfuss Judith James |
| Written by | Ron Hutchinson |
| Starring |
Richard Dreyfuss Oliver Reed Peter Firth Jeremy Kemp Brian Blessed Peter Vaughan Lindsay Anderson Martin Friend Kenneth Colley |
| Music by | Barry Kirsch |
| Cinematography | Mike Southon |
| Distributed by | HBO Films |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 88 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Prisoner of Honour is a 1991 British dramatic television film directed by Ken Russell and starring Richard Dreyfuss, Oliver Reed and Peter Firth. It was made by Warner Bros. Television and distributed by HBO, and centers on the famous Dreyfus Affair. Richard Dreyfuss co-produced the film with Judith James, from a screenplay by Ron Hutchinson.
Synopsis
The film documents the events that saw a French Captain, Alfred Dreyfus, sent to Devil's Island for espionage near the end of the 19th century. Colonel Georges Picquart (Richard Dreyfuss) is given the job of justifying Dreyfus' sentence. Instead, he discovers that Dreyfus (Kenneth Colley), a Jew, was merely a convenient scapegoat for the actions of the true culprit, a member of the French General staff. His attempt to right the wrong sees his military career ended and the famous French author, Émile Zola (Martin Friend), found guilty of libel.
Cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Richard Dreyfuss | Colonel Picquart |
| Oliver Reed | General de Boisdeffre |
| Peter Firth | Major Henry |
| Jeremy Kemp | General de Pellieux |
| Brian Blessed | General Gonse |
| Peter Vaughan | General Mercier |
| Lindsay Anderson | War Minister |
| Martin Friend | Émile Zola |
| Kenneth Colley | Captain Dreyfus |
| Catherine Neilson | Eloise |
Production
Richard Dreyfuss stated in an interview that at one time, and before making Prisoner of Honor, he thought he was related by blood to Captain Captain Alfred Dreyfus.