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
November 2, 1991
Running time
88 min.
Country United Kingdom
Language English

Prisoner of Honour is a 1991 British dramatic television film made by Warner Bros. Television and distributed by HBO about the Dreyfus Affair. It was directed by Ken Russell and starring Richard Dreyfuss, Oliver Reed and Peter Firth. Dreyfuss co-produced the film with Judith James, from a screenplay by Ron Hutchinson.

Plot 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

External links