User Reviews

The reason why stories like "Cinderella" are so everlastingly charming lies in our own human weakness. Nearly all of us are Cinderellas more or less. We find it very easy to identify ourselves with any Cinderella heroine, we can sympathize with her, pity her and love her. Any picture, drama or story that gives us anything like a true Cinderella is sure to be well received. "His Royal Highness" does this very effectively and though one might point out a few flat places in the comedy, the story is told with many very humorous incidents. It is the domineering elder sister who lets herself be flattered by a crazy man whom she parades as the royalty, over the town, while the true prince is helping the younger sister with the dishes. One has some reason for thinking that producers rely too much on the freedom humor gives in making up their scenes. Humor is spontaneous. It doesn't come by rule. For this very reason any apparent working for effect or planning kills the fun. In this picture we see the crazy man going into a costumers to buy a gown and crown while we know that he has no money. This lets the cat out of the bag and afterward when he appears dressed up it isn't nearly so funny as it would have been if he had come by the costume more naturally, taken then from the costumer's wash line, for instance; but that would have caused the scenario writer much trouble to arrange for. - The Moving Picture World, September 9, 1911