His Royal Slyness

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Nick M The prince of Razzamatazz is completing his education abroad in the US (though he seems to prefer his lessons in the bedroom to those of the classroom), and is ordered by his father to journey to the kingdom of Thermosa to secure a marriage with their princess. Enamored as he is with his free living in the States, he switches places with an American look-alike who is up for a little adventure. Harold Lloyd's films are really starting to turn the corner from ordinary to extraordinary at this point. Ever since Roach and Lloyd signed with Pathé Exchange the resources available to them have increased, and the production values have risen accordingly. The comedy of His Royal Slyness relies more on narrative and circumstance than it does on cheap gags, which requires more ingenuity and planning, but the payoff is clearly proving worth it to the team based on this shift in how they're operating. They no longer have to crank out films at the rate of one a week, and can concentrate on refining each offering as Chaplin has been doing for a couple of years now (Lloyd released 40 pictures in 1919, but only 6 in 1920). There are some really strong bits here that I haven't seen elsewhere. Gone are the days when they had to resort to hackneyed thrills to pay the bills! But while their budget has increased, it isn't yet astronomical. In the palace scenes the nobility are wearing costumes from several different eras and countries, and the set itself is a hilarious mix of cultures. The funniest for me was the Native American blankets filling in for European tapestries behind the thrones of the king and queen. However, this in no way detracts from the fun of this movie, which is a delight from start to finish. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 10/15/24 Full Review Christopher B While it's only 20 minutes in length and not one of his masterpieces, His Royal Slyness is still a hilarious two-reeler that packs a lot into it's short running time. There are some very funny and well timed sight gags and a riot as the film draws near to it's close with the whole kingdom going into a frenzy. This was also apparently the last film before Lloyd had a prop bomb (He was doing a photoshoot at the time) that blew up and caused serious burns, damage to his eye, and tore off two of his fingers. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 11/29/22 Full Review Audience Member A very clever entry from Mr. Lloyd. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/18/23 Full Review Read all reviews

His Royal Slyness

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