Sa Majesté s'amuse

Well-filmed but slow silent version of Molnar's THE SWAN is hampered by far too many title cards. Frances Howard, soon to be Mrs. Sam Goldwyn, makes a lovely Princess, Ricardo Cortez makes an excellent tutor and Adolphe Menjou makes, as always, a funny and aristocratic Prince, but it takes twenty minutes until the situation is set up and then everything is resolved by title card. Stick with the charming 1950s version with Grace Kelly, Louis Jourdain and Alec Guinness.

This palace intrigue comedy shows a lighter touch than Buchowetski's German Emil Jannings films and once he hits his stride Menjou is able to carry the central playboy prince role with some style - which gives him the edge on a glum Ricardo Cortez in a felt hat.

The film lacks the scale of comparable productions like Stroheim's THE MERRY WIDOW or Rex Ingram's PRISONER OF ZENDA. There isn't a decent wide shot in the Blue Danube ball room scene and drilled ranks of uniformed extras are missing but it does have (surprise) a Michael Curtiz style saber duel ten years before Curtiz got around to his.

A couple of the character people register - Ida Waterman and Michael Vavich (WOLF SONG) and Mrs. Goldwyn is a plausible Swan princess. Adequate mainly studio filming.