The Royal Bed

Only the comical nature of this movie saved it from being completely insufferable. On the one hand we had the oppressed princess and on the other hand we had a down to earth and comical king.

As for the princess, Princess Anne (Mary Astor), she was the typical oppressed princess. You know the one--she can't do anything she wants to do and she's being forced to marry someone she doesn't want to marry. Only if she were a common peasant then she'd be free.

Gag.

Oppression is oppression no matter who is being oppressed, but I still find it difficult to watch a princess complain about how terrible her life is, or how she'd prefer being a beggar over being a princess. It's language like that that makes rich and royalty so unrelatable.

As for the king, King Eric VIII (Lowell Sherman), he was a solid dude. He loved his daughter, liked playing checkers with his palace guard, and was in favor of a republic. He was also in favor of his daughter running off and eloping with her secret lover, Freddie Granton (Anthony Bushell), the king's secretary. The king was in an untenable position that required some deft moves to navigate. He would have to use all of his wits to keep the peace, give his daughter what she wanted, and remain king at the same time. He did what he could and kept it funny all the while.

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Royal Bed is watchable, but only just. I think it was intended to be a farce, but it doesn't have the pacing or the wit necessary for good farce. It's a one-joke film that goes on much, much too long. None of the actors stands out, and many of them fade right into the woodwork. The set and set decoration are mediocre and lack the necessary pomp and circumstance for a film set in a palace. The costume designer succeeds in providing overblown and farcical costumes for the men (many with baggy jackets topping ridiculously tight pegleg trousers). However, the costume designer fails to provide the right farcical tone with the women's costumes. Astor wears a cute riding outfit complete with jodhpurs in the early part of the film, and then later a gorgeous wedding dress. The queen (who is supposed to be that stock character of farce--an interfering busybody) wears several wonderful outfits including a half-length fur stole over a classic walking dress, and a taffeta gown with a gloriously regal train. Overall, I give Royal Bed a 4 out of 10.

Lowell Sherman stars as a bored king on a European country. He faces a rebellious populace, a rebellious daughter (Mary Astor), and a repulsive wife (Nance O'Neill). Drawing room comedy has its moments and they all belong to Sherman and Astor. Sherman was a master at playing this kind of diffident character. Constantly rolling his eyes, pursing his lips, and waving around his always-present cigarette. It's almost a Bette Davis act before there was a Bette Davis.

J. Carroll Naish plays the Lenin-like revolutionary, Mischa Auer has a bit part as a flunkee, Anthony Bushell is the aide, Hugh Trevor is the prince, Robert Warwick is the bellowing general, and Gilbert Emery is funny as the butler.

Not great but certainly watchable and a must for fans of Lowell Sherman and Mary Astor!

Lowell Sherman and Mary Astor are the best parts of this film...them and maybe the spectacular wedding dress with Veil and the Queen's crown!

This was a film based on a play and during some moments that was obvious, probably more than it should be.

The heart of this story is about a royal Princess Anne, played by Astor, who wants to marry a commoner, Freddie, but her mother the queen has promised her off to the Crown Prince William.

Before their wedding...a peasant uprisings occurs (which I found very strange and unnecessary for the plot). Princess Anne could have gone off and married Freddie with her father's blessing...but she couldn't leave her father alone while the palace was under attack do she stays...which means marrying the Crown Prince when her mother returns...or does it?

The best part really is Sherman and Astor...they breathe wonderful life into the father and daughter relationship that is the only part of the film worthy of watching.

As you sit and watch "The Royal Bed", it's very obvious that it was originally a play. It has a talky, stagy style and it seems, at times, like actors pause to wait for the audience to react--when there is no audience. It's also a sad waste of some talents, as Lowell Sherman (a very much unknown and under-appreciated actor today) and Mary Astor were clearly better than this material.

When the film begins, the overbearing queen of a fictional country has announced that she's arranged for a marriage between her daughter and the prince of some other fictional nation. Princess Anne (Astor) is distraught--as she doesn't know this man and she's been secretly in love with a commoner (a rich one, nevertheless). Well, the snobby queen will have nothing to do with this love match, but the king (Sherman) vows to work behind the scene so that Anne will be happy. Unfortunately, a revolution breaks out and the king's promises seem unlikely to be fulfilled. Anne vows to kill herself if she cannot marry her beloved Freddie!

The first 75% of this film was a real snoozer. The stagy dialog and lack of action certainly contributed to this. Fortunately, the film picked up considerably and Sherman certainly was in his element once the film took off. The one who did not come off so well was Astor, as her character just seemed selfish and immature. At one point, she and her father were talking about the impact of her marrying a commoner might have on the revolution and she replied 'let them throw their bombs!'-- wow, what a competent and selfless woman!

Overall, if you can get through the boring first part of the film, the last portion does deliver.