Her Crowning Glory

Starring: John Bunny, Helene Costello, Mae Costello, Flora Finch, Kate Price
Directed by: Laurence Trimble
Rating: Not rated
Genre: Short, Comedy
Length: 14 minutes
1911

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A young girl (Helene Costello) lacks discipline, so her father (John Bunny) brings in a strict governess (Flora Finch) at the request of his sister (Kate Price).

Review:

Tim: Her Crowning Glory is a decent short comedy, except for the fact that all the characters are unlikable. I think the movie does a good job of establishing a story, and I like the development of the story throughout its 14 minute run time. It is a funny movie.

However, all of the characters are completely unlikable. The little girl is a brat, causing problems wherever she goes. She was out of control. The father was an enabler, giving her daughter no discipline, and seeming to look out for himself first. He seems like the type of man who always takes the easy role out. The governess is pretty much a witch, also looking out for herself first. The nurse is perhaps the most diabolical of them all, and is a bad influence on the little girl. Not one of these characters is someone who you can like and root for. I suppose there is some liberty in watching a story about four people who don't really matter, and therefore, you can laugh at whatever happens to any of them. I was just surprised they were all such flawed characters.

The story is pretty basic, but humorous. It telegraphs some of the biggest gags, but they are still funny when then happen.

I thought it was interesting to hear that John Bunny was an extremely famous actor at the time of the film. I would not have expected that, and while I thought he was funny in the role, I wasn't wowed by him. The cast, including Bunny, were all quite good. It looked like Helen Costello looked directly into the camera a few times, but that can be forgiven.

By today's standards, Her Crowning Glory is a pretty tame, forgettable little movie. It has a number of plot holes and could be considered pretty hard-to-believe. However, in the context of 1911, this is a decent comedy that probably had audiences laughing. It's well worth tracking down.



Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: N/A



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: N/A