The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg

The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg
Ernst Lubitsch brought his famous touch to this sentimental romantic drama, a famous operetta about a young prince who falls in love with a commoner. A kindly tutor (Jean Hersholt) effectively raises the boy in a splendorous kingdom of rolling hills and vast forests while his distant father rules in the cold, tradition-bound palace. When he turns 18, Prince Karl Heinrich (Ramon Novarro) is sent to Heidelberg for an education, in more ways than one. He enrolls incognito to get a taste of real life and falls in love with the kittenish, sweetly rambunctious barmaid Katchen (Norma Shearer). The prince becomes so caught up in his student revelries, school chums, and his first love, that he forgets he has a world outside of university until royal duties call him back to the palace. Shot partly on location in Germany, where the gorgeous countryside contrasts with the lavish palace and quaint German beer garden built on the MGM lot, this was the grandest of Lubtisch's productions to date, though one where his famous wit played second fiddle to glossy melodrama. The marriage of Lubitsch and MGM seems near perfect: the studio offered the glitz and the star power, and Lubitsch the intimacy. This is real tearjerker material, but Lubitsch's sensibility brings rollicking fun and a playful sense of sexual discovery in the first half, and pathos to the bittersweet romantic drama that ends the film. --Sean Axmaker
Customer Review: Put me on DVD - please !
The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg I can hear this silent movie screaming out, "Don't let me die! Put me on DVD."
Customer Review: love, royal style
This 1927 silent classic may seem like a frothy piece of fluff at first, but it is actually quite tragic, and true to life. Exquisitely directed by Ernst Lubitsch, it has meticulous attention to detail, and is wonderfully photographed. I love the hillside of flowers, which is later seen barren. There are many delicate touches in this film, that make it good for many viewings. The orchestral score by Carl Davis is also pleasing, with its share of om-pah-pah drinking songs, waltzes, and a melodic "love theme". The cast is brilliant, starting with the delightful Phillipe De Lacy, who plays the prince as a child. Jean Hersholt is marvelous as the tutor, Dr. Juttner, and then there are the two glowing stars: Norma Shearer and Ramon Novarro, who have terrific on-screen chemistry. Shearer is sweet and touching as Kathi the barmaid, and is also sometimes hilarious. Novarro is exceptional as the adult prince; slight of build, with a gentle beauty and a huge winning smile, he gives us a thoroughly convincing portrayal, his face expressing subtle emotions not often seen in the silent film genre. Mexican by birth, many critics who reviewed this film when it was released said he was too Latin for the part, but time has proved them wrong. Novarro and Shearer were actors who managed to make the transition from silent films to "talkies", due to their lovely speaking voices and immense talent; there is not much available in the way of their silent film career to be seen however, so this one is a special treat, and you will find the last scene, and the look on Novarro's face, embedded in your heart and mind for a long time to come.