The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg (1927)

Calificación de los usuarios:

7.8/10   

Director:

Ernst Lubitsch

Escritores:

Hanns Kräly (continuity)
Marian Ainslee (titles) ...

Fecha de Lanzamiento:

30 enero 1928 (USA)

Género:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

Young Prince Karl Heinrich has spent his entire life behind the palace gates protected from the world...

Plot Keywords:

Duty | Prince | Heidelberg | Governess | Betrothal

Comentarios de los usuarios:

Duty Calls

Reparto

Ramon Novarro	...	Crown Prince Karl Heinrich
Norma Shearer	...	Kathi
Jean Hersholt	...	Dr. Friedrich Jüttner
Gustav von Seyffertitz	...	King Karl VII
Philippe De Lacy	...	Young Karl - Heir Apparent (as Philipe de Lacy)
Edgar Norton	...	Lutz
Bobby Mack	...	Johann Kellermann
Edward Connelly	...	Court Marshal - Prime Minister Von Haugk
Otis Harlan	...	Old Rüder
Hans Joby	...	Student (as John S. Peters)
listado alfabético del resto del reparto:
André Mattoni	...	Count Asterberg

También conocida como:

Old Heidelberg
The Student Prince (UK)
El príncipe estudiante (Spain) (Venezuela) [es]

Duración:

UK:106 min (video) | 105 min (24 fps)

País:

USA

Idioma:

Inglés

Color:

Negro y Blanco

Relación de Aspecto:

1.33 : 1

Sonido:

Silent

Clasificación:

USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | USA:TV-G (TV rating)

Locaciones de Filmación:

Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany

Compañía:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivialidades:

The onscreen credit source is "from the book Karl Heinrich," but no author is listed. The writer, Wilhelm Meyer-Förster, is therefore considered uncredited.

Citas:

Old couple at the window: [tiredly, looking at King Karl's marriage procession] It must be wonderful to be a king!

Conexiones de Película:

Remade as The Student Prince (1954)

Duty Calls

The titles call this film "Old Heidelberg." Perhaps the longer title was added later to cash in on the popularity of Romberg's operetta, "The Student Prince," or to differenciate this 1927 silent film from an earlier version. Although director Ernst Lubitsch is a bit ham-handed about hammering home the fact that the obligations of royalty can lead to unhappiness (characters musing about how wonderful it must be to be a prince/king...the irony is too heavy-handed, which isn't like him), the point, at least, does get made. The movie abounds in gorgeous, evocative images that enhance the dramatic situations. There are many very telling moments that reveal the Master's touch...the prince steps out of the train, his momentary jealousy when he sees Kathi's popularity with the students, his stiff reunion with his former friends, who can no longer be his friends, and his realization of it. Ramon Novarro is an eager puppy-dog of a prince, charmingly, almost unbelievably, naive and enthusiastic, which makes his dilemma all the more touching as he begins to realize that there are some things a king can't have; if Norma Shearer, by comparison, seems more calculating and "actressy," she's still quite effective (when she and Karl Friedrich embrace before he heads back home because of his uncle's illness, her eyes tell you that she suspects she may never see him again), and the lesser roles are cast to near-perfection. After performing as a successful screen villain, Jean Hersholt was so good as the Prince's loyal tutor and companion that he established a nearly-unshakable image of weary kindliness. Production values are high--Lubitsch spent a lot of money but, in this case, it wasn't wasted. As one who generally finds silent films hammily-acted and dated in sensibility, I was pleasantly surprised to find this movie so absorbing. The Carl Davis score with which it is now shown, was added much later and does its own part to enhance the movie. Highly recommended.