adamshl The original title on the actual movie was "Old Heidelberg," not exactly the kind of title that brings audiences rushing to see. The revised title "The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg" seems too long and weighty, and apparently neither titles did much for the financial success of the film during its initial showings.However, with time, critics and audiences have revised their opinions, and rightly so. It is one of Ernst Lubitsch's best works. It's also one of Norma Shearer's and Ramon Navarro's strongest.Apparently these actors didn't take the director's penchant for acting out scenes beforehand for them to copy. (The same procedure was said about Charles Chaplin.) In both cases the stars rebelled, till Exucitve Producer Irving Thalburg put an end to such tirades, opting instead for Lubitsch's skill.The restored version has one of the best composed (and conducted) scores for a silent film, by Carl Davis, and played with sensitivity by The English Chamber Orchestra. Likewise Marian Ainslee and Ruth Cummings created excellent titles, that don't obtrude and are kept to a minimum. The sets and photography are also quite fine.A note of interest: this 1927 film was released only a few weeks before the "The Jazz Singer," the latter ushering in a new talkie era.

Neil Doyle Watching PYGMALION after seeing MY FAIR LADY is one thing. Both films stand on their own two feet--and besides, PYGMALION came first. Even without Lerner and Lowe's music, PYGMALION is a truly wonderful film.Watching a silent STUDENT PRINCE without a Romberg melody blasting away from Carl Davis' score is another matter. Nor does NORMAL SHEARER, sporting an unattractive hairdo that makes her look matronly, look the part of a youthful barmaid, Kathi. RAMON NAVARRO plays the prince with a puppy dog eagerness and a winning smile but nothing to suggest believable chemistry with him and the dowdy looking Shearer. Surely, there must have been a better hairdresser for this particular film to at least give her a more youthful look. She ovedoes the coy flirtatiousness of the early scenes, batting her eyelashes at every drinking student.There's a certain heavy-handedness to Ernst Lubitsch's direction and an excessive amount of men doffing their hats to each other. And the final reunion scene with Navarro not getting the warm welcome from friends that he expected, is a bit overdone. These are things the silent technique probably could not avoid, even with a director like Lubitsch who is known for "that touch." On the plus side, JEAN HERSHOLT is excellent as an amiable and kindly adviser to the prince and gives warmth to the role. The Carl Davis score played by a full orchestra is delightful but one does miss hearing the hero and heroine sing the familiar operetta songs by Romberg, especially during the student drinking scenes.One has to wonder what the film was like on original release without a score like Davis wrote for the restored version. Strange indeed to have a silent film based on a famous musical.Needless to say, not my favorite Shearer film--and I enjoyed Navarro more in BEN-HUR.

MartinHafer I have seen both sound and silent versions of this movie and I actually prefer the silent one--even though it was based on a musical! Maybe part of this is because I am not the biggest fan of musicals, but I think more of this has to do with how beautifully made this film is. The film was directed by the great Ernst Lubitsch--a man renowned for his deft artistic touch and romanticism in films. All this is so apparent in this film, as it is just a work of art--gorgeous and romantic through and through. The sets, camera-work and acting are all exquisite and help to make this a very memorable film. If you want to see a sound version, help yourself. But for me, this is THE definitive version of the film.

Kalaman Ernst Lubitsch's silent films are as graceful and enchanting as his sound pictures, but the director's silents are unfairly left in the corner and don't always get the distinction they truly deserve. Along with "Lady Windermere's Fan" and "The Marriage Circle", this heartbreaking silent classic is one of Lubitsch's most perfect and poignant American silent films. "The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg"(surviving copies only say " Old Heidelberg") is a very moving and heartbreaking love story and pretty much in the best Lubitsch tradition of subtle, graceful, witty romantic comedy, tinged with an air of sadness and poignancy, much like what you see in the later Lubitsch sound masterworks like "The Shop Around the Corner", "Heaven Can Wait", and "Cluny Brown". Norma Shearer gives what could be her greatest and most satisfying silent performance as Kathi, a popular barmaid with fraternal students and townsfolk in the quasi-mythical university town of Heidelberg. Ramon Novaro is superb as her prince charming, the student prince who falls in love with her. If you liked this one, I recommend Lubitsch's other great silent love story from this period, the rarely seen and appreciated "Eternal Love."