The Student Prince

( 6 )

Overview

Edmund Purdom plays Prince Karl, but Mario Lanza sings the bold tunes coming out of Purdom's mouth, in this MGM remake of the 1927 Ernst Lubitsch silent picture based on the renowned 1924 operetta by Sigmund Romberg and Dorothy Donnelly, which itself was based on the novel and play by Wilhelm Meyer-Foerster. Lanza was signed to play the German Prince of Heidelberg, but weight and temperament problems caused the director Richard Thorpe to use Purdom instead. Lanza's pre-recorded tenor tones come out of Purdom's ...
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DVD (Remastered)
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More About This Product

Overview

Edmund Purdom plays Prince Karl, but Mario Lanza sings the bold tunes coming out of Purdom's mouth, in this MGM remake of the 1927 Ernst Lubitsch silent picture based on the renowned 1924 operetta by Sigmund Romberg and Dorothy Donnelly, which itself was based on the novel and play by Wilhelm Meyer-Foerster. Lanza was signed to play the German Prince of Heidelberg, but weight and temperament problems caused the director Richard Thorpe to use Purdom instead. Lanza's pre-recorded tenor tones come out of Purdom's lip-synching mouth in the many lusty tunes such as "Drink, Drink, Drink" and "Golden Days." Prince Karl's grandfather, the king Louis Calhern, wants his sheltered grandson to see the world and sow a few wild oats before he returns to the marriage that has been pre-arranged with Princess Johanna Betta St. John. The prince ends up in a tavern in Heidelberg and meets and falls in love with Kathie Ann Blyth, the niece of the local innkeeper. But the King gets sick and dies, and Prince Karl must return to assume the throne. He can't have a peasant girl as his queen, so he must part with his secret lover. ~ Michael Betzold
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Editorial Reviews

All Movie Guide - Craig Butler
Operetta is never as satisfying an experience on film as it can be onstage, but The Student Prince is one of the better treatments of this genre. Clearly its biggest asset is its Sigmund Romberg songs (and, to a lesser extent, the enjoyable if not as distinguished additions by Nicholas Brodzky and Paul Francis Webster.) While the purple-tinged lyrics and the unashamedly open emotionalism of "Serenade," " Deep in My Heart" and "Golden Days" make the score seem far removed from contemporary tastes, most music lovers will find it hard to resist the beauty of Romberg's soaring melodies. The screenplay is serviceable, but it unfortunately does not dig deeper into characters and situations that by 1954 were rather well worn and in need of specificity, invention and surprise. The cast does relatively well, especially the always charming Edmund Gwenn and the appropriately supercilious John Williams. In the lead roles, Ann Blyth puts her operatic chops to good use and sounds quite nice, making one wish she had been given more to sing. Her dramatic talents are not greatly challenged, but she makes a more than decent barmaid/love interest. The male lead is more problematic. Edmund Purdom is rather too bland and predictable; there's nothing wrong with what he does, but aside from his looks, there is not a lot to command attention. As a result, when he opens his mouth and Mario Lanza's vigorous tones pour out, it seems rather unnatural. Matters are not helped by the fact that the role really requires a baritone rather than Lanza's tenor, nor by the fact that several of his high notes come off too pinched. Still, most of the score is well served, and there's lots of color, lusty and rousing choristers and attractive sets to cover over the rougher spots.
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Product Details

  • Release Date: 10/11/2011
  • UPC: 883316364505
  • Original Release: 1954

    • Rating:

  • Source: Warner Archives
  • Region Code: 0
  • Presentation: Remastered
  • Language: English
  • Time: 1:47:00
  • Format: DVD
  • Sales rank: 479

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits
Ann Blyth Kathie
Edmund Purdom Prince Karl
John Ericson Count Von Asterburg
Louis Calhern King of Karlsburg
Edmund Gwenn Prof. Juttner
John Williams Lutz
Evelyn Varden Queen
John Hoyt Prime Minister
Richard Anderson Lucas
Steve Rowland Feuerwald
Chris Warfield Richter
Archer MacDonald Head Corps Servant
Charles Davis Hubert
John Qualen Willie Klauber
Mario Lanza Voice Only, Voice Only
S.Z. Sakall Joseph Ruder
Betta St. John Princess Johanna
Technical Credits
Richard Thorpe Director
Randall Duell Art Director
Cedric Gibbons Art Director
Arthur Krams Set Decoration/Design
Sonya Levien Screenwriter
William Ludwig Screenwriter
Warren Newcombe Special Effects
Hermes Pan Choreography
Joe Pasternak Producer
Walter Plunkett Costumes/Costume Designer
Sigmund Romberg Score Composer
Helen Rose Costumes/Costume Designer
Gene Ruggiero Editor
George Stoll Musical Direction/Supervision
William J. Tuttle Makeup
Nicolas Vogel Cinematographer
Paul Vogel Cinematographer
Edwin B. Willis Set Decoration/Design
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Customer Reviews

Average Rating 2
( 6 )
Rating Distribution

5 Star

(0)

4 Star

(1)

3 Star

(1)

2 Star

(2)

1 Star

(2)

Your Rating:

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Sort by: Showing all of 6 Customer Reviews

  • Posted October 1, 2010

    Very disappointing

    There was solmething wrong with the digitizing platform used. When the screen had a lot of movement, the pixels were clearly visable. There was a lot of bluring and streaking in the screen.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted October 23, 2011

    Less than one star - very poor

    Very poor DVD - extremely blurred - Do not purchase - Should be withdrawn

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted April 12, 2004

    Romantic but BAD Ending!!!

    This movie was fun and I laughed in some parts. The romance made me smile as the prince pursued the reluctent Kathy, who wanted nothing to do with him. But of course they fall in love. And then they dropped the bomb with a very maddening ending which I won't give away. For a better ending, go see the 'remake' of this movie; The Prince and Me, with Julia Stiles. It has a better ending.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted November 26, 2011

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted October 2, 2011

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted January 22, 2010

    No text was provided for this review.

Sort by: Showing all of 6 Customer Reviews