The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg

Slightly tiring but a bold choice in the ending for its time -- and a fitting one.

Viewed November 27, 2018.

I haven't really been won over by any Lubitsch movies so far, and this one wasn't the one to convince me. Even Navarro couldn't get this movie up above yawn-worthy. Maybe if there were more chariots...

There are many Lubitsch "touches" here, but the core of the film is the hopless love affair between the Prince (Navarro) and the tavernkeeper's daughter (Shearer). They are sweet together, and the ending is honest, because it is--inevitably--a sad one.

Too early in the morning to feel the sadness this flick brought. It brought happiness with it tho. The prince is just a human after all

Thoroughly dishonest. A few laughs.

Such a touch, such a delight. You have to wonder if a romcom like this, and of its time and type, can be done better. This is awash in elegance, and the romanticism seems to come from the visual style. One of the cases where many virtues compensate -not few- flaws.

The romance is pure silent cinema. Corny, overly sweet, exaggerated. At times very similar to the Janet Gaynor/Charles Farrell romances of the same period. Wonderful and full of naive sensitivity! Lubitsch films it like they are dream sequences. And I guess that's what it is. Both for the movie fans and for the lovers that can't be. This is all very Hollywood. That's why the ending is such a strong point because it's not very Hollywood. Surprisingly mature and leaves you with tears in your eyes.

Unexpected ending. for me, between Roman Holiday and The Swan. Lubitsch's best before "The Corner".