Die Austernprinzessin (1919)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Ernst Lubitsch

Writers:

Hanns Kräly (writer)
Ernst Lubitsch (writer)

Release Date:

26 June 1919 (Germany)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

Oyster-king Quaker cannot be impressed anymore. He is so rich that he even has a special butler holding his cigar while he is smoking...

Plot Keywords:

Marriage

Cast

Victor Janson	...	Mister Quaker, oyster-king of America
Ossi Oswalda	...	Ossi, his daughter
Harry Liedtke	...	Prince Nucki
Julius Falkenstein	...	Josef, a friend of Nucki
Max Kronert	...	Seligsohn the Matchmaker
Curt Bois	...	Conductor (as Kurt Bois)

Also Known As:

My Lady Margarine (USA)
The Oyster Princess (International: English title)

Runtime:

47 min | 58 min (20 fps) | Spain:60 min (DVD edition)

Country:

Germany

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Company:

Projektions-AG Union (PAGU)

Movie Connections:

Featured in Ernst Lubitsch in Berlin - Von der Schönhauser Allee nach Hollywood (2006) (V)

To America

Ernst Lubitsch helped take German cinéma to America with 'Madame DuBarry,' re-titled 'Passion' in the states. The film itself demonstrated an influence of American filmmakers. The story of 'The Oyster Princess' makes fun of the opulence of American capitalism, which is not to say it's satirical; rather, it's intentionally absurd. There's the absurdity of the luxuries of the American rich, and then the absurdity that Lubitsch adds on top of that to remove the film from reality. This is escapism for a public facing an unstable economy.

As with the other early comedy by Lubitsch that I've seen ('The Merry Jail'), one can see many themes and preferences that the director would continue to turn to in his more celebrated, American work. There's the plot device of mistaken identity. Generally common is the humour of drunkenness. Additionally, Lubitsch again features scenes of dancing and celebration despite this being a silent film. Characters turn to the camera and address the audience directly, via inter titles, despite it. Of course, silent films weren't actually silent, with orchestral or piano scores and sound effects provided during showings. In the US, Lubitsch would go on to be one of the more respected auteur's of early film musicals. Anyhow, for modern viewers, this film is not very funny or entertaining, but it is historically interesting.