The Student Prince (1954)

Director:

Richard Thorpe

Writers:

Dorothy Donnelly (book), Wilhelm Meyer-Förster (based on the play "Alt Heidelberg" by),

Stars:

Ann Blyth, Edmund Purdom, John Ericson

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ann Blyth	...	Kathie
Edmund Purdom	...	Prince Karl
John Ericson	...	Count Von Asterburg
Louis Calhern	...	King of Karlsberg
Edmund Gwenn	...	Prof. Juttner
S.Z. Sakall	...	Joseph Ruder (as S.Z. 'Cuddles' Sakall)
Betta St. John	...	Princess Johanna
John Williams	...	Lutz
Evelyn Varden	...	Queen
John Hoyt	...	Prime Minister
Richard Anderson	...	Lucas
Mario Lanza	...	Prince Karl (singing voice)
Roger Alan	...	Von Fischtenstein
Steve Rowland	...	Feuerwald
Chris Warfield	...	Richter

Storyline

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Plot Keywords:

royalty | love | university | remake | royal romance | 

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Taglines:

The World's Greatest Love Musical

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Genres:

Musical

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 June 1954 (USA)

Also Known As:

Le prince étudiant

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Color (Anscocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.55 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

While the basic story remained unchanged, the movie made many changes from the original operetta. 14 of the original songs were eliminated, 3 new songs were written and almost all of the original lyrics from the remaining songs were replaced. In the stage version, the song "Just We Two" is sung by the Princess Johanna and a character who does not appear in the play, Count Tarnitz. She and Tarnitz are secretly in love but must part for state reasons. In addition, the time span of the play (more than two years) was reduced to only a few months in the film.

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Quotes

King of Karlsberg: Freedom is a luxury no king can afford.

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Connections

Remake of The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg (1927)

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Soundtracks

"Serenade"
Music by Sigmund Romberg
Original Lyrics by Dorothy Donnelly
New Lyrics by Paul Francis Webster
Sung by Edmund Purdom (dubbed by Mario Lanza)

User Reviews

Nice music and photography,but could have been better

This is the only talking film version of Romberg's famous 1924 operetta--unfortunately, and it took MGM thirty years to get around to making it after they did a silent version. Although from all reports the silent version, directed by the great Ernst Lubitsch is excellent (I haven't seen it), in spite of the fact that it IS a "silent operetta", this 1954 sound version is a considerable letdown. Mario Lanza was supposed to have played the Prince, but his temper and weight problems got him fired, so the film was released with Edmund Purdom acting the role and lip-synching to Lanza's singing. Purdom is a considerably better actor than Lanza, but that's really not saying much. Ann Blyth, who does her own singing, is very good. However, the MGM adapters and screenwriters have done their dirty work. New, hopelessly bad dialogue has been added, as in the 50's remakes of "The Desert Song", "Show Boat", and "Rose Marie", but in this case the adapters have gone a few steps further. Only about half the original music (the score alone is ninety minutes long) is used; only Purdom/Lanza, Blyth, and the chorus sing, and they even filch the songs given to other characters in the stage version. Worse yet, new songs (not by Romberg and Dorothy Donnelly) have been added,and in EVERY SINGLE ONE of the original songs, only the first few lines of the lyrics have been retained----the rest have all been changed.

Audiences who are undemanding or completely unfamiliar with even a recording of the songs won't mind, but although the original lyrics weren't on the level of Hammerstein, Porter, Berlin, Ira Gershwin, Larry Hart, or Alan Jay Lerner's efforts, "Student Prince" fans will--and should---be outraged at this musical mangling.