The Student Prince

Mario Lanza's beautiful tenor soars on the soundtrack of this fairytale, loosely based on Sigmund Romberg's beautiful operetta.

In an interview on a Lanza bio program, Music Director George Stoll shared how Lanza came into the recording studio and rendered perfect one-takes on the entire score, within a remarkable single session.

The glorious timbre of his voice is a highlight of this film. A special treat is hearing the pleasant lyric soprano of Ann Blythe, who was a trained, experienced singer even before making her film debut. The two are heard to advantage in the lovely "Deep in My Heart" park scene duet.

Composer Nicholas Brodszky contributed two ravishingly beautiful added songs, "Beloved" and "I'll Walk With God," intoned to perfection by Lanza.

Alas, Director Richard Thorpe lets the production down with very routine and uninspired direction, allowing for often tedious pacing and formatting. Despite having a great cast to work with, his contribution produces a lethargic bent to the proceedings.

In the end, "The Student Prince's" attributes rest primarily on a beautiful soundtrack, rich score, attractive players, and Lanza's thrilling singing.

It probably was fortunate that Mario Lanza was overweight and Purdom played the prince. I can't think of anyone who would have done a better job. Great soundtrack, great atmosphere. Makes you feel right there sharing the lovers' dreams. I visited Heidelberg with the express intent of living a bit of the story. I find myself there each time I watch the film again.

Definitely for the romantic at heart, for those capable of enjoying an adult fairy tale without losing touch with reality. I wonder how few of the current generation would appreciate such a charming production.

In an old German kingdom, the arranged marriage between handsome prince Edmund Purdom (as Karl Franz) and a wealthy princess is canceled. He has proved himself amorous enough to produce sons, but Mr. Purdom is found to be lacking in "warmth and charm" by the potential bride. To work on these qualities, Purdon is sent to college and becomes "The Student Prince (in Old Heidelberg)". Unfortunately for his royal subjects, Purdom falls in love with beautiful, but common barmaid Ann Blyth (as Kathie Ruder). When summoned home during a crisis, Purdom must choose between love and duty...

This film was supposed to star operatic superstar Mario Lanza, who made a big screen splash for MGM with "The Great Caruso" (1951). Alas, Mr. Caruso was fired due to problems with both an expanding ego and an expanding waistline. With an appetite for destruction, he died of a heart attack in 1959 (at age 38). Fortunately, Caruso began by recording all the vocals for this production, reportedly in single takes. The studio wisely included them in the soundtrack and Lanza's received a screen credit larger than anyone who actually appeared in the film. His vocals are outstanding and the story remains engaging...

Put in the unenviable role of "lip-synching" Caruso's singing, Purdom handles the assignment well. He obviously doesn't match the excitement in Lanza's voice; nor is he in possession of the inherent charisma brought to the role by the likes of Wallace Reid or Ramon Novarro, who starred in "silent" versions of this story in 1915 and 1927. However, Purdom's good looks kept him before the camera and his acting skills grew. To be painfully honest, Lanza wouldn't have impersonated the prince well. The MGM cast and crew is in fine form, and character actor S.Z. Sakall (as "Uncle" Ruder) delivers a delightful last appearance.

******* The Student Prince (6/15/54) Richard Thorpe ~ Edmund Purdom, Ann Blyth, Mario Lanza, S.Z. Sakall

Edmund Purdom does a fine job of lip-synching to Mario Lanza in this beautiful fairytale of a movie. The combination of Lanza's glorious romanticism and Purdom's very British demeanour is an odd combination, but it works - after a fashion. It helps that Purdom was actually singing along with Lanza's pre-recorded vocals - a daunting task for any singer, let alone a non-professional like Purdom. (The actor spent three months practising with the recordings, and commented 20 years later: "It was enough to make you sweat - just listening to the voice.")

It's to Purdom's credit that he persevered, for Lanza's singing is at the very core of this movie. The Serenade, Drinking Song, Beloved, Golden Days and I'll Walk With God are without peer, and represent the pinnacle of Lanza's achievement in English language song. Lanza's timbre was at its most ravishing by this time (1952) and he imbues these songs with such magic that every word sparkles - a feat not lost on Purdom, who later compared Mario's poetic artistry to that of the great soprano Elizabeth Schwarzkopf.

The Student Prince is loosely based on Sigmund Romberg's operetta, with three new songs (Beloved, I'll Walk With God and Summertime in Heidelberg) by Nicholas Brodszky replacing some of the more dated Romberg numbers. The film is a decided improvement on the creaky original and boasts a witty script, replete with memorable one-liners from the screen-writing duo of Sonya Levien and William Ludwig, scenarists for Lanza's The Great Caruso. As a previous reviewer has noted, the original lyrics have been changed in some instances, but the alterations are tastefully done.

Ann Blyth provides worthy support as Kathy, the barmaid with whom The Student Prince falls in love, and the hilarious supporting cast includes such seasoned pros as Edmund Gwenn, SZ (Cuddles) Sakall and John Williams.

Aside from Lanza's absence, what ultimately makes this merely a good movie rather than a classic is Richard Thorpe's uninspired direction. His stolid by-the-numbers approach (ie long shot, then medium shot, then close-up) is at its most obvious during the musical numbers, where he lacks the magical touch that the story - and the music - demands. Still, he was undoubtedly a better choice than Curtis Bernhardt, the "Prussian pickle" (to paraphrase one of the characters in this movie) originally slated to direct, and the real reason for Lanza walking out on The Student Prince.

But watch this movie for its irresistible fairytale appeal, and the magic of Mario Lanza at his extraordinary best.

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.