Old Heidelberg (1915)

While studying at the Heidelberg University, Prince Karl (Wallace Reid) of Saxony falls in love with the local innkeeper's daughter (Dorothy Gish). Soon, he will be forced to make a decision ..... duty to his country or the woman he loves. Based on the play by Wilhelm Meyer Forster and directed by John Emerson (MYSTERY OF THE LEAPING FISH). The play was popular enough to be filmed several times including the Ernest Lubitsch 1926 film version and it was the basis of Sigmund Romberg's 1924 operetta THE STUDENT PRINCE, filmed in 1954 by MGM. I found this version monotonous and creaky. Although eclipsed by her sister Lillian, in the 1920s Dorothy Gish was a star in her own right although this vehicle doesn't show her to her best advantage. Wallace Reid soon became one of silent cinema's major stars but sadly died at the age of 31 in 1923. The film does feature Erich von Stroheim in a supporting role as Reid's guardian and he soon would become a major director in Hollywood. With so much talent involved, it's a pity that the movie's a dull dud. But then, I've never much cared for any of the film versions of the play. With Karl Formes and Raymond Wells.