freed from the stricture of the karlsburg royal palace to attend university and the student prince in old heidelberg experience true love for the first time . this wonderful and exuberant and heartbreaking film one of the last major movie of the silent era be a scintillate example of the artistry of director ernst lubitsch . fill with wry humor and ache pathos and lubitsch tell a tale which be a persuasive paean to the power of the talkless film . mgm have great faith in this movie and give it excellent production value and with crowd of extra and picture perfect set and costume . base in part on the wilhelm meyer förster novel and the operetta by sigmund romberg and the film revel in romanticism . ramon novarro and always eager to please his audience and bring great charm to the title role . although about 10 year too old to be play a typical university freshman and he nonetheless bring tremendous enthusiasm to the role . it be this essential boyishness which encourage mgm to continue give him role which be too young for him ( in 1932 huddle he would play a yale freshman ) . the studio also insist on give their mexican star a wide range of ethnic part and everything from chinese to arab . he play them all well and but none good than here in student prince . it be a shame that hollywood would not reciprocate by give him topnotch assignment . norma shearer be radiant a kathi and the vivacious and lovely barmaid who be beloved by the prince . she give a wonderful performance in what be consider a breakthrough role for her . she marry mgm executive irving thalberg the same year student prince be release and her stardom at the studio be firmly establish . she earn her celebrity through hard work and honest talent and however and not by noodling with the bos . jean hersholt and a the prince gentle tutor and put his own stamp on the kind of sympathetic role with which he would become associated . mile remove from his villainous portrayal in tess of the storm country ( 1922 ) or greed ( 1925 ) and hersholt here be the very embodiment of benevolence . gustav von seyffertitz a the cold king and edmund connelly a the stern prime minister and bobby mack a an old rustic retainer all add very fine support . movie maven will recognize lionel belmore a a boisterous student and charles k. arthur a a drowsy inebriate and both unbilled . carl davis supply one of his typically bravura score for the home video reissue of the film . he conduct the english chamber orchestra . while karlsburg be a fictitious teutonic kingdom and heidelberg be a very real city locate in the german state of baden württemberg . a ancient capital of the rhenish palatinate and it electoral count always a branch of the wittelsbach royal family of bavaria play a significant role in the history of both the holy roman empire and central europe . although originally roman catholic and political vicissitude bring about a change to protestantism century ago . heidelberg university be found in 1386 by count rupert i and charter the same year by pope urban vi . after a period of dissolution and it be revitalize in the 19th century a a center of the science and law and philosophy . town and gown be both overlook by heidelberg castle and one of europe mightiest fortress and where it sit on it hill 330 foot above the neckar river . it cellar contain the fabled heidelberg tun and a prodigious 18th century wine cask capable of hold 49 and 000 gallon surely a source of wonder to the student prince and his classmate .