Remastered DVD of The Student Prince coming soon!

[Derek McGovern]

Armando has just alerted me to the welcome news that The Student Prince will be released on DVD in a remastered widescreen edition on July 26th. Yes, remastered! This is part of Warner's Archive Collection, but unlike their earlier releases of Because You're Mine and The Great Caruso, it appears they've actually done a bit of work on this movie. In fact, if you click under the image of the cover at this TCM link, you'll see that it clearly states "Remastered." 

Of course, if it's really true, then it makes a bit of a mockery of Derek Mannering's claim that we couldn't possibly expect The Great Caruso to be remastered because it would cost "a million dollars" to do so. We'll know soon enough, anyway...

Let's hope the soundtrack is in pristine stereo!   

[Derek McGovern]

P.S. As this interview (also courtesy of Armando) with Warners' executive George Feltenstein makes clear, the company is quite happy to remaster other films of The Great Caruso's vintage. For instance, Feltenstein mentions that they've "just finished doing a gorgeous restoration and master of The Unfinished Dance" -- a pretty ordinary 1947 musical by various accounts -- apparently on the off-chance that fans of the recent ballerina pic The Black Swan might be interested in it. They're also looking to remaster various Bette Davis and Humphrey Bogart movies. Again, so much for the million-dollar restoration price tag!

Surely there would have been at least as much interest in a properly remastered Great Caruso as for a 1930s/40s Davis or Bogart feature? Feltenstein suggests in the article that The Great Caruso's appeal is limited to an older age group, but one could say the same of most of Bette Davis's movies -- and certainly of The Unfinished Dance, starring Margaret O'Brien.     

[Derek McGovern]

Has anybody ordered -- or is anyone planning to order -- The Student Prince DVD? I'm hesitating, as I already have a laser copy in widescreen that features good picture quality and excellent sound. (Plus, of course, Mike's definitive CD of the soundtrack.)    

[Joseph Fagan]

Good question!, I have been waiting also to hear any response about this. I DO have a DVD copy of SP that Muriel made and gave to me but I think that was from a VHS tape. I probably will buy the the new DVD when it becomes available. Again, Mike's CD is tops when it comes to listening only.

[Derek McGovern]

Hi Joe: The DVD is actually available now. Sam Samuelian has already posted an enthusiastic review of it elsewhere, praising the DVD's "intense" colour, "sharp and clean picture," and distortion-free sound. It's currently only available from TCM. 

Cheers

Derek

[Michael McAdam]

Even though I have a good copy of the Laserdisc from my Italianate ;-) Australian friend, it does not fill my widescreen display (due to the low pixel area of the older Laserdisc technology, natch).

I am curious as to what the revamped version of one of my favourite Hollywood musicals will look and sound like over my Home theatre components. Ergo, I think I will order from TCM tomorrow.

 

M.

[Derek McGovern]

I've just ordered this DVD as well (after several false starts; the TCM website is not exactly user-friendly for international customers!). If, like me, you live outside of North America, then the cheapest mailing option is US$10, making it a total price of $30.

I should have it in a couple of weeks, and I look forward to sharing my thoughts on its quality!

By the way, Derek Mannering has posted on the Rense forum that Serenade will be released next. Dare we hope that Warners will give that film the same attention they've apparently lavished on The Student Prince?

[Armando]

Ciao Derek: Only yesterday I received the much-heralded “remastered” edition of The Student Prince.   

It turns out it hasn’t been remastered at all and to claim as much is false advertising on the part of Warner Home Video.

However, the copy is a good one. The sound is excellent and the image far superior to the VHS and slightly sharper than on the Laser Disc. 

The print has some minor scratches and there are occasional colour variations but, overall, this is the best we’ve had so far.

I would urge all to buy it, if for no other reason than hearing Lanza’s stupendous voice at his romantic best and in very good sound.

 

[Derek McGovern]

Ciao Armando: Thanks for those comments, and shame on Warner Bros for promoting this as a remastered edition! But good to hear that I haven't wasted my money by ordering it, and that it's still (somewhat) better than the laser disc version.

I'm feeling reasonably optimistic about the forthcoming DVD of Serenade. Obviously, everything depends on the print, and if it's the same one that was used for the VCD release of Serenade about ten years ago, then I'll be happy. The VCD (which, as far as I know, was only released in The Philippines) had good colour and excellent sound---the best I've heard so far, in fact.

Cheers
Derek

[JOE]

I also received my copy of the SP and as Armando points out, it is NOT "remastered" . TCM terms it "newly glorified" ( whatever that means). However, it IS a fine copy with very improved color and sound. I would recommend it as well..............Joe

[JOE]

correction: make that Warner Bros not TCM...Joe

[Derek McGovern]

Well, I received my DVD of The Student Prince today, and I'm very happy with it.

No, it hasn't been remastered, but, as Armando and Joe have pointed out, it is a good print. (Incidentally, Joe: the "newly glorified" claim on the cover actually belongs to the original film poster; MGM was boasting about its use of the then-new Cinemascope.) Nice colour---certainly superior to the recent Great Caruso DVD---with better definition than I've seen, and generally excellent sound. Love the widescreen image. The grain, although quite noticeable at times, didn't bother me (even on a 50-inch HDTV), and I was aware of far more background detail than usual; for example, the backdrop in the "Beloved" scene.

Definitely worth buying!!

By the way, I was hoping that we might get the full stereo treatment here, but apart from a curious moment on the line "Be still, my trembling heart" in Beloved (which, incidentally, wasn't quite as warmly reproduced as the other songs) when the orchestra momentarily switched from mono to stereo, only the incidental music and the men's chorus are in stereo here. It didn't really bother me, though; in fact, Lanza sounds so glorious here that I found I had tears rolling down my cheeks during "Summertime in Heidelberg." And "Serenade" just devastated me :)

What a sweet sweet film. I never get tired of this movie, and I love its witty dialogue. And I'll say it again: Purdom makes a great Prince. Apart from being too restrained in his movements during "Beloved" and the "Serenade," in particular (in comparison with the passionate singing he's lip-synching to), he's completely believable here. (Having said that, if I'd been "one-take" director Richard Thorpe, though, I would have got Purdom to redo his overly theatrical "Kathie!" line straight after "Beloved" :))

Ann Blyth is an ideal Kathie, and the supporting cast includes some of the best character actors in the business (Edmund Gwenn, Louis Calhern, John Williams et al). There's even a fine character actor named Ivan Triesault in the uncredited part of Prof. Klauber's assistant in the university lecture scene. Triesault was a memorable villain in one of Hitchcock's best films, Notorious (1946). It's sad to think that three of the supporting actors here---Gwenn, Calhern, and S.Z. "Cuddles" Sakall (whose last film this was)---would be dead within five years of making this film.

(In fact, the only performance I'm not particularly keen on here is that of Betta St. John, who plays the rather thankless role of Princess Johanna. It's her voice that I find grating!)

Now, roll on Serenade!

Cheers
Derek

[Michael McAdam]

Well Dr. McGovern....that's it then. I'll order this item tomorrow. Yours were the final, deciding comments. Thanks to you, Armando, Joe et al who gave some valuable feedback here.

I agree with your points about the film. A great choice of character actors indeed (and I fell in love with Ann Blyth as a wide-eyed and eared ;-) 10- year old back then). I've been enjoying the VCD of this film from Armando's Laserdisc for a few years now but to see the new higher-res video fill my 46" Hi-Def screen will be a treat.

 

Your mention of the stereo switching to mono was something I ran across while extracting the actual film cuts for my Student Prince CD project. If you remember, I mentioned in the Student Prince thread on how Deep In My Heart, Dear switches back to stereo just as the vocals end. It also happens on other Lanza tracks as soon as Mario starts to sing. I guess they had to move their sliders to mono after the incidental music lead-ins to match Mario's pre-recorded mono tracks.

 

It appears that you waited a while for delivery of your DVD, Derek? I'm going to order from Amazon Canada so it should only take about 3-4 days judging by previous orders. BTW, I don't suppose there any decent liner notes (and chapter selections) accompanying this DVD?

 

Cheers, Mike

[Michael McAdam]

Oops! I guess that DVD is only available through Turner (TCM)? Will order that from same this afternoon.

M.

[Derek McGovern]

Hi Mike: Yes, the DVD's only available for now from TCM at this link, although it'll eventually be offered by Amazon (in a couple of months, I think). It took 13 days to arrive, which is not bad considering I chose the cheapest mailing option from the US to Korea.

Don't expect liner notes or chapter selections! On my Apple Mac, I can select chapters from the top of my screen, but when playing it through a TV, the only menu to speak of offers "Play" or "Trailer." It's minimalist stuff! But you can always hit the track button on your remote to be taken to the songs.

It's odd that Mario's singing is in stereo on the three Student Prince selections featured on the MGM Rhino CD, but not on this DVD.

Speaking of stereo, I wonder if there's any chance of For the First Time being released in that format? Probably not, as the laser disc widescreen version I have of the film is in mono (and I suspect the same print will be used for the DVD), but one can always hope. And as Armando mentioned a while back, even the soundtrack of Seven Hills may have been recorded in stereo---the film was certainly advertised at the time as a stereophonic release---though, like the MGM Student Prince, it was only released in mono by RCA.

I think you'll be quite chuffed with your Student Prince DVD, Mike.

Cheers
Derek

[Derek McGovern]

A few further thoughts on The Student Prince as a film:

Watching it again the other day, it kept occurring to me how difficult it would have been for Mario to have looked and acted the role of the Prince.

We know he was a good mimic, but could he have adopted a suitable accent for the film? Purdom's upper-class British accent "works" in the context of a royal Prussian; an American accent would have been all wrong (and that's one of the things that grates about Betta St. John's Princess). Could he have sustained a convincingly regal accent for the duration of the film? It's one thing to impress as a gentleman for a few scenes in The Toast of New Orleans, but quite another to act that in that restrained way for virtually an entire movie.

Lanza's height and Italianate looks would have been another issue; the Prince needs to be tall and Anglo-Saxon-looking---and Mario was a stocky Mediterranean! He certainly wouldn't have towered over Ann Blyth, as Purdom does, even with lifts. I also feel he would have had to continually starve himself on the set to maintain the sylph-like figure needed in, say, the duelling scene, where any extra poundage would have been difficult to hide.

I'm not doubting Mario's desire to be in the film; I'm just wondering whether he would have been as perfect in the part of the Prince as most Lanza fans seem to assume.

Anyone agree?

Cheers
Derek

[Barnabas Nemeth]

Absolutely agree with you. It was a tabu so far but no longer. It might be was one of the reasons why he had been missed out of the role. Additionally, he was not in the best shape as well.

 

Barnabas 

[Joseph Fagan]

I am glad u brought that up Derek, because I have always thought this also. Mario, who was quite good in his other flicks, simply could not pull off the pompous, stiff and stuffy character of the Prince. Also,he was a very good looking man when thinned down but did have an Italian, not a Prussian look. I also think it would be difficult for him to sustain a credible accent for all scenes. Purdom was a great choice, methinks. I think these will be unpopular views with others, however!

[Michael McAdam]

Joe: not an unpopular view at all. I'm glad Derek expounded on something he and I and others have mentioned in private (not for any covert reason, I might add). I've always thought that while Purdom is a bit stuffy and wooden in his acting, he certainly walks the walk and talks the talk (we know he doesn't "sing the sing" ;-))

Lanza? All wrong for the role! As Pepé the fisherman...fine. As a Prussian, nah!

 

Barnabas: If you check Armando's book, you'll find that Lanza was at his lightest weight ever when the production commenced in Summer of '52. Ergo: the skinny pics and lovely, lyrical voice on the soundstage.

Mike

[Armando]

Ciao Derek: You make some valid points regarding Mario’s suitability to play the Prince.

I think one of the biggest problems, as you pointed out, would have been the American accent, but then again, it would have matched the singing, whereas with Purdom you have him speaking with a distinct British accent and then switching to an American one when singing. 

Aside from this, the other difficulty, as I see it, would have been for him to avoid over emoting and remain restrained in the initial part of the film.This would have depended very much on the director. With Bernhardt in charge, provided Mario was willing to listen (an unlikely prospect, although his desire an enthusiasm for the film was such that he might have) this could have happened.With one take Thorpe I’m not so sure.  

On the question of looks and height, he certainly didn’t look Anglo Saxon but neither did Purdom, really. At 5’10” with lifts, and weighing only 161 pounds, Lanza would have looked fine, (Ann Blyth is only 5’2”) but they would have had to choose the camera angles carefully when filming him next to the taller actors like Louis Calhern and Richard Anderson.

Would he have been as perfect in the part as Purdom? Possibly not, but whatever the shortcomings, I feel they would have been more than compensated by his miming and emoting to his own singing.

Un caro saluto

Armando

  

[leeann]

Good evening, everyone. I know I saw this movie as a child--I have memories of my mother taking us to what may have been a revival--Nelson Eddy and Jeanette MacDonald movies were part of the series. And I remember having a childhood crush on Edmund Purdom.

Now, not so much.

But I love this move! Words like delightful and charming come to mind. And as you've pointed out--the supporting cast is splendid and I found myself laughing out loud a lot. And the one-liners! Marvelous.

I did keep wondering how the movie would have turned out if Mario Lanza had played Prince Karl. Given all the very reasonable caveats this thread brings to light, I'm pretty sure I'm wrong, but from the moment Prince Karl strides behind his grandfather into the study, the studied stiffness seems so out-of-tune with the heart the other actors bring to their roles, and even as he bends a bit in Heidelberg, I'm never quite convinced. I would've preferred just a bit more nuance.

And his delivery, despite the excellent lip-synching, just doesn't match the voice at all. It's a study in immobility and the music is too wonderful for even a Prussian Prince to fail at least to give the impression his whole being is involved, to use some body language.

I want to believe, even irrationally, that Lanza would've been perfect in the role. He would've brought some heart to it. It wouldn't have been the same Prince Karl, but I think it would've been a good one.  Best, Lee Ann

[Derek McGovern]

Great posts, everyone, and it's good to read so many different points of view.

I do think that Mario would have found it a challenge restraining his exuberance during the first third or so of the movie---though no doubt Curtis Bernhardt would have been down on him like a ton of bricks if he had strayed out of princely character :) He was also in no frame of mind to be concentrating on an atypical role when at the same time his private life and finances were in turmoil. (He'd just sacked Sam Weiler after discovering that his trusted manager had mishandled his investments.)

Purdom's problem, of course, is the opposite; he's too restrained when pouring out his passion in song, particularly in the "Serenade," as I mentioned earlier. Here, I'd have to agree with Lee Ann that he's "a study in immobility." But how much of that is director Richard Thorpe's fault? After all, Purdom was new to screen acting at the time, and having a director with a penchant for doing everything in single takes wouldn't have helped him with his performance.

Overall, though, I think Purdom does a great job with the part. And if he is too much of a "Prussian pickle" in his movements and expressions while miming to Mario's singing, well, I guess we could argue at times that he's being truer to the role than to the music. In "Summertime in Heidelberg," for example, we hear quintessential Lanza on the soundtrack --- romantic, ardent, seductive --- but gorgeous though this recording is, it's not representative of the Prince's behaviour at this point in the story. He hasn't learned to love life yet, much less fall in love.

Incidentally, Armando's comment that the director would have had to choose the camera angles carefully when filming Lanza alongside tall actors like the patrician Louis Calhern made me wonder: how many of the supporting players were originally scheduled to be in the film? It'd be interesting to find out. After all, the actual filming didn't take place until December 1953---fifteen months later than planned. It's quite possible that some of the original cast would have moved on to other projects by then, as indeed happened with Curtis Bernhardt.

Barnabas: I was surprised that you thought that Lanza was in poor shape during the period leading up to this film. (Haven't you read the essay Myths about Mario Lanza?)He was actually looking younger than he had in several years, and even slimmer than he'd been when he appeared in That Midnight Kiss. See for yourself from these two 1952 photos. (In the pic with Pasternak and Callinicos, he's working on the Student Prince score.)   

Cheers
Derek