up the charge between them." Novarro, no doubt, was extremely uncomfortable doing the scene and resentful of being put in that situation by the director; Novarro was extremely guarded about his own homosexuality his entire life. The film was in production for more than 108 days and cost $1,205,000. A stickler for authenticity, Lubitsch drove up the budget significantly, infuriating the studio. For instance, he had costume designer Ali Hubert bring thirty-two trunks of wardrobe and props from Europe for use in the film. Following principal photography, he went to Germany to film establishing shots, none of which were used in the finished movie; what little location work there is in the finished film was shot in Laurel Canyon. Reception Although now considered a classic by many film historians, it was far from a unanimous critical success during its original theatrical run. In a review for The New York Times, Mordaunt Hall wrote "Mr. Novarro is natural and earnest, but he is a little too Latin in appearance for the rôle. Norma Shearer is attractive as Kathi. She, however, does not seem to put her soul into the part. She, too, acts well, but, like Mr. Novarro, she does not respond, as other players have done, to Mr. Lubitsch's direction. The ablest acting in this piece of work is done by Jean Hersholt as Dr. Guttner [sic] and Gustav von Seyffertitz as the King. Their efforts in all their scenes reveal their sensitiveness to the direction." According to MGM records The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg earned $894,000 in theater rentals from the United States and Canada and an additional $662,000 from foreign rentals. Despite being a popular film with movie-goers, the exorbitant production cost of Student Prince kept it from making a profit; the film lost $307,000. Impact Many critics consider it one of Lubitsch's finest silent films, and it has received better reviews than MGM's 1954 color remake based on Sigmund Romberg's operetta version of the story. The film's copyright was renewed, but the film fell into the public domain on January 1, 2023. References External links 1920s romantic comedy-drama films American black-and-white films American romantic comedy-drama films American silent feature films Films about royalty American films based on plays Films directed by Ernst Lubitsch Films about princes Films set in Europe Films set in Heidelberg Films set in the 1890s Films set in the 1900s Films set