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Blu ray review: The Oyster Princess


Kino Lorber has released a new blu ray of Ernst Lubitsch's slapstick satire The Oyster Princess (Die Austernprinzessin).


Featuring the director during a period where he was creatively inspired, this German comedy features a bratty heiress to her father's Oyster fortune. She is first seen smashing furniture and other debris upon learning that another heiress has married a Count. Exploding with entitled anger, she insists her father find her a Prince. He ends up with a valet who, upon visiting to report back to his employer, is mistaken for a Prince who himself has fallen on hard times.


The film is a series of twists and misunderstandings, presenting the very foundation of the romantic comedy that would later define 1930s Hollywood. There is a distinct rhythm to the action and performances, where dance scenes and a massage scene are presented in much the same manner.


Lubitsch's comedy explores stereotypes, makes statements, keeps up a snappy pace, and breezes by in just one hour. It is a relentlessly funny film that defines the master filmmaker's work during this prolific period.


Kino's blu ray also includes the Lubitsch comedy Meyer From Berlin, in which the director also stars.


Both films feature commentary by Joseph McBride, author of How Did Lubitsch Do It.


This blu ray is highly recommended as an excellent example of Ernst Lubitsch's work before he came to America.


It can be ordered at this link: OYSTER

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James L. Neibaur
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