Prague in the 1860s: Balduin is a popular, handsome student, the best fencer in town, in amicable rivalry with his friend Dahl for the affections of Lydia, the innkeeper’s niece. While the students are celebrating Lydia’s birthday, the opera singer Julia Stella arrives at the inn – and Balduin’s life begins to unravel. He is immediately infatuated with the glamorous singer – but she is already kept by an admirer, the wealthy and foppish Baron Waldis. How can a poor student hope to compete? The mysterious Dr. Carpis, who also has ties to Julia and is jealous of the Baron, intervenes. But the price will be higher than Balduin can ever imagine.
Director: Arthur Robison (as Artur Robison). AKA The Student of Prague
Stars: Anton Walbrook (as Adolf Wohlbrück), Theodor Loos, Dorothea Wieck, Erich Fiedler, Edna Greyff, Karl Hellmer, Volker von Collande, Fritz Genschow, Elsa Wagner, Miliza Korjus.
Thanks Jon for this delicious talkie version of the old German story about a young, naive student who discovers that his new love and new wealth may come with a terrible curse, One of the last vestiges of German expressionism before the war effort would overtake the cinema industry leaving symbolism & allegory behind for more naturalistic/romantic narrative which the fuhrer much preferred..