A Little Girl Who Did Not Believe in Santa Claus (1907)

Runtime: 14 minutes. Studio: Edison Manufacturing Company. Directors: J. Searle Dawley, Edwin S. Porter. Cast: Gitchner Hartman, Mr. Lehapmen, Bessie Schrednecky, William Sorelle, Miss Sullivan.

I love Christmas. It is in my mind it is easily the best time of the year. Naturally as a film lover, this also means I love Christmas movies. This of course includes well established classics such as It's a Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street, A Chirstmas Story and so forth, but this also includes some of the more forgotten films, such as the one I am discussing here.

The directors of this film were J. Searle Dawley and Edwin S. Porter. J. Seale Dawley often called himself the first motion picture director. The reason he called himself this is because he felt that before he started directing (in 1907) that the cameraman was the one in charge of the movie. Over his career he directed such early cinema classics as the 1910 film version of Frankenstein, the 1916 version of Snow White (which helped inspire Walt Disney to make the 1937 animated classic), and the 1918 film version of Uncle Tom's Cabin. Interestingly he was first hired by his co-director here Edwin S. Porter. Edwin S. Porter was one of the greatest pre-Griffith directors. He started directing in 1898 with a short film called The Caviler's Dream. He also directed such classics as The Great Train Robbery, the 1902 film version of Jack and the Beanstalk, Dream of a Rarebit Fiend and The Whole Dam Family and the Dam Dog.

As the title indicates the story involves a little girl who does not believe in Santa Claus. The little girl here does not believe in Santa, because her family is so poor. One day she meets a boy who is disheartened to hear about her lack of belief and even more that she has never got anything from Santa. The little boy decides he is going to help her get presents this year. I am not going to give away how he goes about this, but it is honestly quite shocking and unexpected.

This is an excellent film. The story and characters are very likable and charming and the filmmaking is quite sophisticated (especially considering the time it was made). This film was well ahead of it's time both story and visual wise. Fantasies were not the common type of film at this time period, despite the success of such films as A Trip to The Moon. Most films were documentaries when this short was made. Storytelling was not the main goal of cinema at this time. That is why it is so amazing how well this story is told. On top of that the special effects, such as the little girl's dream and seeing Santa travel, are very convincing in a way that would even be rare later in the silent era. In fact these special effects still hold up today, 109 years later. However all of this would be wasted if the story wasn't good, and luckily the story is very charming. This is a must see for all those interested in early cinema.

-Michael J. Ruhland

Resources Used
Film Before Griffith by John L. Fell
imdb.com

The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg (1928)

Runtime: 106 minutes. Studio: MGM. Director: Ernst Lubitsch. Writers: Hanns Kräly, Ruth Cummings, Marian Ainslee. Based on the book by Karl Heinrich and the play by Wilhelm Meyer-Förster.  Producers: Ernst Lubitsch, Irving Thalburg. Main Cast: Roman Novarro, Norma Shearer, Jean Hersholt. Cinematographer: John J. Mescall.





One thing (out of very many things) I love about movies is when you find a film that has been surprisingly overlooked, but is just as good as the ones that are considered classics. The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg is definitely one of these, as everything in this film is near perfect. This film isn't forgotten but it isn't talked about as one of the classic silent films. It really makes me wonder how a film directed by Ernst Lubitsch and featuring Norma Shearer (two names that should definitely resonate with many classic movie lovers) that is this good can possibly be so overlooked.  

The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg was Ernst Lubitsch's first film for MGM. This was the studio for which he would later make such well loved films like The Merry Widow, Ninotchka, and The Shop Around the Corner. Lubitsch began his career in Germany. His first film Fräulein Seifenschaum, was a 1914 film that is unfortunately lost today. Rather than the sophisticated comedies that he would be known for in the 1930's, at this time Lubitsch was known for making costume dramas, and film with a fairytale like atomsphere. He would move to the U.S.A. to direct a 1923 costume drama staring Mary Pickford called Rosita. While there was definitely a lot of tension between Lubitsch and Pickford, the film was a success both with critics and audiences. He would naturally stay in America to make more of these films. However one senses while watching The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg that he still had deep nostalgia for growing up in Germany. On top of that this film in many ways feels like one of his German films. It seems to take elements of both his costume dramas and his fairytale-like films, and it combines them perfectly.

Interestingly Ernst Lubitsch was not originally going to be the director of this film. The director was originally going to be Erich von Stroheim. However Stroheim had a bad relationship with producer Irving Thalberg. This was because Thalberg had done massive edits to Greed and The Merry Widow (interestingly Lubitsch would later make another film version of this story for MGM), two films Stroheim had directed, before they reached theaters. Because of this Stroheim not only turned down this film, but he also left MGM.

Ramon Novarro and Norma Shearer, the two main stars of this film, did not always agree with Lubitsch. One reason for this was that Lubitsch insisted on little time for rehearsal. Because of this various scenes would have many retakes before they turned out right. Though not proven true (or false for that matter), one rumor states that one scene for this film was shot 102 times. Lubitsch once ended up yelling at Norma Shearer, telling her that a studio waitress to play a barmaid better. Shearer was driven to tears by this remark. Another rumor that hasn't been proven true (or false) is that Norma Shearer told Irving Thalberg about this incident, and Thalberg responded “Everyone has a lot to learn from Mr. Lubitsch.” If this was true then it didn't hurt their relationship, because Shearer and Thalberg would marry a week after the movie was released.

Lubitsch was not overly happy with either star. However the studio said that he had to use Ramon Novarro and Norma Shearer. Despite this both of them give amazing performances here. Lubitsch would still never be satisfied with eithers performance.

One love scene did not satisfy anyone working on the film. It has been stated that Irving Thalberg called in director John M. Stahl to re-shoot the scene. If this is true than it might have had to do Stahl directing Ramon Novarro in the 1927 movie Lovers?. However Andrew Marton, the editor for the film, stated that Lubitsch directed every scene of the film. However Marton also stated that Lubitsch never liked the scene.

In this film Crown Prince Karl Heinrich (Played by Ramon Novarro) is tired of his sheltered life and longs to live in the outside world. The prince and his tutor, Dr. Jtter (played by Jean Hersholt) are allowed to go to Heidelberg. Here the prince can live life as he always wanted to. He also falls in love with a young barmaid named Kathi (played by Norma Shearer). However when his father  (Played by Gustav von Seyffertitz) becomes sick Karl must travel back to his home to attend to royal duties.

The film lost money at the box office and received mixed reviews from critics.

Despite this the film is incredible. Nearly everything works perfectly. The story, the characters, the cinematography, and the all around atmosphere are all amazingly well done. This film is also profoundly moving, and one that definitely can bring tears to my eyes, and I assume it would do the same for many of you. This is a must watch.

-Michael J. Ruhland

Resources Used
http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/835/The-Student-Prince-in-Old-Heidelberg/articles.html
http://www.silentfilm.org/the-student-prince-in-old-heidelberg-1927