''Princess Trulala'' () is a 1926 German silent

comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...

directed by

Erich Schönfelder Erich Schönfelder (1885–1933) was a German screenwriter, actor, and film director of the silent film, silent and early sound film, sound eras. Early in his career he worked frequently with Ernst Lubitsch. Selected filmography Writer * ''Shoe ...

and

Richard Eichberg Richard Eichberg (27 October 1888 – 8 May 1952) was a German film director and film producer, producer. He directed 87 films between 1915 and 1949. He also produced 77 films between 1915 and 1950. He was born in Berlin, Germany and died i ...

and starring

Lilian Harvey Lilian Harvey (born Helene Lilian Muriel Pape; 19 January 1906 – 27 July 1968) was a British-German actress and singer, long based in Germany, where she is best known for her role as Christel Weinzinger in Erik Charell's 1931 film ''Der Kongr ...

, Dina Gralla and

Harry Halm Harry Halm (born Harry Hermann Hahn; 17 January 1901 – 22 November 1980) was a German film actor who appeared in numerous films between 1920 and 1955. He was the son of director Alfred Halm and took acting lessons with Eduard von Winterstein ...

. It was shot at the

Johannisthal Studios The Johannisthal Studios were film studios located in the Berlin area of Johannisthal. Founded in 1920 on the site of a former airfield, they were a centre of production during the Weimar and Nazi eras. Nearly four hundred films were made at Johan ...

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

. The film's sets were designed by

art director Art director is a title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, live-action and animated film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supe ...

Kurt Richter Kurt Paul Otto Joseph Richter (24 November 1900 – 29 December 1969) was a German chess International Master (IM) and chess writer. Chess career In 1922, Richter for the first time won the Berlin City Chess Championship. In 1928, he tied fo ...

. As was common in her silent films, Harvey's heroine has to choose between several different suitors.

Plot

The young and wild Princess Trulala should finally get married! Her chosen one is the young and beautiful Prince Arnulf, whose father of the same name, the old Prince of Leinefeld, rules over a small empire. In order to get to know her groom better, Princess Trulala travels with her sister, Princess Hopsassa, both disguised as waitresses, to the residence of the young prince. The Prince too wants to get to know his bride better, and dresses up as a forester. Of course, as usual for a comedy of confusion of that time, this leads to all sorts of more or less funny misunderstandings. Since the two waitresses are quite handsome, the village boys in Prince Arnulf's empire are now also beginning to develop interest in Trulala and Hopsassa, which in turn arouses plenty of displeasure among the village beauties of the country. When Trulala and Arnulf got to know each other better, they quickly take a liking to each other and want to escape the whole Tohuwabohu by tearing away to

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

. The old prince promptly leaves, believing that he has to free Arnulf junior from this improper "woman", this waitress. But eventually everything dissolves in pleasure, and Prince Arnulf gives his blessing to his son's marriage to that false "waitress", Princess Trulala. And quite en passé, the old man also finds pleasure in Trulala's sister Hopsassa, whom he finally leads home.

Cast

Reception

Writing for the ''Immortal Film''

Heinrich Fraenkel Heinrich Fraenkel (28 September 1897 – 1 May 1986) was a writer and Hollywood screenwriter best known for his biographies of Nazi war criminals published in the 1960s and 1970s. Biography Fraenkel was born in Lissa, Poland (then Province o ...

stated: "For

, it was agreed that the cinema audience would love nothing more than adventurous princesses who sit on cavalier knees, drink champagne and cause teasing stirs. How much he was right when his theory was proven by the success of the film ''Princess Trulala''". Fraenkel, Heinrich. (1956) ''Die große Chronik von der Laterna Magica bis zum Tonfilm''. ''Immortal Film''. (in German). Munich. p. 358. .

References

External links

* Films of the Weimar Republic German silent feature films Films directed by Richard Eichberg Films directed by Erich Schönfelder German black-and-white films 1926 comedy films Silent German comedy films Films shot at Johannisthal Studios 1920s German films 1920s German-language films Films scored by Hans May German-language comedy films {{1920s-Germany-silent-comedy-film-stub