The Oyster Princess

An American oyster tycoon with more money than patience decides his daughter should wed a suitable prince, and he hires a man to find one for her. Instead of a simple alliance, a tangle of mistaken identities, runaway ideas, and social misreadings spirals into comic chaos. The daughter's world collides with royalty, servants, and schemers, turning the house into a stage for pratfalls and social satire. What follows is a flurry of disguises, bungled negotiations, and a famously exuberant foxtrot that captures Lubitsch's light touch. The comedy rests on clever wordplay, visual gags, and the tension between wealth, propriety, and genuine affection.

Directed by Ernst Lubitsch with a screenplay by Hanns Kräly, this 1919 silent comedy is based on an original scenario by the duo, a landmark example of their playful timing, visual wit, and subtle social satire that would define later work.

Even by 1919 standards this film helped popularize Lubitsch's signature lightness and wit. A gleefully theatrical party sequence features a foxtrot that a modern viewer might remember as a playful signature of silent era sophistication. Oswalda's performance as Ossi helped cement her as a star of Lubitsch comedies. Critics noted the way the film mixes farce with a sly tenderness toward its characters.

Contemporary critics praised its brisk pace and its shyly sophisticated humor, laying groundwork for Lubitsch's reputation as a director who could turn social farce into humane satire. The movie skewers arranged marriages and the upper crust while letting true affection surface through mischief rather than melodrama. Its gentle critique of wealth and social performance resonates in later Lubitsch films where intent matters more than appearances.

Box office records from this 1919 release are not well documented, and reliable worldwide grosses are not readily available. The film is typically discussed for its artistic innovation and for expanding the range of Lubitsch's humor rather than for pulling in big earnings.