Die Zirkusprinzessin(The Circus Princess) is not one of the greats to me, but it does deserve to be more than a rarity in operetta with its wonderful music making up for its somewhat unusual story. To introduce yourself to this operetta, this is a good place to start. The editing is awkward in places, but the lavish costumes and settings make it more than pleasant on a visual front. Plus there are subtitles, which will please anybody unfamiliar with Die Zirkusprinzessin, and they are easy to follow. The live animals are a joy to behold. The direction, even without the live-performance spontaneity, is full of charm, zest and heart, the final trapeze stunt is very well done. Musically, I have nothing to complain about, the orchestral playing is both lush and stylish, which is perfect for operetta and the tempos are well-judged, never feeling as though they're rushing or dragging. Ingelborg Hallstein is a real charmer as Fedora, while Rudolf Schlock, looking younger actually than his real age(to me that is) is handsome and virile. In conclusion, the operetta is a rarity, but deserves better recognition, and this is a very good place to start as well as being a very nice opera film on the whole. 9/10 Bethany Cox
