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The Oyster Princess (1919)
The Oyster Princess (1919) poster
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The Oyster Princess (1919)

Die Austernprinzessin

Comedy • 58m

Director: Ernst Lubitsch

Cast: Victor Janson, Ossi Oswalda, Harry Liedtke, Julius Falkenstein, Max Kronert, Curt Bois, Hans Junkermann, Albert Paulig

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IMDbThe Movie Database (TMDB)

Best English-friendly & video release

Video notes:

MoC OOP Blu-ray is likely to have better encoding than Kino Lorber Blu-ray judging from other movies in the boxset

Updated 4 months ago


About the film

A pampered American oyster tycoon decides to buy a husband for his daughter, but things don’t go quite as planned. Along the way there are mishaps, misunderstandings and a foxtrot sequence that must be seen to be believed.

Alternative Titles
My Lady Margarine

More from Ernst Lubitsch

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Director: Ernst Lubitsch

Director: Ernst Lubitsch

Best English-Friendly, Video & Audio:

Warner Archive Blu-ray

Upcoming Release:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray scheduled for Dec 2026 release

Director: Ernst Lubitsch

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Indicator Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · DVDBeaver (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

> Kino Lorber see DVDBeaver 

Indicator is using a different restoration from earlier Kino Lorber Blu-ray and it has much better contrast and slightly better grain resolution

Director: Ernst Lubitsch

Best English-Friendly:

Kino Lorber Blu-ray

Sources: slow.pics (opens in a new tab)

Best Video:

Kino Lorber Blu-ray or OOP MoC Blu-ray

Video Notes:

Kino Lorber Blu-ray or OOP MoC Blu-ray have different grading see caps

Additional Info:

Subjective, but the concertina score by Bernard Wrigley on the OOP MoC Blu-ray is generally regarded as very weak. For example, it frequently doesn't match the action. The Meg Morley score on the Kino Lorber Blu-ray is considered superior.

Director: Ernst Lubitsch

Best English-Friendly & Video:

2023 Indicator Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · slow.pics (opens in a new tab)

Best Audio:

2021 Kino Lorber Blu-ray

Additional Info:

Video comparisons: https://slow.pics/c/ryvPN8Uu

Audio comparisons: https://slow.pics/c/KEs7dwRg

Director: Ernst Lubitsch

Best English-Friendly & Video:

2018 Criterion Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Best Audio:

Amazon Streaming Release

Audio Notes:

Amazon Streaming Release or potentially other streaming 

The Amazon Streaming release has more high-end detail than the Criterion Blu-ray.

Director: Ernst Lubitsch

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Criterion Eclipse Series 8: Lubitsch Musicals Blu-ray

Best Audio:

1997 MCA Universal 'The Lubitsch Touch' LaserDisc Box Set

Additional Info:

The 1997 LaserDisc has more high end detail in the audio than the new restoration

Director: Ernst Lubitsch

Best English-Friendly & Audio:

Kino Lorber Blu-ray

Best Video:

Kino Lorber 4k resto

Additional Info:

The audio on the Kino Lorber Blu-ray comes from a better source than the various DVDs and the previous HD version on streaming. This audio is relatively untampered with, and is likely the best available source as no laserdisc was ever issued.

Director: Ernst Lubitsch

Best English-Friendly & Video:

MoC OOP Blu-ray

Video Notes:

MoC OOP Blu-ray is likely to have better encoding than Kino Lorber Blu-ray judging from other movies in the boxset

Director: Ernst Lubitsch

Best English-Friendly & Video:

MoC OOP Blu-ray

Video Notes:

MoC OOP Blu-ray is likely to have better encoding than Kino Lorber Blu-ray judging from other movies in the boxset

More from Masters of Cinema

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Directors: Irving Pichel & Ernest B. Schoedsack

Best English-Friendly & Video:

UK MoC Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · DVDBeaver (opens in a new tab)

Best Audio:

MoC Blu-ray offers both restored and an unrestored tracks

Director: F. W. Murnau

Best English-Friendly, Video & Audio:

MoC OOP Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)

Upcoming Release:

Flicker Alley 4K confirmed for 2027 https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.php?p=24404584&postcount=1

Director: Paul Leni

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Theatrical/Original A negative: MoC Blu-ray

European C/D negative but better picture quality: Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray

Sources: slow.pics (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

From DVDBeaver: The MoC Blu-ray is scanned from the American A negative, as opposed to the European C or D negatives used by Photoplay and others (Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray), so it is identical with the film US audiences saw in 1927

See caps for comparison

In addition, the Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray has sepia tinting throughout while the MoC Blu-ray has yellow for normal scenes, blue for night scenes, and some even green tintings.

Director: Louis Feuillade

Best English-Friendly & Video:

UK MoC Blu-ray

Sources: slow.pics (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

UK MoC Blu-ray is slightly sharper than French Gaumont Blu-ray see caps

Director: John Frankenheimer

Best English-Friendly, Video & Audio:

UK MoC Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · caps-a-holic (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

UK MoC Blu-ray uses the same restoration as Criterion but has more natural contrast and more organic grains see caps

Audio Notes:

MoC Blu-ray has the exactly same audio as Criterion Blu-ray

Director: Hal Ashby

Best English-Friendly:

Paramount Blu-ray

Upcoming Release:

2026 Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

Paramount new 4K master

Best Audio:

Criterion/MoC Blu-ray

Director: Josef von Sternberg

Director: Fritz Lang

Best English-Friendly:

Eureka MoC Blu-ray

Best Video:

1984 Giorgio Moroder restoration: MoC Blu-ray or Kino Lorber Blu-ray

2001 Murnau restoration: MoC 2-disc DVD set

2010 Murnau complete restoration: MoC Blu-ray

Video Notes:

2001 Murnau restoration: MoC 2-disc DVD set > Kino Lorber 1-disc Restored Authorized Edition DVD

2010 Murnau complete restoration: MoC Blu-ray > Kino Lorber Blu-ray

Director: Kenji Mizoguchi

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Eureka MoC Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · slow.pics (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

Eureka MoC Blu-ray, see caps

MoC is sourced from an earlier scan, but still looks more detailed than the later 4K restoration released by Kadokawa in Japan, which has some black crush and DNR. French Capricci disc is sourced from the same scan as MoC but with much worse encoding and wrong levels.

Best Audio:

1991 Daiei LaserDisc

Director: Kenji Mizoguchi

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Criterion Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · slow.pics (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

Criterion Blu-ray (caps)

Kadokawa JP Blu-ray has incorrect levels and looks slightly washed out. Criterion has slightly worse encoding, but both are solid in that regard.

Best Audio:

Eureka MoC DVD

Additional Info:

MoC has a different translation from Criterion.

More Comedy on Blu-ray

Director: Peter Jackson

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Arrow US/UK 4K Blu-ray or Turbine Germany 4K Blu-ray

Sources: slow.pics (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

Both will look identical in motion but the Turbine looks marginally better due to a higher bitrate allocation by each cut being given its own disc, whereas Arrow had FiM seamlessly branch the two onto one. However, Arrow has both cuts in Open Matte (on Blu-Ray) and corrected the opening Universal logo's aspect ratio. https://slow.pics/c/McvVcYDG

Best Audio:

Cinema DTS

TV series

Video format: 1080p Blu-ray

Best English-Friendly:

Amazon Streaming

Upcoming Release:

US GKIDS/UK Anime, Ltd. Blu-ray announced

Best Video & Audio:

Japan Pony Canyon Blu-ray

Director: Rob Reiner

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Germany Capelight 4K Blu-ray

Upcoming Release:

Arrow 4K Blu-ray releasing December 14 2026

Video Notes:

Like many of Capelight's other releases, the 4K Blu-ray is low-passed but still looks good.

Best Audio:

30th Anniversary Shout! Factory BD has the original stereo mix

Director: Jacques Tati

Video format: 1080p Blu-ray

Best English-Friendly:

Criterion for 1949 and 1964, BFI for 1964 English Variant and 1994/5

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Upcoming Release:

StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray (part of Jacques Tati boxset releasing December 2026)

Best Video:

Jour Germany fete (1949) - Criterion only, HD Jour Germany fete (1964) - Criterion only, HDThe Village Fair (1964, English variant) - BFI only, HDJour Germany fete (1994/5) - Criterion SD, BFI HD

Director: Jacques Tati

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Criterion Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Upcoming Release:

StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray (part of Jacques Tati boxset releasing December 2026)

Director: Jacques Tati

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Criterion Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Upcoming Release:

StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray (part of Jacques Tati boxset releasing December 2026)

Director: Jacques Tati

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Criterion/StudioCanal Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Upcoming Release:

StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray (part of Jacques Tati boxset releasing December 2026)

Video Notes:

> BFI. New restoration unreleased.

Best Audio:

Old R2 DVD 1.0

Director: Jacques Tati

Best English-Friendly & Video:

BFI Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Upcoming Release:

StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray (part of Jacques Tati boxset releasing December 2026)

Video Notes:

> Criterion/StudioCanal. New restoration unreleased.

Director: Jacques Tati

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · slow.pics (opens in a new tab)

Upcoming Release:

StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray (part of Jacques Tati boxset releasing December 2026)

Best Audio:

2014 StudioCanal Blu-ray

Additional Info:

The UHD is slightly cropped in.

Director: Ben Stiller

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly, Video & Audio:

Sony 4K Blu-ray

Sources: slow.pics (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

Comparisons

Audio Notes:

Spectrograms

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Researched and maintained by

vanshady

· last reviewed 4 months ago

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