Ernst Lubitsch

Message

#1 Post by **DarkImbecile** » Sun Aug 27, 2006 2:58 pm

Ernst Lubitsch (1892-1947)

"I sometimes make pictures which are not up to my standard, but then it can only be said of a mediocrity that all his work is up to his standard."

Filmography
Features (* = Lost Film)
Als ich tot war / Do the Dead Exist? (1916)
Schuhpalast Pinkus / Shoe Palace Pinkus (1916)
Wenn vier dasselbe tun / When Four Do the Same (1917)
Die Augen der Mumie Ma / The Eyes of the Mummy Ma (1918)
Carmen / Gypsy Blood (1918)
Rausch / Intoxication* (1918)
Die Puppe / The Doll (1919)
Meyer aus Berlin / Meyer from Berlin (1919)
Meine Frau, die Filmschauspielerin / My Wife, the Movie Star* (1919)
Die Austernprinzessin / The Oyster Princess (1919)
Madame DuBarry / Passion (1919)
Sumurun / One Arabian Night (1920)
Anna Boleyn / Deception (1920)
Die Bergkatze / The Wild Cat (1921)
Das Weib des Pharao / The Wife of the Pharaoh (1922)
Die Flamme / The Flame (1923)
Rosita (1923)
The Marriage Circle (1924)
Three Women (1924)
Forbidden Paradise (1924)
Kiss Me Again (1925)
Lady Windermere's Fan (1925)
So This is Paris (1926)
The Honeymoon Express (1926) [uncredited, with James Flood]
The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg (1927)
The Patriot* (1928)
Eternal Love (1929)
The Love Parade (1929)
Paramount on Parade (1930)
Monte Carlo (1930)
The Vagabond King (1930) [uncredited, with Ludwig Berner)
The Smiling Lieutenant (1931)
Broken Lullaby / The Man I Killed (1932)
One Hour With You (1932)
Trouble in Paradise (1932)
Design for Living (1933)
The Merry Widow (1934)
Le Veuve Joyeuse (1934)
Angel (1937)
Bluebeard's Eighth Wife (1938)
Ninotchka (1939)
The Shop Around the Corner (1940)
That Uncertain Feeling (1941)
To Be or Not to Be (1942)
Heaven Can Wait (1943)
A Royal Scandal (1945) [uncredited, with Otto Preminger]
Cluny Brown (1946)
That Lady in Ermine (1948)

Shorts (* = Lost Film)
"Fräulein Seifenschaum" / "Miss Soapsuds"* (1914)
"Aufs Eis geführt" / "A Trip on the Ice"* (1915)
"Blindekuh" / "Blind Man's Bluff"* (1915)
"Der Kraftmeier" / "The Bully"* (1915)
"Der erste Patient" / "His Only Patient"* (1915)
"Der letzte Anzug" / "The Last Suit"* (1915)
"Zucker und Zimt" / "Sugar & Spice"* (1915)
"Der gemischte Frauenchor" / "The Mixed Ladies Chorus"* (1916)
"Das schönste Geschenk" / "The Most Beautiful Gift" (1916)
"Der G.m.b.H. Tenor" / "The Tenor, Inc."* (1916)
"Wo ist mein Schatz?" / "Where is My Treasure?" (1916)
"Seine neue Nase" / "His New Nose"* (1917)
"Käsekönig Holländer" / "Hollander, King of Cheese" (1917)
"Ossis Tagebuch" / "Ossi's Diary" (1917)
"Der Blusenkönig" / "The Blouse King"* (1917)
"Das fidele Gefängnis" / "The Merry Jail" (1917)
"Prinz Sami" / "Prince Sami"* (1918)
"Der Fall Rosentopf" / "The Rosentopf Case"* (1918)
"Der Rodelkavalier" / "The Toboggan Cavalier"* (1918)
"Ich möchte kein Mann sein" / "I Don't Want to Be a Man" (1918)
"Das Mädel vom Ballett" / "The Ballet Girl"* (1918)
"Das Schwabemädle" / "The Swabian Maiden" (1919) [co-directed by Georg Jacoby]
"Kohlhiesels Töchter" / "Kohlhiesel's Daughters" (1920)
"Romeo und Julia im Schnee" / "Romeo and Juliet in the Snow" (1920)
"The Clerk" [segment, If I Had a Million] (1932)

Books
The Lubitsch Touch: A Critical Study by Herman G Weinberg (1977)
The Cinema of Ernst Lubitsch by Leland A. Poague (1978)
Ernst Lubitsch's American Comedy by William Paul (1983)
Ernst Lubitsch: Laughter in Paradise by Scott Eyman (1993)
Herr Lubitsch Goes to Hollywood: German and American Film after World War I by Kristin Thompson (2005)
Lubitsch Can't Wait: A Collection of Ten Philosophical Discussions on Ernst Lubitsch's Film Comedy by Ivana Novak, Mladen Dolar, and Jela Krečič, eds. (2014)
How Did Lubitsch Do It? by Joseph McBride (2018)
Ernst Lubitsch's The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg: The Art of Classical Hollywood by John W. Fawell (2018)
Sex, Politics, and Comedy: The Transnational Cinema of Ernst Lubitsch by Richard W. McCormick (2020)

Web Resources
Lubitsch.com, a collection of articles, promotional materials, audio and video clips, and more on the director and his work
Resources from Cinephilia and Beyond on Lubitsch, including videos and full PDFs of articles and Kristin Thompson's book Herr Lubitsch Goes to Hollywood: German and American Film after World War I

Forum Discussion
Screwball Comedies : A Guide and Discussion
The Loves of Pharaoh (Ernst Lubitsch, 1922)
The Shop Around the Corner (Ernst Lubitsch, 1940)
94-99 / BD 175-180 Lubitsch in Berlin
121 Trouble in Paradise
291 Heaven Can Wait
592 Design for Living
670 To Be or Not to Be
997 Cluny Brown
Eclipse Series 8: Lubitsch Musicals

Rufus T. Firefly · #2 Post by **Rufus T. Firefly** » Tue Aug 29, 2006 3:34 am

lubitsch wrote: ↑
Sun Aug 27, 2006 2:58 pm
Transit Lubitsch box

The titles are DIE BERGKATZE (1921), DIE AUSTERNPRINZESSIN (1919), ICH MÃ–CHTE KEIN MANN SEIN (1918), SUMURUN (1920) and ANNA BOLEYN (1920).

I guess they are saving DIE PUPPE and MADAME DUBARRY for a next box.
BTW, CLUNY BROWN and THAT LADY IN HERMINE get a release in Germany.

Kino will be releasing these in a set in R1 in early December, according to one of their employees who regularly posts at alt.movies.silent.

htdm · #3 Post by **htdm** » Tue Aug 29, 2006 4:14 am

Here's the post:

Ok I have been dropping hints long enough about Kino releasing some Great silents that were not in the catalogue so now the cat is out of
the bag. We are putting out a series of Lubitsch German silents through
Transit & Murnau Stiftung foundation . They are as follows

THE OYSTER PRINCESS with the short I DON'T WANT TO BE A MAN
SUMURUN aka ONE ARBIAN NIGHT
ANNA BOLYEN aka DECEPTION
THE WILDCAT

Yes I know everyone would like more and different ones but this is it
for starters. Buy these and maybe we can put out more. Release is scheduled for early Dec so put them on your holiday gift
list. Order early and often

and in a later post she (Jessica) wrote:

I promise if these do well enough it [Die Puppe] will be in the NEXT group.

Matt · #4 Post by **Matt** » Tue Aug 29, 2006 2:21 pm

Rufus T. Firefly wrote:Kino will be releasing these in a set in R1 in early December, according to one of their employees who regularly posts at alt.movies.silent.

You can practically guarantee that Kino will not release these as a nice, affordable set. Just like the recent Haneke releases (which every other country got/is getting in a set), they will be available individually only at the usual $30 price point. And they'll be unconverted PAL transfers.

dadaistnun · #5 Post by **dadaistnun** » Tue Aug 29, 2006 2:49 pm

Matt wrote:
Rufus T. Firefly wrote:Kino will be releasing these in a set in R1 in early December, according to one of their employees who regularly posts at alt.movies.silent.
You can practically guarantee that Kino will not release these as a nice, affordable set. Just like the recent Haneke releases (which every other country got/is getting in a set), they will be available individually only at the usual $30 price point. And they'll be unconverted PAL transfers.

Maybe they will put one together at at later date, ala their Kieslowski and Film Noir: The Dark Side of Hollywood sets.

HerrSchreck · #6 Post by **HerrSchreck** » Tue Aug 29, 2006 11:16 pm

You can practically guarantee that Kino will not release these as a nice, affordable set. Just like the recent Haneke releases (which every other country got/is getting in a set), they will be available individually only at the usual $30 price point. And they'll be unconverted PAL transfers

Never know-- they may do both, as with Lang, Kieslowski, Murnau, etc etc and "German Horror Classics". And if youre paying 30 bucks for a Kino (or a low-tier CC, or 39.95 for their SE's)... that would be surprising coming from a tuned-in dude like you Matt.

Yeah, unpreconverted. Probably. The usual silent film go-round regarding imported masters. Someday someone will come up with a way to run telecine once, and from that go-thru, create an intermediate form of storage whereby both protocols can be extracted from the single run.

peerpee · #7 Post by **peerpee** » Wed Aug 30, 2006 6:39 am

HerrSchreck wrote:Someday someone will come up with a way to run telecine once, and from that go-thru, create an intermediate form of storage whereby both protocols can be extracted from the single run.

It already exists. HD telecine at 24p is neither PAL nor NTSC. That's the beauty of it, and that's why everyone doing telecine today should be working in HD 24p.

david hare · #8 Post by **david hare** » Wed Aug 30, 2006 7:06 am

Exactly - this is why Studio Canal's announcement of it's HD-DVD format titles as 24fps/48hz signals the death throes for PAL 50hz 25fps and NTSC/60hz 30 fps (with 3:2 pulldown) -- all OVERR!!!

That's of course a part of the tech of HD players and HD capable displays.

THIS is the potential revolution with HD-DVD. Not to mention the PQ. 24 Frame film speed. No MORE PAL and NTSC.

Now we all sit around and chant and pray an stick pins in dolls of Michael Eisner they'll ALL do this.

HerrSchreck · #9 Post by **HerrSchreck** » Wed Aug 30, 2006 11:21 pm

If only... dreams... prayers... standard, non-HD DVD format... one sees, (gulp).. unghosted silent imports when progressive... primokinos.. milestone Milestones... real corker NewYorker's... no more cornball posts like this.. perchance to dream.

godardslave · #10 Post by **godardslave** » Thu Aug 31, 2006 12:09 am

HerrSchreck wrote:If only... dreams... prayers... standard, non-HD DVD format... one sees, (gulp).. unghosted silent imports when progressive... primokinos.. milestone Milestones... real corker NewYorker's... no more cornball posts like this.. perchance to dream.

steady yourself!

real corker NewYorker's is my absolute favorite bit of that post.

david hare · #11 Post by **david hare** » Thu Aug 31, 2006 12:36 am

godardslave wrote:
HerrSchreck wrote:If only... dreams... prayers... standard, non-HD DVD format... one sees, (gulp).. unghosted silent imports when progressive... primokinos.. milestone Milestones... real corker NewYorker's... no more cornball posts like this.. perchance to dream.
steady yourself!

real corker NewYorker's is my absolute favorite bit of that post.

Schreck forgot the Poxy Lorbers.

HerrSchreck · #12 Post by **HerrSchreck** » Thu Aug 31, 2006 1:01 am

godardslave wrote:real corker NewYorker's is my absolute favorite bit of that post.

That's because Confusing & Open-ended = High Art!

godardslave · #13 Post by **godardslave** » Thu Aug 31, 2006 1:34 am

HerrSchreck wrote:
godardslave wrote:real corker NewYorker's is my absolute favorite bit of that post.
That's because Confusing & Open-ended = High Art!

ah, so true my friend, so true.

I wonder what genius said that.

HerrSchreck · #14 Post by **HerrSchreck** » Thu Aug 31, 2006 2:00 am

Isn't that on Tarkovsky's tombstone?

godardslave · #15 Post by **godardslave** » Thu Aug 31, 2006 1:45 pm

HerrSchreck wrote:Isn't that on Tarkovsky's tombstone?

A quick google reveals that

...visited Tarkovsky's grave in a Russian orthodox cemetary at Saint-Genvieve des Bois. The Russian neutrino physicist who showed me where it was, because he wanted the company of a good walker and fellow alchoholic while visiting the grave of Ivan Bunin, who was also buried there, translated the inscription on Tarkovsky's tombstone as "In Memory of a Man who saw an Angel."

htdm · #16 Post by **htdm** » Sat Dec 02, 2006 8:29 pm

Does anyone know:
*if the German box has subs, and
*what material is included on the 6th bonus disc?

HerrSchreck · #17 Post by **HerrSchreck** » Sun Dec 03, 2006 2:51 am

Not sure but if past history is any guide they most likely will not-- none of their silents are english subbed or I'd own approx 25% less Kino's.
From this dvd link

Extras:
Inhalt: Anna Boleyn, Die Austernprinzessin, Die Bergkatze, Ich möchte kein Mann sein, Sumurun, Dokumentation:Ernst Lubitsch in Berlin - Von der Schönhauser Allee nach Hollywood

Looks like there's a doc tacked in there i e DOCUMENTARY: Dokumentation:Ernst Lubitsch in Berlin - from the Schoenhauser avenue to Hollywood

htdm · #18 Post by **htdm** » Sun Dec 03, 2006 3:25 am

Thanks for that HS. I wasn't sure if that referred to some kind of printed documentation or what. I'm tempted to pick up the German box just for the 6th disc alone.

HerrSchreck · #19 Post by **HerrSchreck** » Sun Dec 03, 2006 3:32 am

If I understood Deutsche well enough I'd be right there with you-- guess Kino dropped the doc as they seem unsure how this one's going to sell so didn't do their own english version like they did for their Lang (METROP)& Murnau's (HERR TARTUFFE). On the alt.silent.film thread they mentioned if this bunch sells well they'll be bringing out a "next" bunch with DIE PUPPE (one of my most long awaited & unseen Lubitsch's).

Ledos · #20 Post by **Ledos** » Mon Dec 04, 2006 2:54 am

HerrSchreck wrote:Not sure but if past history is any guide they most likely will not-- none of their silents are english subbed or I'd own approx 25% less Kino's.

All Transit's past silent releases have English subtitles (except for Der Golem, which instead contains a version with English intertitles). But according to online retailers the Lubitsch set does not. A big mistake by Transit/Murnau Foundation if that information is correct.

HerrSchreck · #21 Post by **HerrSchreck** » Mon Dec 04, 2006 3:17 am

Don't mess with me Ledos-- it's late here in my hemisphere, and I'm tired and may faint if there were eng-intertitled German alternatives to my German library. So few actual "TRansit Classics" editions. Most German silent & early talkie product put out by Transit on the UFA Klassiker line:

Lady WIndemere's Fan

And the Lubitsch we're all talking about.

Lang

Blue Angel

Westfront

Kameradschaft

La Habanera

SOS EISBERG

3 von TANKSTELLE

TESTAMENT

Ledos · #22 Post by **Ledos** » Mon Dec 04, 2006 3:44 am

Okay, those titles on the UFA Klassiker label do not contain English options. But the Lubitsch set is released in the regular Transit Classics line as far as I know.

Rufus T. Firefly · #23 Post by **Rufus T. Firefly** » Mon Dec 04, 2006 4:33 am

The one on-line retailer site I can find which mentions the subtitles on the Lubitsch box says "subtitles: keine". I guess that means none.

Tommaso · #24 Post by **Tommaso** » Mon Dec 04, 2006 6:28 am

Ledos wrote:Okay, those titles on the UFA Klassiker label do not contain English options.

The UFA Klassiker Edition generally is quite bad, sadly. They produced a really horrible transfer of the glorious "Der Kongress tanzt", for example. "Kameradschaft" is wrongly framed. They put it out in 1.33, but it's almost definitely 1.19 as many early talkies, and the result is that a lot of heads are chopped off and the framing in general looks too tight. Apart from that the materials are in bad need of restoration. The epilogue of the film was put in from a French version of the film, and becuase that obviously had French subtitles burnt in, these are now 'burnt out' using a huge and awful black bar at the bottom of the frame. "Lady Windermere" fares better, but is still a far cry from good (and the film itself also is not necessarily a must have). No subs or significant extras, too.
"SOS Eisberg", surprisingly, is quite acceptable, though, especially when compared to some of the Fancks from 101 films.

HerrSchreck · #25 Post by **HerrSchreck** » Mon Dec 04, 2006 6:36 am

I'm guessing what Ledos wanted to say is the dedicated "Transit Classics" line have english subs-- perhaps they do.. if anything other than a couple obvious drips (DER LETZE, METROP, GOLEM) come out every five years, they'll indeed stop being the freaking lost ark and therefore become a viable alternative in r1 to Transit's usual route to the German market-- the English-unusable UFA Klassiker line.