Classic Hollywood’s master of sophisticated comedies was known for the light, funny “Lubitsch touch.”
Ernest Lubitsch was a German-born American filmmaker who specialized in witty comedies. He directed an impressive 44 features between 1914 and 1948, both during the silent era and during the advent of talkies. He had a trademark approach to storytelling that became known as the “Lubitsch touch”; his signature elements were banter and innuendo, his central themes the difficulty of connection and the silliness of social conventions. Even his romantic comedies tended to have a cynical edge.
In this regard, Lubitsch’s movies are a great blend of entertaining humor and social commentary, often hiding serious messages beneath the jokes. He was also daring and irreverent, not afraid to push the boundaries of the Production Code or serve up political satire that many viewers found to be in bad taste. For this reason, several of Lubitsch’s projects have aged remarkably well. The best of them are bona fide classics. Here are the director’s finest films, ranked.
10 ‘The Doll’ (1919)
Starring: Ossi Oswalda, Victor Janson, Hermann Thimig, Max Kronert
“You don’t need to marry a woman: you can marry a doll!” Lancelot (Hermann Thimig) is afraid of women and doesn’t want to get married, but his uncle, the Baron (Max Kronert) pressures him to find a bride. The young man decides to pull a fast one on the Baron by marrying a lifelike mechanical doll (Ossi Oswalda). However, Lancelot does not realize that he too is being tricked.
Most movies that are over a century old can feel quite alien and inaccessible to contemporary viewers. The Doll, at least, compensates for this with gorgeous sets, costuming, and hand-drawn elements that still look whimsical, if dated. Plus, the story itself contains a lot of intriguing ideas, like Lancelot’s fear of intimacy and the solace he finds in the doll. Lubitsch also sneaks in a lot of double entendres and subtextual sexual jokes, which would have been daring for the time.
9 ‘Broken Lullaby’ (1932)
Starring: Lionel Barrymore, Nancy Carroll, Philips Holmes, Louise Carter
“Let us look to our tomorrows and forget our yesterdays.” Paul (Phillips Holmes) is a young French musician haunted by the memory of a German soldier he killed during World War I. Consumed by remorse, he travels to the soldier’s hometown to seek forgiveness from his family. There, he meets the man’s parents and fiancé (Nancy Carroll) but struggles to confess his guilt. At times, Broken Lullaby veers into melodrama, with some awkward dialogue and occasionally stiff acting. Nevertheless, it succeeds as a moving study of war, guilt, and compassion.
Fundamentally, the film is about the power of empathy to bring people together, despite awful circumstances and political conflicts. It’s all the more hard-hitting for being made at a time when the Nazis were gaining strength and war between Germany and France would soon return. It all builds up to a moving finale, wonderfully shot by cinematographer Victor Milner, who also frequently worked with director Preston Sturges.
8 ‘Heaven Can Wait’ (1943)
Starring: Gene Tierney, Don Ameche, Charles Coburn, Marjorie Main
“Sometimes it looks as if the whole world is coming to Hell.” Don Ameche leads the cast of this fantastical comedy as Henry Van Cleve, a debonair and irreverent man who finds himself in the afterlife, recounting his life story to the Devil (Laird Cregar). In something of a twist, Henry is trying to prove that he belongs in Hell. Through flashbacks, Henry reflects on his tumultuous romantic escapades and the plentiful mistakes he has made.
The movie starts out as a lighthearted, somewhat satirical comedy of manners, but becomes an examination of loneliness, aging, and mortality. Ameche isn’t amazing in the part (supporting player Charles Coburn is the real highlight), but the script is strong enough that it doesn’t matter. Visually, Heaven Can Wait is also a treat, boasting luxurious production design, especially in the look of Hell’s opulent reception area. As a result, the film bagged Lubitsch his third nomination for the Best Director Oscar.
7 ‘Cluny Brown’ (1946)
Starring: Charles Boyer, Jennifer Jones, Peter Lawford, Helen Walker
“It takes a lot of nerve for a man in his position to show himself at the Ritz.” The titular Cluny Brown (Jennifer Jones) is a plumber’s niece with a passion for fixing things, living in late 1930s England. When she is sent to work as a maid in a wealthy household, Cluny inadvertently disrupts the rigid social hierarchy with her irrepressible spirit and egalitarian values.
This is Lubitsch’s send-up of British high society, taking shots at its well-bred characters’ smugness and snobbery. There’s a lot of witty repartee, which gets pretty biting at times. This kind of comedy was the director’s wheelhouse, and he tells the story with his trademark lightness and charm, even as it delves into deeper themes. In addition to the jokes, Cluny Brown is also a tale of outsiders and a portrait of a social world that would soon be cast into chaos by the outbreak of World War II.
6 ‘Design for Living’ (1933)
Starring: Fredric March, Gary Cooper, Miriam Hopkins, Edward Everett Horton
“It’s true we had a gentleman’s agreement, but unfortunately, I am no gentleman.” Design for Living is a romantic comedy based on a play by Noël Coward. It follows the intertwined lives of Gilda Farrell (Miriam Hopkins), Tom Chambers (Fredric March), and George Curtis (Gary Cooper), a trio of bohemian artists who become entangled in a love triangle. They navigate the messy situation with a ton of barbed banter.
Lubitsch’s direction walks a tightrope between overt storytelling and coy suggestion, making for a sophisticated pre-Code comedy. It connected with audiences, becoming one of the top ten highest-grossing movies that year. The film’s reputation has grown in the decades since, with many critics praising Lubitsch’s visual flair and Ben Hecht‘s screenplay in particular. Indeed, it’s a lot more complex and forward-thinking than most scripts from its era. Design for Living also demonstrates Lubitsch’s keen sense for cinematic storytelling. Here, he ditched a lot of Coward’s beloved lines and scenes and replaced them with ones that seemed to work better on screen.
5 ‘The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg’ (1927)
Starring: Ramón Novarro, Norma Shearer, Jean Hersholt, Gustav von Seyffertitz
“It must be wonderful to be a king!” The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg was Lubitsch’s final silent film, and it represents the pinnacle of his work in that medium. Set in the picturesque city of Heidelberg, the plot centers on Prince Karl Heinrich (Ramón Novarro), a carefree young royal who is sent to the university to further his education. There, he falls deeply in love with Kathi (Norma Shearer), a charming barmaid, despite his obligations to marry a princess.
As with Heaven Can Wait, this is a comedy that seems frivolous at first but gradually becomes deeper and more bittersweet. For example, there are some touching scenes in the latter half of the movie where Karl vainly tries to relive his younger days. Lubitsch clearly poured a lot of effort into the project, evident in the drawn-out production time (108 days), the ballooning costs, and the fact that he reportedly shot and re-shot the key beer garden scene multiple times.
4 ‘Ninotchka’ (1939)
Starring: Greta Garbo, Melvyn Douglas, Ina Claire, Bela Lugosi
“When I kissed you, I betrayed a Russian ideal.” Greta Garbo stars here as the title character, a Soviet envoy sent to Paris to oversee the sale of jewels confiscated during the Russian Revolution. There, she crosses paths with the suave Count Leon d’Algout (Melvyn Douglas) who attempts to steal her heart. Despite her initial resistance, Ninotchka gradually begins falling for Leon’s charms, leading to a battle of ideologies and affections.
Garbo was a legend of that era, famous for austere roles like Anna Karenina and Camille. Here, she’s looser, more laid-back, and at her most comedic. (“Garbo laughs!” was the movie’s marketing catchphrase.) This makes Ninotchka a refreshing outlier in her filmography. Lubitsch also deserves praise for his efforts. His usual wit is on display, as well as smart themes of stifled sexuality and political identity. While the movie was certainly not radical, it does engage more complexly with issues around capitalism and communism than most late-’30s films. Perhaps this was why it was banned in the Soviet Union.
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3 ‘The Shop Around the Corner’ (1940)
Starring: Margaret Sullavan, James Stewart, Frank Morgan, Joseph Schildkraut
“People seldom go to the trouble of scratching the surface of things to find the inner truth.” Set in a quaint Budapest gift shop, this romantic comedy revolves around Alfred Kralik (James Stewart) and Klara Novak (Margaret Sullavan), two employees who constantly bicker and clash at work, unaware that they are each other’s anonymous pen pals and secret admirers. The film was adapted from the play Parfurmerie, which would later form the basis for You’ve Got Mail with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan.
It makes for an unconventional but heartwarming love story. The leads are endlessly likable and Samson Raphaelson‘s screenplay is intelligent. Lubitsch might turn in the best work of all, however. His visual storytelling is at its best here, resulting in several memorable shots that convey so much without a word. They include one of Klara’s gloved hand searching a mailbox for a letter, only to find that it is empty.
The Shop Around the Corner
Two employees at a gift shop can barely stand each other, without realizing that they are falling in love through the post as each other’s anonymous pen pal.
- Cast
- Frank Morgan , James Stewart , Margaret Sullavan , Sara Haden
- Runtime
- 99 minutes
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2 ‘Trouble in Paradise’ (1932)
Starring: Miriam Hopkins, Kay Francis, Herbert Marshall, Charles Ruggles
“Marriage is a beautiful mistake which two people make together.” Lubitsch’s finest romantic comedy recounts the exploits of master thief Gaston Monescu (Herbert Marshall) and pickpocket extraordinaire Lily Vautier (Miriam Hopkins), who meet while attempting to steal from each other in Venice. Recognizing a kindred spirit in each other, Gaston and Lily embark on a whirlwind romance. However, their carefully constructed world is turned upside down when they target the wealthy perfume magnate Madame Colet (Kay Francis) in Paris.
Lubitsch uses these colorful characters to look at the complexities of love. Rather than doing so directly, he relies on innuendos and symbolism, like the opening titles superimposed over a bed. These double meanings and subtle jokes extend to the dialogue, once again courtesy of frequent collaborator Samson Raphaelson. In the process, director and writer admirably avoid the romantic clichés of the era, serving up something bright and new. Not for nothing, Wes Andersonhas cited the film as an influence on The Grand Budapest Hotel.
1 ‘To Be or Not to Be’ (1942)
Starring: Carole Lombard, Jack Benny, Robert Stack, Felix Bressart
“Shall we drink to a blitzkrieg?” To Be or Not to Beis a satire set in Nazi-occupied Warsaw, where a troupe of Polish actors, led by Joseph Tura (Jack Benny) and his wife, Maria (Carole Lombard) become embroiled in espionage and intrigue. Posing as German officers and Gestapo agents, the players concoct a daring plan to thwart the Nazis’ schemes and protect the resistance.
This was certainly bold subject matter, given that World War II was still raging at the time. Most viewers did not respond warmly, but 21st-century commentators generally praise Lubitsch’s fearlessness in telling such a story. The actors rise to the occasion, turning in stellar work and delivering the script’s many quips with relish. A memorable one involves one character responding to “Heil Hitler” with “Heil myself!”. All told, the film is entertaining and fun, yet also piercingly clear politically and morally. For this reason, Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Žižekpraised To Be or Not to Be, saying, “It is madness. You cannot do a better comedy, I think”.
This article was originally published on collider.com