Ernst Lubitsch
in The Merry Widow (1934)
Born	Ernst Lubitsch January 28, 1892(1892-01-28) Berlin, Germany
Died	November 30, 1947 (aged 55)
Spouse(s)	Helene Kraus (1922 - 1930) Vivian Gaye (1935 - 1944)
Awards won Academy Awards Academy Honorary Award 1947 Lifetime Achievement

Ernst Lubitsch (January 28, 1892 – November 30, 1947), was a German-born Jewish film director. His urbane comedies of manners gave him the reputation of being Hollywood's most elegant and sophisticated director; as his prestige grew, his films were promoted as having "the Lubitsch touch". is the 28th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1892 (MDCCCXCII) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar (or a leap year starting on Wednesday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... This article is about the capital of Germany. ... is the 334th day of the year (335th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1947 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Although he never won an Oscar for any of his movie performances, the comedian Bob Hope received two honorary Oscars for his contributions to cinema. ... The Academy Honorary Award is given irregularly by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to celebrate motion picture achievements that are not covered by existing Academy Awards. ... is the 28th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1892 (MDCCCXCII) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar (or a leap year starting on Wednesday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... is the 334th day of the year (335th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1947 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The word Jew ( Hebrew: יהודי) is used in a wide number of ways, but generally refers to a follower of the Jewish faith, a child of a Jewish mother, or someone of Jewish descent with a connection to Jewish culture or ethnicity and often a combination of these attributes. ... Director Herbert Brenon with actress Alla Nazimova on the set of War Brides, 1916 A director is a person who directs the making of a film. ...

Life and work

Born in Berlin, Lubitsch turned his back on his father's tailoring business to enter the theater, and by 1911, he was a member of Max Reinhardt's Deutsches Theater. He made his film debut the following year as an actor, but he gradually abandoned acting to concentrate on directing. In 1918, he made his mark as a serious director with Die Augen der Mumie Ma (The Eyes of the Mummy), starring Pola Negri. Lubitsch subsequently alternated between escapist comedies and large-scale historical dramas, enjoying great international success with both. His reputation as a grand master of world cinema reached a new peak after the release of his spectacles Madame Du Barry (retitled "Passion," 1919) and Anna Boleyn ("Deception", 1920). Both of these films found American distributorship by early 1921. They, along with Lubitsch's Carmen (released as Gypsy Blood in the U.S. in 1921) were selected by the New York Times on its list of the 15 most important movies of 1921. For other uses, see Berlin (disambiguation). ... Max Reinhardt Max Reinhardt (born September 9, 1873 in Baden bei Wien; died October 31, 1943 in New York City) was an influential Austrian director and actor. ... Pola Negri Pola Negri [1] (December 31, 1894 - August 1, 1987) was a Polish film actress who achieved notoriety as a femme fatale in silent films between 1910s and 1930s. ... Escapist may refer to: The Escapist (website), an online games advocacy magazine The Escapist (magazine), an online games culture magazine; The Escapist (character), a comic book character; Escapist, a song by Nightwish on their album Dark Passion Play; Escapism, the concept of entertainment as a mental diversion from reality Escapist... Jeanne Becu, Comtesse Du Barry [1] [2] (Marie-Jeanne, Comtesse Du Barry) (August 19, 1743 - December 8, 1793) was a French courtesan who became the mistress of Louis XV of France. ... Anne Boleyn, a 19th-century painting based on a disputed sketch by Hans Holbein the Younger. ... For other uses, see Carmen (disambiguation). ... The New York Times is an internationally known daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed in the United States and many other nations worldwide. ...

With glowing reviews under his belt, and American money flowing his way, Lubitsch formed his own production company and set to work on the high-budget spectacular The Loves of Pharoah (One Arabian Night, 1921). Lubitsch sailed to the United States for the first time in December 1921 for what was intended as a lengthy publicity and professional factfinding tour, scheduled to culminate in the February premiere of Pharaoh. However, with World War One still fresh, and with a slew of German "New Wave' releases encroaching on American movie workers' livelihoods, Lubitsch was not gladly received. He cut his trip short after little more than three weeks and returned to Germany. But he had already seen enough of the American film industry to know that its resources far outstripped the spartan German companies.

Lubitsch left Germany for Hollywood in 1922, contracted as a director by Mary Pickford. Lubitsch directed Pickford in the film Rosita; the result was a critical and commercial success, but director and star clashed during its filming, and it ended up as the only project that they made together. A free agent after just one American film, Lubitsch was signed to a remarkable three-year, six-picture contract by Warner Brothers that guaranteed the director his choice of both cast and crew, and full editing control over the final cut. ... For the Katie Melua song, see Mary Pickford (Used to Eat Roses). ... Warner Bros. ...

Settling in America, Lubitsch established his reputation for sophisticated comedy with such stylish films as The Marriage Circle (1924), Lady Windermere's Fan (1925), and So This Is Paris (1926). But his films were only marginably profitable for Warner Brothers, and Lubitsch's contract was eventually dissolved by mutual consent, with MGM-Paramount buying out the remainder. His first film for MGM, The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg (1927), was well-regarded, but lost money. The Marriage Circle is a 1924 film by Ernst Lubitsch. ... Oscar Wilde. ... The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg a. ...

Lubitsch seized upon the advent of talkies to direct musicals. With his first sound film, The Love Parade (1929), starring Maurice Chevalier and Jeanette MacDonald, Lubitsch hit his stride as a maker of worldly musical comedies (and earned himself another Oscar nomination). The Love Parade (1929), Monte Carlo (1930), and The Smiling Lieutenant (1931) were hailed by critics as masterpieces of the newly emerging musical genre. A sound film (or talkie) is a motion picture with synchronized sound, as opposed to a silent movie. ... The Love Parade is a 1929 musical comedy film. ... French singer Maurice Chevalier with stars of Hellzapoppin at Expo 67, in Montreal, Quebec. ... Jeanette MacDonald Jeanette MacDonald (June 18, 1903 – January 14, 1965) was a singer and actress best remembered for her musical films of the 1930s with Maurice Chevalier (Love Me Tonight, The Merry Widow) and Nelson Eddy (Naughty Marietta, Rose Marie, and Maytime). ... Academy Award The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are the most prominent and most watched film awards ceremony in the world. ... The Love Parade is a 1929 musical comedy film. ... The Smiling Lieutenant is a 1932 film nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. ...

His next film was a romantic comedy, written with Samson Raphaelson, Trouble in Paradise (1932). Later described (approvingly) as "truly amoral" by critic David Thomson, the cynical comedy was popular both with critics and with audiences. But it was a project that could only have been made before the enforcement of the production code, and after 1935, Trouble in Paradise was withdrawn from circulation. It was not seen again until 1968. The film was never available on videocassette and only became available on DVD in 2003. Samson Raphaelson was a screenwriter and playwright, who worked on nine films with Ernst Lubitsch, including Trouble in Paradise, The Shop Around the Corner and Heaven Can Wait. ... Trouble in Paradise is a 1932 romantic comedy film that tells the story of a master thief who meets up with a beautiful pickpocket. ... David Thomson can refer to a number of people: David Thomson, Australian politician David Thomson, film critic David K.R. Thomson, Canadian businessman This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... The Production Code (also known as the Hays Code) was a set of industry guidelines governing the production of American motion pictures. ... The video cassette recorder (or VCR, less popularly video tape recorder) is a type of video tape recorder that uses removable cassettes containing magnetic tape to record audio and video from a television broadcast so it can be played back later. ... DVD (also known as Digital Versatile Disc or Digital Video Disc - see Etymology) is a popular optical disc storage media format. ...

Writing about Lubitsch's work, critic Michael Wilmington observed:

At once elegant and ribald, sophisticated and earthy, urbane and bemused, frivolous yet profound. They were directed by a man who was amused by sex rather than frightened of it-- and who taught a whole culture to be amused by it as well.

Whether with music, as in MGM's opulent The Merry Widow (1934) and Paramount's One Hour with You (1932), or without, as in Design for Living (1933), Lubitsch continued to specialize in comedy. He made only one other dramatic film, the antiwar Broken Lullaby (also known as The Man I Killed, 1932). MGM redirects here. ... For the ballet, see The Merry Widow (ballet). ... One Hour with You is a 1932 film nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. ... Design for Living is a black comedy written by Noel Coward which premiered in 1932. ... Anti war protest in Melbourne, Australia, 2003 Anti-war is a term that is widely adopted by any social movement or person that seeks to end or oppose a future or current war. ...

In 1935, he was appointed that studio's production manager, thus becoming the only major Hollywood director to run a large studio. Lubitsch subsequently produced his own films and supervised the production of films of other directors. But Lubitsch had trouble delegating authority, which was a problem when he was overseeing sixty different films. He was fired after a year on the job, and returned to full-time moviemaking. In 1936, he became a naturalized citizen of the United States. Theatrical production management is a sub-division of stagecraft. ... Naturalization is the process whereby a person becomes a national of a nation, or a citizen of a country, other than the one of his birth. ...

In 1939, Lubitsch moved to MGM, and directed Greta Garbo in Ninotchka. Garbo and Lubitsch were friendly and had hoped to work together on a movie for years, but this would be their only project. The film, co-written by Billy Wilder, is a satirical comedy in which the famously serious actress' laughing scene was heavily promoted by studio publicists with the tagline "Garbo Laughs!" MGM logo Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer or MGM, is a large media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of cinema and television programs. ... Greta Garbo (September 18, 1905 – April 15, 1990) was a Swedish-born actress during Hollywoods silent film period and part of its Golden Age. ... Ninotchka is a 1939 American film by Ernst Lubitsch, starring Greta Garbo and Melvyn Douglas. ... Billy Wilder (June 22, 1906 – March 27, 2002) was an Austrian-born, Jewish-American journalist, screenwriter, film director, and producer whose career spanned more than 50 years and 60 films. ... 1867 edition of Punch, a ground-breaking British magazine of popular humour, including a good deal of satire of the contemporary social and political scene. ...

In 1940, he directed The Shop Around the Corner, an artful comedy of cross purposes. The film reunited Lubitsch with his Merry Widow screenwriter Raphaelson, and starred James Stewart and Margaret Sullavan as a pair of bickering coworkers in Budapest, each unaware that the other is their secret romantic correspondent. David Thomson wrote of it: The Shop Around the Corner (1940) is a romantic comedy film, directed by Ernst Lubitsch, and starring James Stewart and Margaret Sullavan. ... For other persons named James Stewart, see James Stewart (disambiguation). ... Margaret Sullavan Margaret Brooke Sullavan (May 16, 1911 - January 1, 1960) was an American actress. ... For other uses, see Budapest (disambiguation). ...

The Shop Around the Corner... is among the greatest of films... This is a love story about a couple too much in love with love to fall tidily into each other's arms. Though it all works out finally, a mystery is left, plus the fear of how easily good people can miss their chances. Beautifully written (by Lubitsch's favorite writer, Samson Raphaelson), Shop Around the Corner is a treasury of hopes and anxieties based in the desperate faces of Stewart and Sullavan. It is a comedy so good it frightens us for them. The cafe conversation may be the best meeting in American film. The shot of Sullavan's gloved hand, and then her ruined face, searching an empty mail box for a letter is one of the most fragile moments in film. For an instant, the ravishing Sullavan looks old and ill, touched by loss.

Biographer Scott Eyman attempted to characterize the famed "Lubitsch touch":

With few exceptions Lubitsch's movies take place neither in Europe nor America but in Lubitschland, a place of metaphor, benign grace, rueful wisdom... What came to preoccupy this anomalous artist was the comedy of manners and the society in which it transpired, a world of delicate sangfroid, where a breach of sexual or social propriety and the appropriate response are ritualized, but in unexpected ways, where the basest things are discussed in elegant whispers; of the rapier, never the broadsword... To the unsophisticated eye, Lubitsch's work can appear dated, simply because his characters belong to a world of formal sexual protocol. But his approach to film, to comedy, and to life was not so much ahead of its time as it was singular, and totally out of any time.

Lubitsch went independent to direct That Uncertain Feeling (1941, a remake of his 1925 film Kiss Me Again), and the dark anti-Nazi farce To Be or Not to Be (1942), which was Jack Benny's only major screen success and Carole Lombard's last picture. That Uncertain Feeling is a comic novel by Kingsley Amis, first published in 1956. ... Kiss Me Again is a 1931 musical operetta film photographed entirely in Technicolor. ... Nazism in history Nazi ideology Nazism and race Outside Germany Related subjects Lists Politics Portal         Nazism or National Socialism (German: Nationalsozialismus), refers primarily to the ideology and practices of the Nazi Party (National Socialist German Workers Party, German: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP) under Adolf Hitler. ... To Be or Not to Be is a 1942 comedy film about a troupe of actors in Nazi-occupied Warsaw who use their abilities at disguise and acting to fool the occupying troops. ... Jack Benny (February 14, 1894 in Chicago, Illinois – December 26, 1974 in Beverly Hills, California), born Benjamin Kubelsky, was an American comedian, vaudeville performer, and radio, television, and film actor. ... Carole Lombard (October 6, 1908 – January 16, 1942) was an American actress. ...

Lubitsch spent the balance of his career at 20th Century Fox, but a heart condition curtailed his activity, and he spent much of his time in supervisory capacities. The last picture made by the director with his distinctive "touch" was Heaven Can Wait (1943), another Raphaelson collaboration. The film is about Henry Van Cleve (played by Don Ameche) who presents himself at the gates of Hell to recount his life and the women he has known from his mother onwards, concentrating on his happy but sometimes difficult 25 years of marriage to Martha (played by Gene Tierney). Twentieth (20th) Century Fox Film Corporation (known from 1935 to 1985 as Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation) is one of the six major American film studios. ... Heaven Can Wait Heaven Can Wait is a 1943 comedy film which tells the story of a man who has to prove he belongs in Hell by telling his life story. ... Not to be confused with former NBA player John Amaechi. ... This article is about the theological or philosophical afterlife. ... Gene Tierney (November 19, 1920 – November 6, 1991) was an American film and stage actress. ...

In March 1947, Lubitsch was awarded a special Academy Award for his "25-year contribution to motion pictures". Presenter Mervyn LeRoy, calling Lubitsch "a master of innuendo," described some of his attributes as a filmmaker: "He had an adult mind and a hatred of saying things the obvious way." Lubitsch was the subject of several interviews at that time, and consistently cited "The Shop Around the Corner" as his favorite of his films. Considering his overall career, he mused, "I made sometimes pictures which were not up to my standard, but then it can only be said about a mediocrity that all his works live up to his standard." For other uses, see March (disambiguation). ... Year 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1947 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Mervyn LeRoy (October 15, 1900 - September 13, 1987) was an American film director, producer and sometime actor. ...

He died later that year in Hollywood of a heart attack, his sixth. His last film, That Lady in Ermine with Betty Grable, was completed by Otto Preminger and released posthumously in 1948. Heart attack redirects here. ... Betty Grable (December 18, 1916 – July 2, 1973) was an American dancer, singer, and actress. ... Otto Ludwig Preminger (December 5, 1906 – April 23, 1986) was a film director. ...

Leaving Lubitsch's funeral, Billy Wilder ruefully said, "No more Lubitsch." William Wyler responded, "Worse than that. No more Lubitsch pictures." William Wyler (July 1, 1902 – July 27, 1981) was a prolific, Oscar-winning motion picture director. ...

Selected filmography

Silent films

• The Eyes of the Mummy (Die Augen der Mumie Ma) (1918)
• The Oyster Princess (1919)
• Rosita (1923)
• The Marriage Circle (1924)
• Lady Windermere's Fan (1925)
• The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg (1927) - starring Ramón Novarro and Norma Shearer
• The Patriot (1928)
• Eternal Love (1929)

The Marriage Circle is a 1924 film by Ernst Lubitsch. ... Oscar Wilde. ... The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg a. ... Ramón Novarro (February 6, 1899) – October 30, 1968 (aged 69)) was a Mexican actor who achieved fame as a Latin lover in silent films. ... Edith Norma Shearer (August 10, 1902 (some sources indicate 1900) – June 12, 1983) was an Academy Award-winning Canadian-American actress. ... The Patriot is a semi-biographical film that was released in 1928. ... Kärleken är is a song in Swedish about love. ...

Sound films

• The Love Parade (1929) - musical
• Monte Carlo (1930) - musical
• The Smiling Lieutenant (1932) - musical
• One Hour with You (1932) - musical
• Trouble in Paradise (1932)
• Design for Living (1933)
• The Merry Widow (1934) - musical
• Desire (1936) - Producer only
• Angel (1937)
• Bluebeard's Eighth Wife (1938)
• Ninotchka (1939) - starring Greta Garbo
• The Shop Around the Corner (1940)
• That Uncertain Feeling (1941)
• To Be or Not to Be (1942)
• Heaven Can Wait (1943)- starring Gene Tierney
• A Royal Scandal (1945)
• Cluny Brown (1946)
• That Lady in Ermine (1948)

The Love Parade is a 1929 musical comedy film. ... The Smiling Lieutenant is a 1932 film nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. ... One Hour with You is a 1932 film nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. ... Trouble in Paradise is a 1932 romantic comedy film that tells the story of a master thief who meets up with a beautiful pickpocket. ... Design for Living is a black comedy written by Noel Coward which premiered in 1932. ... Desire is an 1936 romantic drama film made by Paramount Pictures. ... Angel is a 1937 comedy drama film made by Paramount Pictures. ... Bluebeards Eighth Wife is a 1938 film directed by Ernst Lubitsch, and starring Claudette Colbert and Gary Cooper. ... Ninotchka is a 1939 American film by Ernst Lubitsch, starring Greta Garbo and Melvyn Douglas. ... Greta Garbo (September 18, 1905 – April 15, 1990) was a Swedish-born actress during Hollywoods silent film period and part of its Golden Age. ... The Shop Around the Corner (1940) is a romantic comedy film, directed by Ernst Lubitsch, and starring James Stewart and Margaret Sullavan. ... To Be or Not to Be is a 1942 comedy film about a troupe of actors in Nazi-occupied Warsaw who use their abilities at disguise and acting to fool the occupying troops. ... Heaven Can Wait Heaven Can Wait is a 1943 comedy film which tells the story of a man who has to prove he belongs in Hell by telling his life story. ... Gene Tierney (November 19, 1920 – November 6, 1991) was an American film and stage actress. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Cluny Brown is a 1946 film made by Twentieth Century-Fox, directed and produced by Ernst Lubitsch. ...

Further reading

• Eyman, Scott. Ernst Lubitsch: Laughter in Paradise. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2000. Biography.

• Weinberg, Herman G. The Lubitsch Touch : a Critical Study. New York : Dutton, [c1968]. -Out of Print-

External links

• The Cinema of Ernst Lubitsch
• Ernst Lubitsch at the Internet Movie Database
• Ernst Lubitsch's Gravesite