How Would Lubitsch Do It?

For our season finale, we’re excited to welcome Munich Film Museum director Stefan Drössler to discuss the (mostly) lost film THE FLAME. Stefan was responsible for the reconstructions of both THE FLAME and THE LOVES OF THE PHARAOH, and shares his insights into all elements of the restoration process: handling and structuring the film elements, creating (or recreating) the soundtracks, and speculat...

Film academic, Egyptologist, all-around legend Kristin Thompson joins us to discuss THE LOVES OF THE PHARAOH! We cover the ‘Egyptomania’ craze that swept the western world in the early 20th century, the film’s anachronism, the possible historical inspirations for the film’s plot, Lubitsch’s transition to dark studios, the evolution in acting styles, and the influence Weimar cinema had on American...

Will Ross and Bram Ruiter rejoin us to discuss Lubitsch’s 1921 Bavarian expressionist comedy epic THE WILDCAT. We wrestle with this exhilarating-yet-difficult work as we consider unmotivated aspect ratio changes, body double swaps, questionable rug-pull endings, Lubitsch’s artistic toolkit, and the film’s ridiculous production design.   Griffin Sheel was our dialogue editor for this episode.   NEX...

Surprise! Paul Cuff returns to discuss something completely different: Abel Gance’s 1927 epic NAPOLEON! We discuss our shared love of the film, our first experiences watching it, Abel Gance’s subsequent career, and the history of the film’s restoration. Gloria Mercer was our dialogue editor for this episode. NEXT WEEK: Bram Ruiter and Will Ross rejoin us to discuss Lubitsch’s 1921 expressionist co...

Film academic Paul Cuff joins us to discuss ANNA BOLEYN, Lubitsch’s second grand historical biopic about European royalty. We discuss Lubitsch’s career directory, the uses and misuses of Emil Jannings and Henny Porten, Weimar-era production design and lighting, silent film scores, and how this film compares to Lubitsch’s others epics. Gloria Mercer was our dialogue editor for this episode. NEXT WE...

Instead of discussing SUMURUN, Devan will discuss the podcast and answer some of your questions. We’re starting a discord! Check it out here: https://discord.gg/jJFvB5tk NEXT WEEK: Film academic Paul Cuff joins us to discuss ANNA BOLEYN, Lubitsch’s second grand historical biopic about European royalty.

Film writer and programmer Maddie Whittle joins us to discuss ROMEO AND JULIET IN THE SNOW, Lubitsch’s other 1920 comic riff on William Shakespeare. We discuss shocking adaptational genre shifts, dunking jokes, Lubitsch’s habit of shooting location exteriors in the alps and only the alps, continuity, and the sad preservation status of this film. Griffin Sheel was our dialogue editor for this episo...

Filmmaker, critic, and academic David Cairns joins us to discuss KOHLHEISEL’S DAUGHTERS, Lubitsch’s Bavarian comic riff on Shakespeare’s ‘The Taming of the Shrew’. We delve into the difficulties of adapting one of the English canon’s most infamously chauvinistic plays, empathizing with 103-year-old art, our confusion over the fact that this film has been so unjustifiably neglected, slipping things...

Critic and friend of the show Tim Brayton returns to discuss Lubitsch’s lo-fi comic masterpiece THE DOLL. Much enthusiasm for this completely iconoclastic curio of a film is shared as we discuss the nature of artifice, history’s least-convincing fake horses, the mysterious circumstances under which this film’s release was botched, Lubitsch’s not-all-that-scathing satire of organized religion, and...

Critic Jaime Rebanal joins us to discuss MADAME DUBARRY, Lubitsch’s highly celebrated international breakthrough. What are we to make of it aesthetically circa 2023? How do we interface with 104-year-old blockbusters? Are biopics inherently broken? Who is Emil Subich? We cover all this and more, plus John Ford! NEXT WEEK: Critic and friend of the show Tim Brayton returns to discuss Lubitsch’s lo-f...

We’re back, as season two commences! As is now tradition, we start our season with a discussion intended to provide some context. In this episode, film and media historian Luci Marzola and I discuss early Hollywood lighting, the role of cinematographers throughout this era, the consequences of sound, and questions of realism! Our focus is on the development of lighting ideologies and techniques th...

Season One draws to a close in maximalist style as experimental filmmaker Bram Ruiter us for a particularly exuberant episode in which we discuss Lubitsch’s grand Ruritanian comic epic THE OYSTER PRINCESS . Our discussion is wide-ranging and a little giddy due to our excitement at discussing such a thrilling and hilarious mini-epic, so prepare for a slightly looser episode than usual! Lubitsch’s g...

Writer and critic Fran Hoepfner joins us to discuss MEYER FROM BERLIN , Ernst Lubitsch’s only certified Adam Sandler-style vacation comedy. This lightweight comedy of class is a jumping-off point for discussions about silent film form, comedic modes and traditions, the nature of hotels, and our ability to enjoy flawed works from a century ago. NEXT WEEK: Bram Ruiter joins us to discuss THE OYSTER...

Warwick University associate professor Jose Arroyo joins us to discuss Lubitsch’s 1918 adaptation of Prosper Mérimée’s CARMEN . A drastic scaling-up in production scale and ambition, the film serves as a jumping-off point for our discussions about the source material, Lubitsch’s growing stature in German cinema, the American rerelease of the film, Pola Negri’s movie star charisma, Lubitsch’s sense...

Film critic, podcaster, PHD candidate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and former guest Tim Brayton joins us to discuss THE EYES OF THE MUMMY MA , Lubitsch’s oldest surviving drama. In this episode, we discuss the momentous arrival of Emil Jannings and Pola Negri to the stock company, the rather troubling orientalist aspects of the film, and the ethics and economics of film preservation. NE...

International Cinematographer’s Guild Researcher, academic, and former guest Peter Labuza joins us to discuss I DON’T WANT TO BE A MAN , Lubitsch’s 1918 gender-defying farce featuring the great Ossi Oswalda as a young woman who decides to spend a day as a man. Hijinks, transgressions, public drunkenness, and romance ensue! NEXT WEEK: Tim Brayton joins us to discuss THE EYES OF THE MUMMY MA . For d...

Margaret Herrick Library Director Matt Severson joins us to discuss THE MERRY JAIL, Lubitsch’s first operetta adaptation. It’s a big step forward towards the recognizable comedy of manners that would become Lubitsch’s trademark, and a great jumping off point to discuss the beginnings of his stylistic tendencies. NEXT WEEK: Peter Labuza joins us to discuss I DON’T WANT TO BE A MAN . For details on...

The journey through Lubitsch’s catalogue continues with SHOE PALACE PINKUS, a short comedy about Sally Pinkus (Lubitsch), a gregarious footwear entrepreneur. Academy Museum of Motion Pictures Assistant Curator Dara Jaffe joins us to discuss the controversy that surrounds the character of Sally Pinkus and Jewish representation, margins of safety in comedy, the influence of Ernst’s father on his wor...

We begin at a film that doesn’t actually represent much of a beginning: Lubitsch’s first shorts remain lost, which leaves us with WHEN I WAS DEAD, also known as WHERE IS MY TREASURE. Film Formally co-host Will Ross joins us as we discuss Lubitsch’s early life, the state of film comedy circa 1916, “door stuff”, tinting in silent films, 3-D, and more. NEXT WEEK: Academy Museum of Motion Pictures Ass...

We begin our journey into the filmography of Ernst Lubitsch with a bit of scene-setting, as Simon Fraser University assistant professor Lauren Rossi joins us to discuss the history of Weimar Germany. Our discussion is wide-ranging, beginning with the Napoleonic era and ending with the downfall of the Weimar republic; in focusing on this period, we aim to provide context as to the political and soc...

It's here! HOW WOULD LUBITSCH DO IT? is a journey through the life and works of Ernst Lubitsch in chronological order, one film at a time. In this limited podcast series, host Devan Scott will facilitate a series of discussions about all 43 of Ernst Lubitsch’s surviving films, from Wo ist mein Schatz to Cluny Brown. Each episode will consist of a mix of historical background and a discussion with...