'The Lubitsch Touch' has been dissected and analyzed for decades. Billy Wilder, who had been protégé to director Ernst Lubitsch early on, put it succinctly: "The Lubitsch Touch is a light touch. But there are serious overtones in Lubitsch. He understood life..." In 1941, Lubitsch signed a three read more
For Carole & Company's "Carole-tennial (+3)," marking the 103rd anniversary of Hollywood legend Carole Lombard's birth, I'm taking a look at my favorite Carole Lombard film, director Ernst Lubitsch's To Be or Not to Be (1942). This was Lombard's last film, released just a month after her death. read more
To Be or Not to Be (Ernst Lubitsch, 1941)
The more we discover about Ernst Lubitsch’s films the more we can understand the Hollywood Cinema of today. His films of the 1930’s and 1940’s are the cornerstone of filmmaking. His comedies of the pre and post Code are hilarious and intell read more
In 1939 Poland, a theater troupe is spending its days rehearsing a new play called Gestapo and performing Hamlet by night. Part of the troupe is husband and wife Joseph and Maria Tura (Jack Benny and Carole Lombard). Maria has quite an admirer in Lieutenant Stanislav Sobinski (Robert Stack), who read more
Ernst Lubitsch, "To Be or Not To Be," and Lombard's last impression
Coming to America
Director Ernst Lubitsch left his native Germany in 1922 at the invitation of silent-screen legend Mary Pickford. He directed Pickford in two popular films, Rosita (1923) and The Marriage Circle (1924). Ri read more
From 1930, sit back and enjoy the ... emphatic song-and-dance stylings of Miss Zelma O'Neal, putting across her big number, "I Want to be Bad" from the Paramount Technicolor spectacular Follow Thru.I just think she's adorable, and I'm mad for the flaming trumpets. But I would b read more
