How Would Lubitsch Do It?

[Due to our last-minute addition of two episodes, the podcast feed mistakenly had S5E09a queued here for a few hours this morning - it should now be fixed!] How Would Lubitsch Do It comes to a close with a grand finale. Tim Brayton returns to discuss Cluny Brown and look back on both Ernst Lubitsch's career and the past five seasons of this show. First, we discuss everything Cluny Brown: the film's generosity and humanism, its commentary on British class society, its relationship with the second world war, its full-throated embrace of absurdism, the title character's magnetism, Adam Belinski's status as a revision on a stock villain, and the film's somewhat autobiographical and wonderfully optimistic ending. Second, we close out the show with a look back: we debate our respective rankings (Tim, Devan) of Lubitsch's filmography, highlight our favourite cast members, crew members and collaborators, discuss subsequent filmmakers who bear distinct marks of Lubitsch's influence, discuss whether or not the show's structure accurately reflects the ebbs and flows and our subject's career, and answer the key questions: why Lubitsch? Why a podcast? Edited by Griffin Sheel. A Thanks I started this quixotic project two years ago with the hope of making something that spoke to me and, if anyone else was interested, so be it. Turns out some other people were interested, and if you're reading this now, that's probably you. My endless and sincere thanks for sticking it through. Thanks to the many guests who lent their time and support throughout the show: Lauren Faulkner Rossi, Fran Hoepfner, Bram Ruiter, Luci Marzola, Jaime Rebenal, Maddie Whittle, Paul Cuff, Kristin Thompson, Stefan Droissler, Molly Rasberry, Sarah Shachat, James Penco, Dave Kehr, Julia Sirmons, David Neary, Patrick Keating, Jennifer Fleeger, Katharine Coldiron, Jonathan Mackris, Will Sloan, Lea Jacobs, Tanya Goldman, Krin Gabbard, Jordan Fish, Ray Tintori, Z Behl, Eric Dienstfrey, Scott Eyman, Imogen Sarah Smith, Chris Cassingham, Olympia Kiriakou, Griffin Newman, Kevin Bahr, Whit Stillman, Adrian Martin, Jose Arroyo, Lance St. Laurent, Tim Brayton, William Paul, Dara Jaffe, Gary Jaffe, Peter Labuza, Willa Harlow Ross, Eloise Ross, David Cairns, Noah Isenberg, Matt Severson, Mateusz Pacewicz, and Charlotte Garson. Our editors: Griffin Sheel, Gloria Mercer, Willa Harlow Ross, Sophia Yoon, Rylee Cronin, Brennen King, & Eden Cote-Foster Our location sound engineer, Anna Citak-Scott. And others who lent valuable counsel and support: the Margaret Herrick Library, the Museum of Modern Art, the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures and most of all to Ernst Lubitsch, who taught me more than it could possibly take the sixty-eight episodes of this podcast to describe. This entire experience - hundreds of hours of research, recording, and editing - has been among the great pleasures of my life, and everyone's contributions have meant a great deal to me. Onwards to whatever's next!

How Would Lubitsch Do It comes to a close with our grand finale. Tim Brayton returns to discuss Cluny Brown and look back on both Ernst Lubitsch's career and the past five seasons of this show. First, we discuss everything Cluny Brown: the film's generosity and humanism, its commentary on British class society, its relationship with the second world war, its full-throated embrace of absurdism, the title character's magnetism, Adam Belinski's status as a revision on a stock villain, and the film's somewhat autobiographical and wonderfully optimistic ending. Second, we close out the show with a look back: we debate our respective rankings (Tim, Devan) of Lubitsch's filmography, highlight our favourite cast members, crew members and collaborators, discuss subsequent filmmakers who bear distinct marks of Lubitsch's influence, discuss whether or not the show's structure accurately reflects the ebbs and flows and our subject's career, and answer the key questions: why Lubitsch? Why a podcast? Edited by Griffin Sheel. A Thanks I started this quixotic project two years ago with the hope of making something that spoke to me and, if anyone else was interested, so be it. Turns out some other people were interested, and if you're reading this now, that's probably you. My endless and sincere thanks for sticking it through. Thanks to the many guests who lent their time and support throughout the show: Lauren Faulkner Rossi, Fran Hoepfner, Bram Ruiter, Luci Marzola, Jaime Rebenal, Maddie Whittle, Paul Cuff, Kristin Thompson, Stefan Droissler, Molly Rasberry, Sarah Shachat, James Penco, Dave Kehr, Julia Sirmons, David Neary, Patrick Keating, Jennifer Fleeger, Katharine Coldiron, Jonathan Mackris, Will Sloan, Lea Jacobs, Tanya Goldman, Krin Gabbard, Jordan Fish, Ray Tintori, Z Behl, Eric Dienstfrey, Scott Eyman, Imogen Sarah Smith, Chris Cassingham, Olympia Kiriakou, Griffin Newman, Kevin Bahr, Whit Stillman, Adrian Martin, Jose Arroyo, Lance St. Laurent, Tim Brayton, William Paul, Dara Jaffe, Gary Jaffe, Peter Labuza, Willa Ross, Eloise Ross, David Cairns, Noah Isenberg, Matt Severson, Mateusz Pacewicz, and Charlotte Garson. Our editors: Griffin Sheel, Gloria Mercer, Willa Ross, Sophia Yoon, Rylee Cronin, Brennen King, & Eden Cote-Foster Our location sound engineer, Anna Citak-Scott. And others who lent valuable counsel and support: the Margaret Herrick Library, the Museum of Modern Art, the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures and most of all to Ernst Lubitsch, who taught me more than it could possibly take the sixty-eight episodes of this podcast to describe. This entire experience - hundreds of hours of research, recording, and editing - has been among the great pleasures of my life, and everyone's contributions have meant a great deal to me. Onwards to whatever's next!

Cahiers du Cinéma deputy editor Charlotte Garson joins us for a wide-ranging discussion that takes a look back at the past five seasons of the podcast and our subject's career: among other things, we cover Lubitsch's treatment of unconventional relationships, feminine sexuality and gender fluidity, his treatment of theatricality, his influence upon the critics of Cahiers and other filmmakers, and more doors. Edited by Griffin Sheel. We have a Discord! Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify NEXT WEEK: It's the end! The grand finale! Tim Brayton returns to discuss Cluny Brown and to help wrap up the whole show with a look back at everything we've spent the past two years covering. For information as to where to find this film, check out our resources page. WORKS CITED: Ernst Lubitsch (1985) - Cahiers du Cinéma Charlotte's introductions, delivered at the Centre Des Arts Cinema, for: To Be Or Not To Be Ninotchka I Don't Want To Be a Man & The Oyster Princess Charlotte's analysis of Bluebeard's Eighth Wife

Screenwriter Mateusz Pacewicz (Corpus Christi, The Hater) joins us to discuss the films of Lubitsch from a Polish perspective. We coverTo Be Or Not To Be's depiction of Warsaw, the history of Lubitsch's collaborators such as Pola Negri, the dynamics of European immigrants in twentieth-century America, the nature of dark comedy and ‘lightness', the nature of performance, lies, truth, identity, and nationality, and the tall tales of Andrzej Krakowski. David Neary also stops by for an encore discussion of Heaven Can Wait. Edited by Griffin Sheel. We have a Discord! Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify NEXT WEEK: In our penultimate episode, Cahiers du Cinéma deputy editor Charlotte Garson joins us for a retrospective! WORKS CITED: Ernst Lubitsch in Warsaw - April 26, 1936, Kino no. 17

Matt Severson returns to discuss Wes Anderson and The Grand Budapest Hotel. We discuss Lubitsch's clear influence on the film, Anderson's use of fabulist distancing techniques, common attitudes about Anderson's supposed emotional remoteness, and our own emotional connections to the film. Edited by Eden Cote-Foster. We have a Discord! Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify NEXT WEEK: Screenwriter Mateusz Pacewicz joins us to discuss Ernst from a Polish perspective! WORKS CITED: The Wes Anderson Collection: The Grand Budapest Hotel by Matthew Zoller Seitz Video Essay on The Grand Budapest Hotel by Matthew Zoller Seitz Devan's review of To Be Or Not To Be on Letterboxd  

Author Noah Isenberg joins us to discuss Billy Wilder and his 1961 comedic epic One, Two, Three. We cover Wilder's early life as a reporter, a dancer-for-hire, and publicist; his lifelong ability to adapt to his circumstances; the question of his cynicism (or is it frustrated romanticism?); and his fraught relationship with Germany. Later on, we cover the fascinating production of One, Two, Three, the manners in which the film echoes his earlier work, and Jimmy Cagney's superhuman verbal stamina. Edited by Eden Cote-Foster. We have a Discord! Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify NEXT WEEK: Matt Severson joins us to discuss Wes Anderson and The Grand Budapest Hotel. For information as to where to find this film, check out our resources page. WORKS CITED: On Sunset Boulevard: The Life and Times of Billy Wilder by Ed Sikov Wilder on Assignment: Dispatches from Weimar Berlin and Interwar Vienna by Noah Isenberg

A reading of Samson Raphaelson's Freundschaft, as published on May 11, 1981, in The New Yorker. We have a Discord! Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify NEXT WEEK: Noah Isenberg joins us to discuss Billy Wilder and his cold war comedic epic One, Two, Three. For information as to where to find this film, check out our resources page. WORKS CITED: Freundschaft by Samson Raphaelson

David Cairns returns to discuss the end of Ernst Lubitsch's career and life: a period in which, after a heart attack left him debilitated, he produced a series of films directed by the likes of Joseph L. Mankiewicz and Otto Preminger. We cover Dragonwyck, cinema's foremost depiction of the Dutch patroonship system in what is now upstate New York; A Royal Scandal, a remake of Forbidden Paradise; andThat Lady in Ermine, Lubitsch's final unfinished project later completed to little effect by Otto Preminger. Throughout the episode, we discuss the gap in worldviews between Lubitsch and Preminger, our dream Lubitsch/actor pairings that never came to pass, Billy Wilder's tall tales, Ernst Lubitsch's death, and what comes next. Edited by Brennen King. We have a Discord! Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify NEXT WEEK: A reading of Freundschaft, Samson Raphaelson's eulogy for Ernst Lubitsch. WORKS CITED: The World and Its Double: The Life and Work of Otto Preminger by Chris Fujiwara

Writer and film historian Eloise Ross joins us to discuss noted Lubitsch disciple Otto Preminger and his 1944 noir Laura. We cover Preminger's past and parallels with Lubitsch, the tumultuous story of Laura's production, the film's highly unusual tone, its memorable characters and dialogue, and the majesty of Clifton Webb. Edited by Brennen King We have a Discord! Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify NEXT WEEK: David Cairns returns to discuss A Royal Scandal, Dragonwyck, That Lady in Ermine, and the death of Ernst Lubitsch. WORKS CITED: The World and Its Double: The Life and Work of Otto Preminger by Chris Fujiwara

Willa Ross returns for a lively discussion about Heaven Can Wait. We cover Lubitsch and Raphaelson's opposing views on the film's unusual protagonist, its counterintuitive structure and elisions, the film's theological implications, argue about whether or not the production code negatively impacted the film, and discuss what happened at Fox in the early 1970s and why it matters for technicolor pictures such as this. Edited by Griffin Sheel. We have a Discord! Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify NEXT WEEK: Writer and film historian Eloise Ross joins us to discuss Otto Preminger and his 1944 noir Laura. For information as to where to find this film, check out our resources page. WORKS CITED: Eloise Ross's Writeup for HEAVEN CAN WAIT in Senses of CInema Heaven Can Wait: The Simple Act of Living by William Paul Robert Harris's “KNIGHTS OF FILM PRESERVATION” Forum Post

Peter Labuza returns for the second of two episodes on To Be Or Not To Be. We discuss the film's production history, the way in which the film both fulfills and frustrates conventions of comedic structure, Lubitsch's specific habits in directing actors, the film's unusual tonal arc, the film's depiction of fascist ideology, and Rudolph Mate's cinematography. Edited by Eden Cote-Foster. We have a Discord! Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify NEXT WEEK: Willa Ross returns to discuss Heaven Can Wait. For information as to where to find this film, check out our resources page. WORKS CITED: Bosley Crowther's Review of TO BE OR NOT TO BE in the New York Times Ernst Lubitsch's Response Independent Stardom: Freelance Women in the Hollywood Studio System by Emily Carman Five Came Back: A Story of Hollywood and the Second World War by Mark Harris

Returning guest Dara Jaffe and first-time guest Gary Jaffe join us for the first of two episodes on To Be Or Not To Be. In this episode, we cover the interplay between theatre and film, and of improvisation and comedy; the many dimensions of the film's relationship with Jewish identities; the use of empathy and humanism as anti-fascist tools; Lubitsch's self-reflexive approach to diegetic reality; the key character of Greenberg, and Felix Bressart's performance; the history of performances of William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice; and the film's influence on contemporary cinema. Recorded at the Margaret Herrick Library in Beverly Hills, CA by Anna Citak-Scott. Edited by Griffin Sheel. We have a Discord! Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify NEXT WEEK: Peter Labuza returns for the second of two discussions on To Be Or Not To Be. For information as to where to find this film, check out our resources page. WORKS CITED: Production Code Administration notes on To Be Or Not To Be Hollywood's Other Great Anti-Nazi Movie by Thomas Doherty David Kalat's Commentary on the Criterion Edition of To Be Or Not To Be Adrian Martin's Review of To Be Or Not To Be. To Be Or Not To Be (A Jew) by Dorian Stuber and Marianne Tettlebaum

We return from our brief hiatus with our most in-depth episode yet, culled from five hours of discussions recorded over a period of several months with William Paul, author of the essential critical study Ernst Lubitsch's American Comedy. We discuss Paul's friendship with frequent Lubitsch collaborator Samson Raphaelson, Raphaelson's sometimes-harsh retrospective criticism of his own work, the linguistic tics that unite Lubitsch's filmography, their methods of adapting obscure Hungarian plays, Raphaelson's recollections of Alfred Hitchcock's very different working methods, and Suspicion's shocking alternate ending. Later on, we discuss the neuroscientific mechanisms of comedy, the biological purpose of laughter, the relationship of To Be Or Not To Be and the idea of “passing”, and engage in some record-correction as to whether or not the film was as controversial as is widely believed. Edited by Brennen King and Eden Cote-Foster. We have a Discord! Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify NEXT WEEK: Dara and Ryan Jaffe join us for the first of two discussions on To Be Or Not To Be For information as to where to find this film, check out our resources page. WORKS CITED: Ernst Lubitsch's American Comedy by William Paul

Tim Brayton returns to discuss noted Lubitsch fan and disciple Preston Sturges and his 1941 meta-comedy SULLIVAN'S TRAVELS. We cover Sturges' immense admiration of Lubitsch, the film's immensely fascinating but perhaps frustrating relationship with its own status as a satire of its own form, Sturges' political beliefs and moral compass, the value of communal viewings to comedic cinema, and much more. We have a Discord! Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify NEXT WEEK: We're taking a little break! See you in a few weeks for the last eleven episodes of Season 5, the end of our story. WORKS CITED: Romantic Comedy in Hollywood: From Lubitsch to Sturges and The Lady Eve (The Current) by James Harvey Pursuits of Happiness: A Reading of the lady Eve by Stanley Cavell Fast Talk: Preston Sturges and the Speed of Sound by Joe McElhaney Preston Sturges: Success in the Movies by Manny Farber and W.S. Poster Christmas in July (Review) by Adrian Martin

UW-Madison PHD Candidate Lance St. Laurent joins us to discuss THAT UNCERTAIN FEELING, as well as some comedic theory. We discuss our mutual admiration for elements of this relatively minor divorce-and-remarriage-style comedy, Lubitsch's attempts to tackle psychoanalysis and modern art, and the film's production origins. Additionally, we go deep on comic theory: relief, superiority, and incongruity all have their day, and we discuss the ways in which comedy involves collaboration between an artist and their audience. Lastly, we apply all this to the Tom Green masterpiece FREDDY GOT FINGERED, because that's germane. We have a Discord! Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify NEXT WEEK: Tim Brayton returns to discuss Preston Sturges and THE LADY EVE. For information as to where to find this film, check out our resources page. WORKS CITED: Humour: A Short Introduction by Noel Carroll

This week, we present an episode of the SCREEN GUILD THEATER starring Ernst Lubitsch, Claudette Colbert, and possibly Jack Benny! Originally aired on October 20th, 1940. We have a Discord! Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify NEXT WEEK: Lance St. Laurent joins us to discuss THAT UNCERTAIN FEELING, as well as some comedic theory. For information as to where to find this film, check out our resources page. WORKS CITED: Ernst Lubitsch: The Radio Years (Forum Post) - A list of every Lubitsch-related episode of the Screen Guild Theater.

Critic Adrian Martin joins us for our final episode on THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER. In our discussion, we deconstruct some of the film's camera direction, discuss Lubitsch's late-period style and his more subtle (yet still very much present) formalism, his structural methodology, his use of repetition, the dynamics between “art” and “craft”, and Lubitsch's continuing influence. We also, at long last, try to define the Lubitsch “touch”. Or maybe not. Edited by Brennen King We have a Discord! Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify NEXT WEEK: We present an episode of THE GULF SCREEN GUILD THEATRE starring Ernst Lubitsch, Claudette Colbert, and possibly Jack Benny. WORKS CITED: Game Space and Play Time: A Partial History of American Screen Comedy (Lubitsch, Sturges, Tashlin) by Adrian Martin Adrian Martin's Review of THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER Innuendo by William D. Routt Cinematógrafos - Edgardo Cozarinsky (Buenos Aires: BAFICI, 2010) Acting Ordinary in The Shop Around the Corner - George Tolles

Whit Stillman and Jose Arroyo join us for our second episode on THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER. Whit discusses Lubitsch's writing process, the ways in which the film is exemplary of the Hollywood studio system at its best, and his admiration for Pirovitch. Jose later joins us for a formal breakdown of the film's final scene. We have a Discord! Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify NEXT WEEK: Film critic Adrian Martin joins us for our final episode on THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER. WORKS CITED: Whit Stillman: Not So Long Ago Stillman's Writeup on THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER for the New York Times Jose Arroyo's Podcast Episode on SHOP and YOU'VE GOT MAIL

Kevin Bahr joins us for the first of our episodes on the greatest Jimmy Stewart-related Christmas movie of them all, THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER. In this episode, we discuss the film's unusual structure, ensemble nature, each character's arc towards self-improvement, capital, our shared admiration of Pepi, the film's historical context, Samson Raphaelson's screenplay, and the depths of the film's darkness as well as the warmth that persists despite said darkness. We have a Discord! Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify NEXT WEEK: Whit Stillman and Jose Arroyo join us for our second episode on THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER. For information as to where to find this film, check out our resources page.

Author Donald Bracket joins us to discuss NINOTCHKA, and in particular the collaboration between the film's two writers: Charles Brackett and Billy Wilder. We cover their tumultuous collaboration from their first films to its sordid ending with the masterpiece SUNSET BOULEVARD, as well as the development of the screenplay for NINOTCHKA. Edited by Griffin Sheel. We have a Discord! Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify NEXT WEEK: Kevin Bahr joins us for the first of our episodes on THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER.. For information as to where to find this film, check out our resources page. WORKS CITED: DOUBLE SOLITAIRE: The Films of Charles Brackett and Billy Wilder by Donald Brackett

Actor and podcaster Griffin Newman joins us to discuss NINOTCHKA! We discuss Lubitsch's stature in Hollywood, Greta Garbo's incredible lead performance, Rouben Mamoulian's musical remake SILK STOCKINGS, the early development of the script, Cary Grant's possible involvement, the film's mechanics as both a romantic comedy and geopolitical satire, the film's relationship with the ideologies of the lead characters, the great Felix Bressart, and the Al Ruddy hagiography otherwise known as ‘THE OFFER'. Edited by Griffin Sheel. We have a Discord! Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify NEXT WEEK: Author Donald Bracket joins us to discuss NINOTCHKA and the film's two writers: Charles Brackett and Billy Wilder. For information as to where to find this film, check out our resources page. WORKS CITED: Production Code Administration notes on NINOTCHKA

Film historian and podcast host Dr. Olympia Kiriakou joins us to discuss Lubitsch's sole screwball comedy: BLUEBEARD'S EIGHTH WIFE. We run down the definition of “screwball” through lenses of class, sex, tone, and pace; the impact of the production code on the genre; the uneasy fit between Lubitsch and the genre; the film's terrific meet-cute; the introduction of two upstarts named Billy Wilder and Charles Brackett; and much more! We have a Discord! Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify Edited by Sophia Yoon. NEXT WEEK: Podcaster and actor Griffin Newman joins us to discuss NINOTCHKA.. For information as to where to find this film, check out our resources page. WORKS CITED: Becoming Carole Lombard by Olympia Kiriakou The Screwball Story Podcast

Film programmer and curator Chris Cassingham joins us to discuss Lubitsch's ambiguous, cloistered chamber drama ANGEL. We cover Lubitsch's newfound low-key late period style, the withholding nature of both the film's characters and the film itself, interwar politics, the film's deeply-encoded implications, Marlena Dietrich's persona, and our feminist readings of the text. We have a Discord! Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify NEXT WEEK: Film historian Dr. Olympia Kiriakou joins us to discuss BLUEBEARD'S EIGHTH WIFE. For information as to where to find this film, check out our resources page. WORKS CITED: Adrian Martin's review of ANGEL

Film writer and author Imogen Sara Smith joins us to discuss Frank Borzage's DESIRE, produced by Ernst Lubitsch during his tenure as Production Head at Paramount Studios! In this episode, we discuss the state of Lubitsch's career in this time of personal and political upheaval, the state of Hollywood in the Hays Code era, the the careers of Marlene Dietrich and Frank Borzage, the film's relationship with genre, and the code-mandated final beat of the plot. We have a Discord! Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify Edited by Brennen King NEXT WEEK: Film programmer and curator Chris Cassingham joins us to discuss ANGEL. For information as to where to find this film, check out our resources page. WORKS CITED: The Motion Picture Production ("Hays") Code [Full Text] Marlene Dietrich: Life and Legend by Steven Bach

It's our final season, and much has changed: Lubitsch is production head of Paramount, though not for long. The Production Code administration is enforcing the Hays code with an iron fist and, much worse, the National Socialist German Workers' Party is ruling Germany with a significantly heavier iron first. Over the course of the next ten years, we'll experience another world war, the height of classical Hollywood, and the death of our show's namesake. To kick things off, renowned author Scott Eyman joins us to discuss his definitive biography of Ernst Lubitsch, Laughter in Paradise, as well as Lubitsch's life and career circa the mid-late 1930s. We cover Eyman's research process, Lubitsch's attitudes towards life and art, his tenure as production head of Paramount, and his working methods with actors. Edited by Sophia Yoon. We have a Discord! Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify NEXT WEEK: Author Imogen Sara Smith joins us to discuss DESIRE. For information as to where to find this film, check out our resources page. WORKS CITED: Ernst Lubitsch Made the Hollywood Comedy Sublime by Alex Ross What Makes Lubitsch Lubitsch by Farren Smith Nehme Survival Tactics: German Filmmakers in Hollywood by Joe McElhaney

It's our season finale, and the end of the pre-code era! To celebrate, Tim Brayton returns to discuss THE MERRY WIDOW. We effuse about the film's infectious energy, the many incredible ‘Lubitsch Touch' moments and gestures, discuss Lubitsch's extremely loose adaptation of the Lehar operetta, the French-language version, Edward Everett Horton's greatest role, the film's relationship with love and death, the more “conservative” nature of the film's resolution, and much more! With that, Season 4 of HOW WOULD LUBITSCH DO IT comes to a close, and with it the pre-code era. Oh how we'll miss you, lax Hays office overseers. Thanks to the guests who lent their time and support to this season: Jennifer Fleeger, Katharine Coldiron, Jonathan Mackris, Will Sloan, Matt Severson, Lea Jacobs, Tanya Goldman, Willa Ross, Krin Gabbard, Molly Rasberry, Jordan Fish, Ray Tintori, Z Behl, Eric Dienstfrey and Tim Brayton. Our editors: Gloria Mercer, Griffin Sheel, Sophia Yoon, & Rylee Cronin. Our location sound engineer, Anna Citak-Scott. And others who lent valuable counsel and support: Peter Labuza, Jose Arroyo, the Margaret Herrick Library, Dave Kehr and the Museum of Modern Art, Dara Jaffe and the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, Patrick Keating, Scott Eyman, Paul Cuff, David Cairns, and all the members of our Discord. We have a Discord! Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify NEXT SEASON: The censor's hammer falls, and Lubitsch's career comes to a close in grand fashion in Season 5. WORKS CITED: MPAA Production Code Administration Records for THE MERRY WIDOW The Merry Widow Blog Entry by Jose Arroyo

Eric Dienstfrey joins us to discuss the sound technology behind early talkies, and in particular THE MERRY WIDOW. We cover the ways in which recording and exhibition technology changed and fluctuated throughout the 1930s, the sordid tale of both the innovation and skullduggery engaged in by Electrical Research Products, Inc, the institution of the uniform-but-limiting Academy Mono standard, Jeanette Macdonald's vocal stylings, and much more! We have a Discord! Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify NEXT WEEK: Tim Brayton returns to discuss THE MERRY WIDOW in our season finale. For details as to where to find this film, check out our resources page. WORKS CITED: Under the Standard: MGM, AT&T, and the Academy's Regulation of Power by Eric Dienstfrey

Podcasters, filmmakers, and artists Jordan Fish, Ray Tintori, and Z Behl join us to further discuss DESIGN FOR LIVING and disrupt the flow of the podcast much like the film in question disrupts the format of the romantic comedy! We cover the film's structure, production design, relationship with branding and commerce, Gilda's identity as “matron of the arts”a, Lubitsch's camera blocking, draw allusions to, of all films, Robert Altman's THREE WOMEN and David Fincher's THE KILLER. Edited by Griffin Sheel We have a Discord! Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify NEXT WEEK: Eric Dienstfrey joins us to discuss the sound technology behind THE MERRY WIDOW. For details as to where to find this film, check out our resources page.

Molly Rasberry returns to discuss DESIGN FOR LIVING in the first of two episodes devoted to Lubitsch's (in)famous 1933 pre-code romantic comedy! We cover the absolutely scandalous nature of the film's central ménage à trois, the drastic changes made to Noel Coward's source material, the screen presence of the film's three leads, and much more! Edited by Sophia Yoon. We have a Discord! Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify NEXT WEEK: Jordan Fish, Ray Tintori, and Z Behl join us to further discuss DESIGN FOR LIVING. For details as to where to find this film, check out our resources page. WORKS CITED: MPAA Production Code Notes for DESIGN FOR LIVING courtesy of the Margaret Herrick Library. Design for Living: It Takes Three (Criterion Collection Essay) by Kim Morgan Three Square Meals a Day (RogerEbert.com) by Fran Hoepfner Review: Design for Living by Veronica Magdalene

Bram Ruiter returns to discuss the Paramount anthology film IF I HAD A MILLION, and in particular Ernst Lubitsch's contribution THE CLERK. We discuss the struggles inherent to anthology films, compare and contrast the different directorial styles of each of the film's directors, Lubitsch's relative mastery of the poetics of cinema, and what we would do if we had one million 1932 U.S. Dollars. Edited by Sophia Yoon We have a Discord! Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify NEXT WEEK: Molly Rasberry returns to discuss DESIGN FOR LIVING. For details as to where to find this film, check out our resources page.

Author and scholar Krin Gabbard joins us for our third and final episode on TROUBLE IN PARADISE! In this episode, we cover Samson Raphaelson's history with Lubitsch, Samson's mixed feelings on the film itself, the film's ambivalence towards the possible romantic pairings that it might end on, and the dense use of leitmotifs in W. Franke Harling's score. We have a Discord! Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify NEXT WEEK: Bram Ruiter returns to discuss IF I HAD A MILLION and THE CLERK. For details as to where to find this film, check out our resources page.

Willa Ross returns to further discuss TROUBLE IN PARADISE! In this episode, fierce debates are had about the film's position on the spectrum between idealism and cynicism, Lubitsch's sense of rhythm, the film's political angles in the context of the great depression, the famous clock scene, the way in which sensory deprivation allows us to participate in the creation of artistic meaning, and much more! Edited by Rylee Cronin We have a Discord! Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify NEXT WEEK: Columbia University professor and author Krin Gabbard joins us to discuss yet more TROUBLE IN PARADISE! WORKS CITED: MPAA Production Code notes on TROUBLE IN PARADISE. courtesy of the Margaret Herrick Library. Pre-Code Lubitsch (from THE DISSOLVE) by Kim Morgan

In the first of three episodes in on TROUBLE IN PARADISE, Tanya Goldman joins us to discuss two key works in the Gentleman Thief subgenre - the aforementioned TROUBLE IN PARADISE as well as William Dieterle's JEWEL ROBBERY! We cover the work of William Powell, Kay Francis, Herbert Marshall, and Miriam Hopkins, the differing ways in which each film deals with morality and ethics in the midst of all the pre-code transgressions, the love language of thievery, and plenty else! Edited by Griffin Sheel We have a Discord! Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify NEXT WEEK: Will Ross returns to further discuss TROUBLE IN PARADISE. For details as to where to find this film, check out our resources page. WORKS CITED: Flawless: Kay Francis' Jewel Heist Comedies in 'Crooked Marquee' by Julia Sirmons

University of Wisconsin-Madison Professor Emerita Lea Jacobs joins us for a discussion of film rhythm in the early sound era. We discuss the various ways films can deal with on-set singing and musical numbers, the incredibly complex and constrictive ways in with early sound films were constrained when it came to everything from blocking and camera placement to editing, Mamoulian and Lubitsch's respective uses of music as rhythmic devices, and the difficulties that audio revisionism engenders. Throughout this episode, we'll be referencing various videos that are available at the bottom of these shownotes. Edited by Gloria Mercer We have a Discord! Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify NEXT WEEK: Tanya Goldman joins us to discuss TROUBLE IN PARADISE as well as JEWEL ROBBERY. For details as to where to find these films, check out our resources page. WORKS CITED: Film Rhythm After Sound by Lea Jacobs

In this very special episode, we visit Matt Severson on-location at the Margaret Herrick Library in Beverly Hills, California to discuss the glorious pre-code adultery musical ONE HOUR WITH YOU! In this wide-ranging conversation, we discuss the film's monumental horniness, the ways in which Lubitsch & company were allowed to get said horniness past the censors, the musical styles on display, the film's status as a remake of THE MARRAIGE CIRCLE, the various fourth-wall breaking moments, the rare tinted cut of the film, Hans Dreier's gorgeous art deco production design, and much more. Oh, that Mitzi! Edited by Griffin Sheel Recorded by Anna Citak-Scott at the Margaret Herrick Library in Beverly Hills, California. We have a Discord! NEXT WEEK: University of Wisconsin-Madison Professor Emerita Lea Jacobs joins us to discuss LOVE ME TONIGHT as well as film rhythm in the early sound era. For details as to where to find this film, check out our resources page. WORKS CITED: Eclipse Series essay on One Hour With You by Michael Koresky MPAA. Production Code Administration Records for One Hour With You courtesy of the Margaret Herrick Library

Film writer and podcaster Will Sloan joins us to discuss THE MAN I KILLED (BROKEN LULLABY), Lubitsch's heartfelt 1932 pacifist screed and his only straight-ahead drama of the sound era. We cover the film's radical interwar politics, its portrayal of grief, the many different performance styles on display, the haunting and twisted ending, national post-WWI guilt, the film's imperfections (which we love), our fantasy recasting of Philips Holmes, and much more. Edited by Sophia Yoon. We have a Discord! NEXT WEEK: Matt Severson returns to discuss ONE HOUR WITH YOU. For details as to where to find this film, check out our resources page.

UC Berkeley PHD student Jonathan Mackris joins us to discuss Lubitsch's 1931 musical THE SMILING LIEUTENANT! In this episode, we cover Maurice Chevalier's career and charisma, the film's mildly troubled production, the entrance of the highly consequential Samson Raphaelson to the Lubitsch stable of collaborators, Lubitsch's increasingly ambitious use of montage, the questionable musical abilities of various lead characters, and much more. Edited by Rylee Cronin. We have a Discord! NEXT WEEK: Will Sloan joins us to discuss THE MAN I KILLED (aka BROKEN LULLABY.) For details as to where to find this film, check out our resources page. WORKS CITED: Eclipse Series essay on The Smiling Lieutenant by Michael Koresky Billy Wilder's Explanation of the Lubitsch Touch Romantic Comedy in Hollywood by James Harvey

Katharine Coldiron, author of Junk Film: Why Bad Movies Matter, joins us to discuss Ernst Lubitsch's 1930 musical MONTE CARLO. Our wide-ranging conversation covers the evolution of Lubitsch's formal technique in the early sound era, the film's extremely naughty lyrical content, and its gentle satire of class and gender roles. In the second half of the episode, we move on to a discussion of “junk movies”: films which, despite a distinct lack of competence on the part of their creators, achieve something of value. Edited by Sophia Yoon We have a Discord! NEXT WEEK: Jonathan Mackris joins us to discuss THE SMILING LIEUTENANT. For details as to where to find this film, check out our resources page. WORKS CITED: Eclipse Series Essay on Monte Carlo by Michael Koresky Junk Film by Katharine Coldiron Anti-Masterpieces by Will Ross After Last Season (Film Formally Podcast) Street Fighter: The Movie (The Hit Factory Podcast feat. Devan Scott)

Ursinus College professor Jennifer Fleeger joins us to discuss THE LOVE PARADE. In this episode, we cover the operetta form, the divergent singing styles of Jeanette Macdonald and Maurice Chevalier, how those styles interact with the recording technology of the time, as well as this film's fascinating and sometimes uneasy ways of dealing with both class and gender roles. Edited by Griffin Sheel. NEXT WEEK: Katharine Coldiron joins us to discuss MONTE CARLO. For details as to where to find this film, check out our resources page. WORKS CITED: The MPAA Production Come Administration Records for THE LOVE PARADE courtesy of the Margaret Herrick Library Paris and the Musical: The City of Lights on Stage and Screen edited by Olaf Jubin Eclipse Series: Lubitsch Musicals essay on The Love Parade by Michael Koresky Pre-Code.com's list of Essential Pre-Code Hollywood Films Sound American by Jennifer Fleeger Mismatched Women: The Siren Song Through the Machine by Jennifer Fleeger Media Ventriloquism by Jennifer Fleeger

How Would Lubitsch Do It returns for a fourth season! It's an exciting time for Ernst Lubitsch and, therefore, the podcast: this season, we'll be covering the years between the introduction of synchronized sound in Hollywood and the establishment of the Production Code Administration in 1934. Ahead of us lie the years of Lubitsch's greatest influence in Hollywood: by the end of this season, he'll have gone from a prominent silent film director to being the first (and only!) director to have ever been given the reins of a major Hollywood studio. In between lie many of his greatest and most celebrated works. Aside from our film-by-film coverage of Lubitsch's work in this period, this season will feature a number of experts in the field of early sound cinema who have lent their time and knowledge so as to help paint a clearer picture of the evolving state of both technology and artistry in Hollywood cinema throughout this era. The first of these guests is Patrick Keating, professor of Communication at Trinity University and author of Hollywood Lighting from the Silent Era to Film Noir as well as The Dynamic Frame: Camera Movement in Classical Hollywood, among others. In this episode, Patrick and I discuss the history and ideology of early camera movement: why do directors choose to move, and how do they theorize the motivations behind this movement? We also discuss the dimensions of visible labor behind camera operation, the many differences between dollies, cranes, gimbals, and steadicams, aspect ratio shifts, and the many misconceptions floating around regarding early film camera movement. Edited by Griffin Sheel. NEXT WEEK: Ursinus College professor Jennifer Fleeger joins us to discuss THE LOVE PARADE. For details as to where to find this film, check out our resources page. WORKS CITED: Hollywood Lighting from the Silent Era to Film Noir by Patrick Keating The Dynamic Frame: Camera Movement in Classical Hollywood by Patrick Keating

In our Season 3 finale, returning guest Bram Ruiter joins us to discuss the final film Ernst Lubitsch ever directed that didn't involved on-set sound recording: ETERNAL LOVE! We discuss the film's unusual status as a hybrid silent/sound picture, the strange story of how this film was lost and then discovered, John Barrymore's dipsomaniacal tendencies, and the film's terrific ending amidst long tangents in which break down how, exactly, one might deign to fix this rickety screenplay. Edited by Will Ross. Thanks to the guests who lent their time and support to this season: Peter Labuza, Tim Brayton, Molly Rasberry, Sarah Shachat, James Penco, Will Ross, Dave Kehr, Julia Sirmons, David Neary, David Cairns, and Bram Ruiter. Our editors, Griffin Sheel, Gloria Mercer, and Will Ross, and our sound recordist, Anna Citak-Scott. And others who lent valuable counsel and support: William Paul, the MOMA, Jose Arroyo, Matt Severson, the Margaret Herrick Library, Dara Jaffe, Scott Eyman, Patrick Keating, Paul Cuff, and many others. We have a Discord! NEXT SEASON: We return on October 31st with Season 4, in which the movies begin to talk! Yes, we're entering the sound era as well as the height of Lubitsch's influence in Hollywood!

THE PATRIOT is a lost film. So, returning guest David Cairns joins us to pick up the pieces and discuss the film's, and Ernst Lubistsc's, connections to acclaimed studio rebel Josef Von Sternberg! We discuss THE SCARLET EMPRESS, THE LAST COMMAND, DISHONORED, THE DEVIL IS A WOMAN, BLONDE VENUS, SHANGHAI EXPRESS, and Sternberg's habit of burning every bridge available to him. Dialogue edit by Griffin Sheel. Introductory synopsis from the Paramount Press Book for THE PATRIOT as printed in LOST FILMS by Frank Thompson. NEXT WEEK: Returning guest Bram Ruiter joins us to discuss ETERNAL LOVE. For details as to where to find this film, check out our resources page. WORKS CITED: FUN IN A CHINESE LAUNDRY by Josef Von Sternberg LOST FILMS by Frank Thompson The Red, Gold, Sunset Sound Libraries at Archive.og

Whitney Museum digital asset manager and restorationist David Neary joins us to discuss THE STUDENT PRINCE IN OLD HEIDELBERG. We discuss all things film preservation, including photochemical and digital restoration processes, stochastic film restoration, the dangers and benefits of nitrate film stocks, and the morality of piracy. Recorded live in New York City by Anna Citak-Scott. Edited by Griffin Sheel. This episode is dedicated to Carl Davis (1936–2023). NEXT WEEK: Returning guest David Cairns joins us to discuss THE PATRIOT and the works of Josef von Sternberg. For details as to where to find this film, check out our resources page. WORKS CITED: FilmColors - Timeline of Historical Film Colors The Carl Davis Collection Photoplay Productions

Julia Sirmons joins us to discuss SO THIS IS PARIS, Lubitsch's 1926 sex farce and pseudo-remake of THE MERRY JAIL. We cover the ways that Lubitsch treats feminine desire and fantasies, the film's slightly tenuous connection to its titular location, the kaleidoscopic party scene, Lubitsch's minimal use of title cards, communication and miscommunication, the politics of truth and secrets, the unconventional cyclical structure of Lubitsch's comedies, and, most importantly of all, the messy-but-inevitable divorce of Ernst Lubitsch and Warner Brothers Pictures! Edited by Griffin Sheel. NEXT WEEK: David Neary joins us to discuss THE STUDENT PRINCE IN OLD HEIDELBERG. For details as to where to find this film, check out our resources page. WORKS CITED: Film Formally S1E10: Pre-Code Montage with Peter Labuza Classic Corner: Design for Living

Legendary critic and Museum of Modern Art film curator Dave Kehr joins us to discuss LADY WINDERMERE'S FAN and the MOMA's restorations of it and three more of this season's films*. We discuss all the elements of the restoration process: scans, tinting, scoring, digital trickery, distribution, and even thievery. To request films such as LADY WINDERMERE'S FAN for theatrical screenings, you can request a loan directly from the MOMA's Celeste Bartos Film Preservation Center. *ROSITA (S3E01), THE MARRIAGE CIRCLE (S3E02), and FORBIDDEN PARADISE (S3E04). NEXT WEEK: Julia Sirmons joins us to discuss SO THIS IS PARIS. For details as to where to find this film, check out our resources page. WORKS CITED: Dave Kehr's essay about LADY WINDERMERE'S FAN for the SF Silent Film Festival.

Returning guest Will Ross joins us to discuss FORBIDDEN PARADISE. We cover Lubitsch's use of blocking, cutting, and production design for thematic purposes, anachronistic automobiles, slanderous Catharine the Great biopics, the film's abstract politics, frivolous revolutionaries, the psychological effects of intercutting tints, MOMA's intensive restoration of the film, and ethics in film preservation. Come join our Discord! NEXT WEEK: Museum of Modern Art film curator Dave Kehr joins us to discuss LADY WINDERMERE'S FAN. For details as to where to find this film, check out our resources page. WORKS CITED: Dave Kehr's writeup on FORBIDDEN PARADISE. Dave Kehr's introduction to a screening of FORBIDDEN PARADISE.

James Penco joins us to discuss THREE WOMEN, Lubitsch's 1924 melodramedy*. We discuss Lubitsch's use of objects as a proxy for characters, the film's sometimes-baffling tonal decisions, the preservation state of Lubitsch's American silents, the wisdom of “Three Women” as a title, and the undeniable talents of Sissy Spacek and Shelley Duvall. *To coin a phrase. Come join our Discord! NEXT WEEK: Returning guest Will Ross joins us to discuss FORBIDDEN PARADISE. For details as to where to find this film, check out our resources page.

Sarah Shachat joins us on-location in New York City to discuss THE MARRIAGE CIRCLE.. We mull over the evolution this film represents in Lubitsch's tone, the strange pairing of Ernst Lubitsch and the Warner Brothers, the luminous Adolphe Menjou, Lubitsch's bewilderingly advantageous contractual terms, his filmmaking philosophy circa the mid 1920s, the art of splitting couples up at parties, and, of course, Harry The Cameraman's unbelievable story about nickels and bodily organs. Come join our Discord! NEXT WEEK: James Penco joins us to discuss THREE WOMEN. For details as to where to find this film, check out our resources page.

Margaret "Molly" Rasberry joins us to for a special side episode Charlie Chaplin's A WOMAN OF PARIS: A DRAMA OF FATE, a key influence on Ernst Lubitsch going forward. We discuss Chaplin's political leanings, the luminous Adolphe Menjou, the stories of the women who inspired the film, the impact it had on Lubitsch's career, the evolution of film acting techniques, and the joy in pre-code conduct. Come join our Discord! NEXT WEEK: Sarah Shachat joins us to discuss THE MARRIAGE CIRCLE. For details as to where to find this film, check out our resources page.

Critic and friend of the show Tim Brayton returns to discuss Lubitsch's first American silent film, ROSITA. We discuss Lubitsch's artistic evolution upon leaving Berlin and entering Hollywood, his struggles with Merry Pickford, the film's recent MOMA restoration, Lubitsch's newfound mastery of tone, this film's status as a ‘transitional work', the typical Hollywood artistic and industrial processes circa 1923, Lubitsch's career goals, and historical determinism. Come join our Discord! NEXT WEEK: Margaret "Molly" Rasberry joins us to discuss Charlie Chaplin's A WOMAN OF PARIS. For details as to where to find this film, check out our resources page.

We're back, and Ernst Lubitsch is now in Hollywood! It's been an exciting time for the podcast: we've traveled around the world or, more specifically, to Los Angeles and New York City, to record the next few seasons. We begin at the Margaret Herrick Library at Beverly Hills, in conversation with Peter Labuza as we discuss the history of early Hollywood, wherein Ernst Lubitsch is about to begin the second phase of his career. In this episode, we cover the landscape and economics of the studio system circa the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s including studios such as MGM, 20th Century, Universal, Paramount, and RKO, the interplay between capital and labor in this industry, the impact of synchronized sound, the great depression, the Hays code, JEWEL ROBBERY, and much more! Anna Citak-Scott was our recording engineer for this episode. Thanks to Matt Severson and the Margaret Herrick Library for letting us record in the Karl Malden room. We have a Discord! NEXT WEEK: Critic and friend of the show Tim Brayton returns to discuss Lubitsch's first American silent film, ROSITA. For details as to where to find this film, check out our resources page. WORKS CITED: Hard, Fast, and Brokerage: Irving H. Levin, the Filmmakers, and the Birth of Conglomerate in Hollywood by Peter Labuza For The Maintenance of the System: Institutional and Cultural Change within the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America, 1922-1945 by Paul MacLusky Moticone The Classical Hollywood Cinema: Film Style and Mode of Production to 1960 by Bordwell, Thompson, and Staiger. Making Cinelandia: American Films and Mexican Film Culture by Laura Isabel Serna An Empire of Their Own by Niel Gabler Film Rhythm after Sound by Lea Jacobs Working in Hollywood by Ronnie Regev YOU MUST REMEMBER THIS: KAY FRANCIS