How Did Lubitsch Do It?

by Joseph McBride

Orson Welles called Ernst Lubitsch (1892–1947) “a giant” whose “talent and originality are stupefying.” Jean Renoir said, “He invented the modern Hollywood.” Celebrated for his distinct style and credited with inventing the classic genre of the Hollywood romantic comedy and helping to create the musical, Lubitsch won the admiration of his fellow directors, including Alfred Hitchcock and Billy Wilder, whose office featured a sign on the wall asking, “How would Lubitsch do it?” Despite the high esteem in which Lubitsch is held, as well as his unique status as a leading filmmaker in both Germany and the United States, today he seldom receives the critical attention accorded other major directors of his era.How Did Lubitsch Do It? restores Lubitsch to his former stature in the world of cinema. Joseph McBride analyzes Lubitsch’s films in rich detail in the first in-depth critical study to consider the full scope of his work and its evolution in both his native and adopted lands. McBride explains the “Lubitsch Touch” and shows how the director challenged American attitudes toward romance and sex. Expressed obliquely, through sly innuendo, Lubitsch’s risqué, sophisticated, continental humor engaged the viewer’s intelligence while circumventing the strictures of censorship in such masterworks as The Marriage Circle, Trouble in Paradise, Design for Living, Ninotchka, The Shop Around the Corner, and To Be or Not to Be. McBride’s analysis of these films brings to life Lubitsch’s wit and inventiveness and offers revealing insights into his working methods.

Genres: Film, Nonfiction, Media Tie In, Biography

563 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2018

Reviews

[Mark Schoen · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Lubitsch could do more with a closed door than other directors could do with an open fly." - Billy Wilder

Loved learning more about Trouble in Paradise, The Shop Around the Corner, and To Be or Not to Be. Lubitsch is a national treasure.

[Justin K. Rivers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book, deeply insightful. I could read McBride all day.

[Michael Samerdyke · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was surprised that McBride wrote about Lubitsch, who seemed mostly outside the era McBride has written about.

Sadly, I found this book a let-down.

The book never seems to settle in, at least not until very late, say around "Ninotchka" in 1939. McBride doesn't seem at home in the German films or the silent films. When McBride quotes Andrew Sarris or James Harvey on Lubitsch, it is just far more incisive and energetic than the rest of the book.

Books on Lubitsch are rare these days, but this one only sporadically comes to life.

[Nog · Rating 4 out of 5]

If this isn't the key guide to Lubitsch, then I don't know what is. I was surprised how much I agreed with McBride on which were his best films and which were the worst. A lot of biographiical detail is included, mainly for us to understand what themes interested Lubitsch.

[David Gordon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Lubitsch and this was pretty interesting. I did feel like it could’ve been a little shorter (or been a little more in depth for its length) and I didn’t always agree with all of McBride’s takes, but I enjoyed reading it. I hope Lubitsch becomes more acclaimed and well known. We are sorely lacking in his sort of romantic comedy today.

I found it interesting to learn that his wife cheated on him (which understandably made him furious) and yet he continued to make movies uncommonly permissive towards infidelity. I don’t think he was as permissive as McBride does though. There’s a real melancholy in the way people just want their inner desires met but hurt the ones they love in order to do so.

Anyway if you like Lubitsch I recommend this book, and I very very much recommend “Freundschaft,” the eulogy written by his frequent collaborator Samson Raphaelson. It’s incredible.