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"Ernst Lubitsch's sophisticated, elegant, and stylish films of the 1930s and 1940s are often credited with creating the genre of the classic Hollywood romantic comedy. Famed for the "Lubitsch touch" and his distinct comedic style particularly when it came to romance and sex and American hypocrisy around them. Lubitsch's films influenced and won the admiration of his fellow directors, including Welles, Hitchcock, and most notably Billy Wilder. And, while he is now best known as the director of such films as Ninotchka, The Shop Around the Corner, and To Be or Not To Be, much of his work and his name is less well known. In this book, Joseph McBride, the author of best-selling biographies of Steven Spielberg and Frank Capra, reconsiders Lubitsch's place in film history and reminds us of the genius of and the many pleasures of his film. In How Did Lubitsch Do It? (the title is a play on a sign that was in Billy Wilder's office) McBride examines all of Lubitsch's films beginning with his work in Germany where he became known as "The D.W. Griffith of Europe" for his historical epics as well as being celebrated for his comedies. McBride then considers Lubitsch's work in Hollywood and how his films reflected his amused indulgence of human behavior and a celebration of un-American virtues such as the joys of adultery and serial philandering while depicting marriage in a more realistic way. McBride's discussions of Lubitsch's films answer the question asked in the book's title to explain "The Lubitsch Touch" and the endlessly inventive and fresh ways the director found of telling stories, as well as his distinctive style, his handling of character, and his ability to strike the right tone in his films"--
Introduction: "How did Lubitsch do it?" -- "Herr Ernst Lubitsch" -- "Who is Ernst Lubitsch?" -- The "Berlin style" in Hollywood -- Tin cans in a warehouse? -- "Give me a moment, please" -- "In times like these ..." -- Master of the ineffable -- The aging master -- The door closes -- Epilogue: the importance of being Ernst.
Includes bibliographical references and index.