If you’re interested in watching a semi-illustrated version of the intro to S3E08, look no further! Here’s our dramatic reading of the press book’s synopsis of the lost 1928 film THE PATRIOT, illustrated by sound effects from the Sunset Editorial collection libraries from the USC Cinema, alongside the trailer. Until someone attempts some sort of reconstruction, it’s the fullest picture one might get of what the film might have looked like.
THE PATRIOT is a lost film. So, we begin with a dramatic reading of the only surviving synopsis of the film before returning guest David Cairns joins us to pick up the pieces and discuss the film’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
THE PATRIOT (Trailer)
PARAMOUNT ON PARADE
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:
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:
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).
Recorded at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City by Anna Citak-Scott.
Edited by Gloria Mercer.
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 Willa 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.
Edited by Willa Ross.
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.
Edited by Griffin Sheel.
Come join our Discord!
FURTHER READING:
Anthony Slide’s commentary on the Kino-Lorber release of THREE WOMEN.
NEXT WEEK:
Returning guest Willa 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.
Recorded in New York City by Anna Citak-Scott.
Edited by Gloria Mercer.
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 on 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 of pre-code conduct.
Edited by Willa Ross.
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 Mary 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.
Edited by Griffin Sheel.
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.
WORKS CITED:
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
OTHER RESOURCES:
J. J. DiUbaldi’s Timeline of American Studios and The Hollywood Production Code
It’s coming! Join as we explore Ernst Lubitsch's late silent work as he leaves Germany and heads for Hollywood. Season 3 begins with a discussion with returning guest Peter Labuza about early Hollywood history before we begin tackling Lubisch’s American silent films, beginning with ROSITA (1923.)
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 speculative tinting. We also discuss the state of the German and American film industries circa 1923, Lubitsch’s decision to leave for America, his German identity, and the fates of many of Lubitsch’s German collaborators.
Gloria Mercer was our dialogue editor for this episode.
Thanks to the guests who lent their time and support to this season: Luci Marzola, Jaime Rebanal, Tim Brayton, David Cairns, Maddie Whittle, Paul Cuff, Bram Ruiter, Willa Ross, Kristin Thompson, and Stefan Drössler.
Our editors, Griffin Sheel and Gloria Mercer.
And others who lent valuable counsel and support: Anna Citak-Scott, Dave Kehr and the MOMA, David Cairns, Jose Arroyo, Matt Severson and the Margaret Herrick Library, and many others.
We have a Discord!
NEXT WEEK:
That brings us to the end of Lubitsch’s Berlin period and, thusly, the end of season 2! Join us in July when we return for our third season in which we cover Lubitsch’s American silent period.
WORKS CITED:
FILM HISTORY: THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNEY Vol. 21 No. 3: Ernst Lubitsch and EFA by Stefan Drössler
THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER Trailer
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 films and vice versa.
Griffin Sheel was our dialogue editor for this episode.
NEXT WEEK:
Munich Film Museum director Stefan Drössler joins us to discuss THE FLAME.
WORKS CITED:
HERR LUBITSCH GOES TO HOLLYWOOD by Kristin Thompson
Paul Cuff’s Entry on THE LOVES OF THE PHARAOH on his website ‘The Realm of Silence’.
Willa 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, the film’s ridiculous production design.
Griffin Sheel was our dialogue editor for this episode.
NEXT WEEK:
Legendary film scholar and egyptologist Kristin Thompson joins us to discuss THE LOVES OF THE PHARAOH.
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 Willa Ross rejoin us to discuss Lubitsch’s 1921 expressionist comic extravaganza, THE WILDCAT.
WORKS CITED:
A REVOLUTION FOR THE SCREEN: ABEL GANCE’S NAPOLEON by Paul Cuff
Paul Cuff’s Commentary on the BFI Napoleon Blu-Ray
NAPOLEON by Kevin Brownlow
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 other epics.
Gloria Mercer was our dialogue editor for this episode.
NEXT WEEK:
After recording this episode, Paul and I discussed a certain other silent historical epic for long enough to warrant a whole bonus episode. So, we’re taking a break from Lubitsch for a week to talk NAPOLEON VU PAR ABEL GANCE (1927). What a curveball!
WORKS CITED:
Paul’s Entry on ANNA BOLEYN on his website “The Realm of Silence’.
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/aZd2zeYk58
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 episode.
NEXT WEEK:
We discuss SUMURUN.
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 past the sensors, Henny Porten’s wonderful performances, Emil Jannings’ lack of sex appeal, Fritz Lang’s flight from the Nazis, and the ways in which this film points (or doesn’t) to Lubitsch’s future tendencies.
Gloria Mercer was our dialogue editor for this episode.
NEXT WEEK:
Maddie Whittle joins us to discuss Lubitsch’s other 1920 travesty on a Shakespeare play, ROMEO AND JULIETTE IN THE SNOW!
WORKS CITED:
EUREKA MADAME DUBARRY BLU-RAY LINER NOTES - David Cairns