• How Would Lubitsch Do It Season 1 Episode 0 - A History of Modern with Lauren Faulkner Rossi.

• How Would Lubitsch Do It S1E01 - When I Was Dead aka Where Is My Treasure / Willa Ross

• We begin at a film that doesn’t actually represent much of a beginning: Lubitsch’s first shorts remain lost, which leaves us with WHEN I WAS DEAD, also known as WHERE IS MY TREASURE. Film Formally co-host Willa Ross s us as we discuss Lubitsch’s early life, the state of film comedy circa 1916, “door stuff”, tinting in silent films, 3-D, and more.

• How Would Lubitsch Do It S1E02 - Shoe Palace Pinkus with Dara Jaffe

• Our journey through Lubitsch’s catalogue continues with SHOE PALACE PINKUS, a short comedy about Sally Pinkus (Lubitsch), a gregarious footwear entrepreneur. Academy Museum of Motion Pictures Assistant Curator Dara Jaffe s us to discuss the controversy that surrounds the character of Sally Pinkus and Jewish representation, margins of safety in comedy, the influence of Ernst’s father on his work, Ernst’s skills as an onscreen comic actor, and much more.

How Would Lubitsch Do It? S1E03: The Merry Jail [1917] with Matt Severson

Margaret Herrick Library Director Matt Severson s us to discuss THE MERRY JAIL, Lubitsch’s first operetta adaptation. It’s a big step forward towards the recognizable comedy of manners that would become Lubitsch’s trademark, and a great jumping off point to discuss the beginnings of his stylistic trademarks.

How Would Lubitsch Do It S1E04 - I Don't Want To Be a Man with Peter Labuza

International Cinematographer’s Guild Researcher, academic, and former guest Peter Labuza s us to discuss I DON’T WANT TO BE A MAN, Lubitsch’s 1918 gender-defying farce featuring the great Ossi Oswalda as a young woman who decides to spend a day as a man. Hijinks, transgressions, public drunkenness, and romance ensue!

• How Would Lubitsch Do It S1E05: The Eyes of the Mummy Ma [1918] with Tim Brayton

Film critic, podcaster, PHD candidate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and former guest Tim Brayton s us to discuss THE EYES OF THE MUMMY MA, Lubitsch’s oldest surviving drama. In this episode, we discuss the momentous arrival of Emil Jannings and Pola Negri to the stock company, the rather troubling orientalist aspects of the film, and the ethics and economics of film preservation.

• How Would Lubitsch Do It S1E06: Carmen [1918] with Jose Arroyo

Warwick University associate professor Jose Arroyo s us to discuss Lubitsch’s 1918 adaptation of Prosper Mérimée’s CARMEN. A drastic scaling-up in production scale and ambition, the film serves as a jumping-off point for our discussions about the source material, Lubitsch’s growing stature in German cinema, the American rerelease of the film, Pola Negri’s movie star charisma, Lubitsch’s sense of morality, and much more!

• How Would Lubitsch Do S1E07 - Meyer From Berlin [1919] with Fran Hoepfner

• Writer and critic Fran Hoepfner s us to discuss MEYER FROM BERLIN, Ernst Lubitsch’s only certified Adam Sandler-style vacation comedy. This lightweight comedy of class is a jumping-off point for discussions about silent film form, comedic modes and traditions, the nature of hotels, and our ability to enjoy flawed works from a century ago.

How Would Lubitsch Do It S1E08 - The Oyster Princess with Bram Ruiter

• Season One draws to a close in maximalist style as experimental filmmaker Bram Ruiter us for a particularly exuberant episode in which we discuss Lubitsch’s grand Ruritanian comic epic THE OYSTER PRINCESS. Our discussion is wide-ranging and a little giddy due to our excitement at discussing such a thrilling and hilarious mini-epic, so prepare for a slightly looser episode than usual! Lubitsch’s growth as an artist, Ossi Oswalda’s indomitability, and a self-indulgent digression about Berlin’s film museum are all on the table.

Immense thanks to everyone that made this season possible:

All of our guests: Lauren Faulker Rossi, Willa Ross, Dara Jaffe, Matt Severson, Peter Labuza, Tim Brayton, Jose Arroyo, Fran Hoepfner, and Bram Ruiter.

Everyone who provided invaluable content, helped find guests, or otherwise graciously lent their valuable counsel and : Anna Citak-Scott, Dave Kehr, David Cairns, Kristin Thompson, Paul Cuff, Luci Marzola, Stefan Drössler, the MOMA, all of our soon-to-be-announced future guests, and many others.

And, of course, to anyone who’s listened to our show and is reading this right now: thanks for surviving the most comically esoteric season of film podcasts imaginable.

How Would Lubitsch Do It S1E00 - Early Film Lighting with Luci Marzola

• How Would Lubitsch Do It S2E01 - MADAME DUBARRY with Jaime Rebanal

• Critic Jaime Rebanal s us to discuss MADAME DUBARRY, Lubitsch’s highly celebrated international breakthrough. What are we to make of it aesthetically circa 2023? How do we interface with 104-year-old blockbusters? Are biopics inherently broken? Who is Emil Subich? We cover all this and more, plus John Ford!

• How Would Lubitsch Do it S2E02 - The Doll [1919] with Tim Brayton

• Critic and friend of the show Tim Brayton returns to discuss Lubitsch’s lo-fi comic masterpiece THE DOLL. Much enthusiasm for this completely iconoclastic curio of a film is shared as we discuss the nature of artifice, history’s least-convincing fake horses, the mysterious circumstances under which this film’s release was botched, Lubitsch’s not-all-that-scathing satire of organized religion, and unacceptably bad silent film scores.

• How Would Lubitsch Do it S2E03 - Kohlhiesel’s Daughters [1920] with David Cairns

• Filmmaker, critic, and academic David Cairns s 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.

• How Would Lubitsch Do it S2E04 - Romeo and Juliet in the Snow [1920] with Maddie Whittle

• Film writer and programmer Maddie Whittle s us to discuss ROMEO AND JULIETT 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.

• How Would Lubitsch Do it S2E05- This is Not a Sumurun [1920] Episode

• Instead of discussing SUMURUN, I discuss the podcast and answer some of your questions.

• How Would Lubitsch Do it S2E06- Anna Boleyn [1920] with Paul Cuff

• Film academic Paul Cuff s 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.

Plus: a surprise announcement for next week's episode...

How Would Lubitsch Do It S2E06.5 - Napoléon vu par Abel Gance [1927] with Paul Cuff

• 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.

• How Would Lubitsch Do it S2E07 - The Wildcat [1921] with Bram Ruiter and Willa Ross

• Willa Ross and Bram Ruiter re 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, and the film’s ridiculous production design.

• How Would Lubitsch Do it S2E08 - The Loves of the Pharaoh [1922] with Kristin Thompson

• Film academic, Egyptologist, all-around legend Kristin Thompson s 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.

• How Would Lubitsch Do it S2E09 - The Flame [1923] with Stefan Drössler

• 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.

• How Would Lubitsch Do It S3E00 - A History of Early Hollywood with Peter Labuza

• 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.

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.

How Would Lubitsch Do It S3E01 - Rosita [1923] with Tim Brayton

• 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.

• Be sure to watch Dave Kehr's fantastic video essay on the film.

How Would Lubitsch Do It S3E01.5 - Charlie Chaplin's 'A Woman of Paris' [1923] with Margaret “Molly” Rasberry

• Margaret "Molly" Rasberry s 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.

How Would Lubitsch Do It S3E02 - The Marriage Circle [1924] with Sarah Shachat

• Sarah Shachat s 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 , 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.

• How Would Lubitsch Do It S3E03 - Three Women with James Penco

• James Penco s 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.

How Would Lubitsch Do It S3E04 - S3E04 - Forbidden Paradise (1924) with Willa Ross

• Returning guest Willa Ross s 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.

• How Would Lubitsch Do It S3E05 - Lady Windermere's Fan (1925) with Dave Kehr

• Critic and Museum of Modern Art film curator Dave Kehr s 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.

How Would Lubitsch Do It S3E06 - So This is Paris (1926) with Julia Sirmons

• Julia Sirmons s 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.

• How Would Lubitsch Do It S3E07 - The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg (1927) with David Neary

Whitney Museum digital asset manager and restorationist David Neary s 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).

How Would Lubitsch Do It S3E08 - The Patriot (1928) and the works of Josef von Sternberg with David Cairns

● 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 s 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.

How Would Lubitsch Do It S3E09 - Eternal Love (1929) with Bram Ruiter

• In our Season 3 finale, returning guest Bram Ruiter s 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.

Thanks to the guests who lent their time and to this season: Peter Labuza, Tim Brayton, Molly Rasberry, Sarah Shachat, James Penco, Willa Ross, Dave Kehr, Julia Sirmons, David Neary, David Cairns, and Bram Ruiter.

Our editors, Griffin Sheel, Gloria Mercer, and Willa Ross, and our sound recordist, Anna Citak-Scott.

And others who lent valuable counsel and : 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!

S4E01 - The Love Parade [1929] with Jennifer Fleeger

• Ursinus College professor Jennifer Fleeger s 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.

How Would Lubitsch Do It S4E02 - Monte Carlo [1930] and Trash Cinema with Katharine Coldiron

• Katharine Coldiron, author of Junk Film: Why Bad Movies Matter, s 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.

How Would Lubitsch Do It S4E03 - The Smiling Lieutenant [1931] with Jonathan Mackris

• USC Berkeley PHD student Jonathan Mackris s 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.

How Would Lubitsch Do It S4E04 - The Man I Killed aka Broken Lullaby [1932] with Will Sloan

• Film writer and podcaster Will Sloan s 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.

How Would Lubitsch Do It S4E05 - One Hour with You [1932] with Matt Severson

• 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 MARRIAGE 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!

• Check out our extensive shownotes, which feature production stills, MPAA Production Code Office notes, and stills from. a reconstruction of the rare tinted version.

How Would Lubitsch Do It S4E05.5 - Love Me Tonight [1932] and Rhythm in Early Sound Film with Lea Jacobs

• University of Wisconsin-Madison Professor Emerita Lea Jacobs s us for a discussion of film rhythm in the early sound era. We cover 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.

• Check out our extensive shownotes, which feature visual references for our discussion!

S4E06a - Larceny in 1932: Trouble in Paradise and Jewel Robbery with Tanya Goldman

• In the first of three episodes on TROUBLE IN PARADISE, Tanya Goldman s 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!

S4E06b - Trouble in Paradise [1932] with Willa Ross

S4E06c - Trouble in Paradise [1932] with Krin Gabbard

S4E07 - If I Had a Million (The Clerk) [1932] with Bram Ruiter

• 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.

How Would Lubitsch Do It S4E08a - Design for Living [1933] with Molly Rasberry

How Would Lubitsch Do It S4E08b - Design for Living [1933] with Jordan Fish, Ray Tintori, and Z Behl

How Would Lubitsch Do It S4E09a - The Merry Widow [1934] and Sound Recording Technology with Eric Dienstfrey

How Would Lubitsch Do It S4E09b - The Merry Widow [1934] with Tim Brayton

How Would Lubitsch Do It S5E00 - 'Laughter in Paradise' with Scott Eyman

How Would Lubitsch Do It S5E0.5 - Desire [1936] with Imogen Sara Smith

S5E01 - Angel [1937] with Chris Cassingham

• Film programmer and curator Chris Cassingham s 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, Marlene Dietrich’s persona, and our feminist readings of the text.

S5E02 - Bluebeard's Eighth Wife [1938] with Olympia Kiriakou

• Film historian and podcast host Dr. Olympia Kiriakou s 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!

S5E03a - Ninotchka [1939] with Griffin Newman

S5E03b - Charles Brackett, Billy Wilder, & Ninotchka [1939] with Donald Brackett

S5E04a - The Shop Around the Corner [1940] with Kevin Bahr

S5E04b - The Shop Around the Corner [1940] with Whit Stillman and Jose Arroyo

S5E04c - The Shop Around the Corner [1940] with Adrian Martin

S5E04.5 - Jack Benny is Not Appearing on This Show [1940]

• 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.

S5E05 - That Uncertain Feeling [1941] and Comedic Theory with Lance St. Laurent

• UW-Madison PHD Candidate Lance St. Laurent s us to discuss THAT UNCERTAIN FEELING, as well as some comedic theory. We discuss our mutual iration 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.

S5E05.5 - Preston Sturges and Sullivan’s Travels [1941] with Tim Brayton

• Tim Brayton returns to discuss noted Lubitsch fan and disciple Preston Sturges and his 1941 meta-comedy SULLIVAN’S TRAVELS. We cover Sturges’ immense iration 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 com, the value of communal viewings to comedic cinema, and much more.

S5E05.75 - Ernst Lubitsch's American Comedy with William Paul

• 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 “ing”, and engage in some record-correction as to whether or not the film was as controversial as is widely believed.

S5E06a - To Be Or Not To Be [1942] with Dara and Gary Jaffe

S5E06b - To Be Or Not To Be [1942] with Peter Labuza

S5E07 - Heaven Can Wait [1943] with Willa Harlow Ross

• Willa Harlow 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.

S5E07.5 - Otto Preminger's Laura [1944] with Eloise Ross

• Writer and film historian Eloise Ross s 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.

S5E08 - Dragonwyck, A Royal Scandal, That Lady In Ermine, and the Death of Ernst Lubitsch with David Cairns

S5E08.25 - Freundschaft by Samson Raphaelson

S5E8.5- Billy Wilder's One, Two, Three [1961] with Noah Isenberg

• Author Noah Isenberg s us to discuss Lubitsch mentee 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 . 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.

S5E8.75 - Wes Anderson and The Grand Budapest Hotel [2014] with Matt Severson

• 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.

S5E09a - Lubitsch and Poland with Mateusz Pacewicz [Feat. David Neary]

• Screenwriter Mateusz Pacewicz (Corpus Christi, The Hater) s 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.

S5E09b - Cahiers du Cinéma deputy editor Charlotte Garson

• Cahiers du Cinéma deputy editor Charlotte Garson s 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.