Available on YouTube
Ernst lubitsch
Born: January 29, 1892, Berlin, Germany - produces 65 silent films before moving to America
1922 Moves to Hollywood- Warner Pictures Signed him to a three year six picture contract
Died: November 30, 1947, Los Angeles, California, United States
Lubitsch directed two of my favourite movies, Ninotchka and To Be or Not to Be.
"Only Negri—very beautiful—and the majestic Paul Wegener, with his riveting Tartar features, manage to make any impression at all. As with the fling with Egyptiania represented by The Eyes of the Mummy Ma, an Arabian Nights setting is simply not Lubitsch material. Except for a few moments—eunuchs sitting in a geometrically perfect row formation—the film is bereft of the director’s typical playfulness; at this still-developing stage of his career, he lacks the flair needed to integrate a dramatic narrative with such a frankly fanciful, fairy-tale environment.' From Ernst Lubitsch Laughter in Paradise by Scott Eyman
I imagine Edward Said would find Sumurun an example of "orientalism".
Sumurun is a lavish and exotic tale of love, betrayal, and revenge set in the Arabian desert.
Sumurun tells the story of a beautiful slave girl who falls in love with a cloth merchant. However, the jealous hunchback Yeggar (played by Lubitsch himself) also desires her and makes things difficult for the couple.
The film is based on a pantomime by Friedrich Freksa and was highly praised by critics in Germany. It was described as a "cinematic journey into a universe of emotions and passions of great intensity and utter perfection, with a remarkable Ernst Lubitsch in one of the main roles."
This must have been such a feat in its day, with a desert setting!
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