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.
The film tells the story of Ossi Quaker, the spoiled daughter of an American oyster king, who dreams of marrying a real-life prince. Her father, eager to please her, arranges for her to meet Prince Nucki, an impoverished German nobleman. However, Nucki is wary of Ossi's wealth and sends his friend Josef, a commoner, to pose as the prince in order to assess the situation.
Josef, attracted to Ossi's beauty and wealth, falls in love with her and pretends to be the prince. However, his charade is soon exposed when Ossi's father discovers that Josef is not a real prince. Despite this, Ossi and Josef declare their love for each other, and the film ends with them happily married.
The Oyster Princess is a satirical comedy that pokes fun at the pretensions of the wealthy and the foolishness of social climbing. Lubitsch's direction is deft and witty, and the film is full of clever sight gags and sparkling dialogue. Oswalda is delightful as the spoiled Ossi, and Liedtke and Falkenstein are equally good as the two.
Lubitsch also emulates Griffith in the unfortunate custom of using white actors in blackface.
Films by German directors are an important part of post World War One German Culture, from the groundbreaking silent classics of the Weimar Republic to the movies of Leni Reisenthal in celebration of Nazi rule, beloved by Goebels, to modern Oscar winners, I am pleased to see German Literature Month XIII now welcomes posts on Films by German Directors
This is a post for German Literature Month XIII 2023 November 1 to December 7
German Literature Month is hosted by Lizzy’s Literary Life
https://lizzysiddal2.wordpress.com/2023/09/22/announcing-german-literature-month-xiii/
1 comment:
An oyster king: that's a new concept for me!
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