HOW WOULD LUBITSCH DO IT? is a journey through the life and works of Ernst Lubitsch in chronological order, one film at a time. In this limited podcast series, host Devan Scott will facilitate a series of discussions about all 43 of Ernst Lubitsch’s surviving films, from Wo ist mein Schatz to Cluny Brown. Each episode will consist of a mix of historical background and a discussion with a rotating slate of guests - critics, academics, and filmmakers - about one of Lubitsch’s films.
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HOW WOULD LUBITSCH DO IT? is a journey through the life and works of Ernst Lubitsch in chronological order, one film at a time. In this limited podcast series, host Devan Scott will facilitate a series of discussions about all 43 of Ernst Lubitsch’s surviving films, from Wo ist mein Schatz to Cluny Brown. Each episode will consist of a mix of historical background and a discussion with a rotating slate of guests - critics, academics, and filmmakers - about one of Lubitsch’s films.
S5E05.75 - Ernst Lubitsch's American Comedy with William Paul
How Would Lubitsch Do It?
2 hours 39 minutes 53 seconds
1 year ago
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 “passing”, and engage in some record-correction as to whether or not the film was as controversial as is widely believed.
Edited by Brennen King and Eden Cote-Foster.
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Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify
NEXT WEEK:
Dara and Ryan Jaffe join us for the first of two discussions on To Be Or Not To Be For information as to where to find this film, check out our resources page.
WORKS CITED:
Ernst Lubitsch’s American Comedy by William Paul
How Would Lubitsch Do It?
HOW WOULD LUBITSCH DO IT? is a journey through the life and works of Ernst Lubitsch in chronological order, one film at a time. In this limited podcast series, host Devan Scott will facilitate a series of discussions about all 43 of Ernst Lubitsch’s surviving films, from Wo ist mein Schatz to Cluny Brown. Each episode will consist of a mix of historical background and a discussion with a rotating slate of guests - critics, academics, and filmmakers - about one of Lubitsch’s films.
