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Ernst Lubitsch: Laughter in Paradise
This tribute to one of cinema's greatest artists by one of its greatest artists is unique testament to the respect in which Ernst Lubitsch was held by his contemporaries - a respect that continues to this day.
When movie buffs speak of "the Lubitsch touch," they refer to a sense of style and taste, humor and humanity, that defined the films of one of Hollywood's all-time great directors. In the history of the medium, no one has ever quite equaled his unique talent.
In this first ever full-length biography of Lubitsch, undeniably one of the most important and influential film directors and artists of all time, critic and biographer Scott Eyman examines not just the films Lubitsch created, but explores as well the life of the man, a life full of both great successes and overwhelming insecurities. The result is a fascinating look at a man and an era - Hollywood's Golden Age.
Born in Berlin and trained first in the German theater, Lubitsch made the transfer to film quickly, as well as his move from actor to director. Transported to Hollywood in the 1920s with the help of Mary Pickford, Lubitsch brought with him a level of sophistication and subtlety previously unknown to American movie audiences, especially when it involved the cinematic treatment of sex. In the world Lubitsch created by films such as Love Parade, Trouble in Paradise and The Merry Widow, sex was a given, an automatic part of the social contract, a game whose rules were understood by all parties. He immediately made his mark on the fledgling industry and was quickly established as a director of unique quality and distinction.
Lubitsch's accomplishments as a filmmaker were many and
In films such as The Merry Widow he virtually created the movie musical, and in the process greatly helped to establish the careers of Jeanette MacDonald and Maurice Chevalier.
In wickedly sophisticated films such as Trouble in Paradise and Design for Living, Lubitsch enchanted audiences with his unique "touch," creating a world of fantasy in which men are tall and handsome (unlike Lubitsch himself) and humorously adept at getting women into bed, and where all the women are beautiful and charming and capable of giving as well as receiving love.
He revived the flagging career of Marlene Dietrich and, in Ninotchka, crafted Greta Garbo's most successful film.
He became the Production Head of Paramount Pictures, an accomplishment unique in an industry that traditionally preferred that the actual filmmakers have no say in running the business.
Written with the cooperation of an extraordinary ensemble of eyewitnesses, and unprecedented access to the files of Paramount Pictures, Ernst Laughter in Paradise is a biography as rich and diverse as its subject. The result is a book that is sure to please film buffs of all stripes and to especially delight the thousands who champion Lubitsch as the greatest filmmaker ever.
When movie buffs speak of "the Lubitsch touch," they refer to a sense of style and taste, humor and humanity, that defined the films of one of Hollywood's all-time great directors. In the history of the medium, no one has ever quite equaled his unique talent.
In this first ever full-length biography of Lubitsch, undeniably one of the most important and influential film directors and artists of all time, critic and biographer Scott Eyman examines not just the films Lubitsch created, but explores as well the life of the man, a life full of both great successes and overwhelming insecurities. The result is a fascinating look at a man and an era - Hollywood's Golden Age.
Born in Berlin and trained first in the German theater, Lubitsch made the transfer to film quickly, as well as his move from actor to director. Transported to Hollywood in the 1920s with the help of Mary Pickford, Lubitsch brought with him a level of sophistication and subtlety previously unknown to American movie audiences, especially when it involved the cinematic treatment of sex. In the world Lubitsch created by films such as Love Parade, Trouble in Paradise and The Merry Widow, sex was a given, an automatic part of the social contract, a game whose rules were understood by all parties. He immediately made his mark on the fledgling industry and was quickly established as a director of unique quality and distinction.
Lubitsch's accomplishments as a filmmaker were many and
In films such as The Merry Widow he virtually created the movie musical, and in the process greatly helped to establish the careers of Jeanette MacDonald and Maurice Chevalier.
In wickedly sophisticated films such as Trouble in Paradise and Design for Living, Lubitsch enchanted audiences with his unique "touch," creating a world of fantasy in which men are tall and handsome (unlike Lubitsch himself) and humorously adept at getting women into bed, and where all the women are beautiful and charming and capable of giving as well as receiving love.
He revived the flagging career of Marlene Dietrich and, in Ninotchka, crafted Greta Garbo's most successful film.
He became the Production Head of Paramount Pictures, an accomplishment unique in an industry that traditionally preferred that the actual filmmakers have no say in running the business.
Written with the cooperation of an extraordinary ensemble of eyewitnesses, and unprecedented access to the files of Paramount Pictures, Ernst Laughter in Paradise is a biography as rich and diverse as its subject. The result is a book that is sure to please film buffs of all stripes and to especially delight the thousands who champion Lubitsch as the greatest filmmaker ever.
416 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1993
14 people are currently reading
211 people want to read
About the author
Scott Eyman
27 books122 followersScott Eyman has authored 11 books, including, with Robert Wagner, the New York Times bestseller Pieces of My Heart.
Among his other books are "Lion of Hollywood: The Life and Legend of Louis B. Mayer," "Print the Legend: The Life and Times of John Ford," "Ernst Lubitsch: Laughter in Paradise," and "The Speed of Sound" (all Simon & Schuster) and "John Ford: The Searcher" for Taschen.
He has lectured extensively around the world, most frequently at the National Film Theater in London, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the Moscow Film Theater. He's done the commentary tracks for many DVD's, including "Trouble in Paradise," "My Darling Clementine," and Stagecoach.
Eyman has written for the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Chicago Tribune, as well as practically every film magazine extinct or still extant.
He's the literary critic for the Palm Beach Post; he and his wife Lynn live in Palm Beach.
Among his other books are "Lion of Hollywood: The Life and Legend of Louis B. Mayer," "Print the Legend: The Life and Times of John Ford," "Ernst Lubitsch: Laughter in Paradise," and "The Speed of Sound" (all Simon & Schuster) and "John Ford: The Searcher" for Taschen.
He has lectured extensively around the world, most frequently at the National Film Theater in London, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the Moscow Film Theater. He's done the commentary tracks for many DVD's, including "Trouble in Paradise," "My Darling Clementine," and Stagecoach.
Eyman has written for the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Chicago Tribune, as well as practically every film magazine extinct or still extant.
He's the literary critic for the Palm Beach Post; he and his wife Lynn live in Palm Beach.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
September 14, 2014
Scott Eyman is such a good Hollywood biographer. This is the third of his books I've read and I'd only ever seen one Lubitsch movie before I started it. That's a shameful thing admit in public. Didn't stop me wanting to know all about the man, however. A third of the way in and I made a sharp detour to view Trouble in Paradise. Eyman didn't fib. Binge viewing of Lubitsch shortly to follow. Great biog. Great gap in my film knowledge joyously filled.
March 19, 2014
This is a well written, interesting biography that not only tells Lubitsch's life from his childhood in Berlin and his professional start in the theater under Max Reinhardt to his last projects in Hollywood after WWII but also includes lots of information on filming techniques, from the silent movies to early musicals and talkies and Technicolor movies.
All of Lubitsch's movies are described in detail, from the origin of the script to casting decisions and reviews and the author includes enough of the director's private life to give a comprehensive picture of Ernst Lubitsch as a person without distracting from his work.
The only thing that bothered me was the fact that Eyman seems to dislike a lot of actors or at least to disregard their part in making Lubitsch's movies great. We learn a lot about the great writers, producers and friends that all supported the director but the actors are mostly described as bland, uninteresting, irritating, limited in range, in short, more of a hazard to the film than an asset (there are of course exceptions: Eyman really, really likes Jeanette MacDonald and Claudette Colbert. And he deservedly admires the cast of "To be or not to be".). I mean, what am I to make of the statement that all (yes, all!) of the British actors in Hollywood in the 1930s and '40s were bad or mediocre actors and only in demand because they could play Englishmen?
Recommended for anyone interested in early cinema in general and Lubitsch in particular.
All of Lubitsch's movies are described in detail, from the origin of the script to casting decisions and reviews and the author includes enough of the director's private life to give a comprehensive picture of Ernst Lubitsch as a person without distracting from his work.
The only thing that bothered me was the fact that Eyman seems to dislike a lot of actors or at least to disregard their part in making Lubitsch's movies great. We learn a lot about the great writers, producers and friends that all supported the director but the actors are mostly described as bland, uninteresting, irritating, limited in range, in short, more of a hazard to the film than an asset (there are of course exceptions: Eyman really, really likes Jeanette MacDonald and Claudette Colbert. And he deservedly admires the cast of "To be or not to be".). I mean, what am I to make of the statement that all (yes, all!) of the British actors in Hollywood in the 1930s and '40s were bad or mediocre actors and only in demand because they could play Englishmen?
Recommended for anyone interested in early cinema in general and Lubitsch in particular.
November 22, 2014
This biography of Ernst Lubitsch is highly detailed and fairly dry--at first I thought that it must be the only biography about the director, because it is not all that fabulous, but no, that is not the case. I think it would appeal to someone who was really into the nitty gritty details of who said what about whom when, what was written, and what were the monetary consequences of film decisions made. This book is excellent at that. What it is less successful at is telling the story of Lubitsch's life. It is just a series of facts strung together, rather than a story of a highly successful man's life and the legacy that he left behind. What motivated him? Why should we care? That is missing. What is here are a lot of fairly dry observations that string together chronologically and leave little in the way of interpretation.
September 7, 2008
Interesting book, I knew little to nothing about Lubitsch before reading it -- now I know more than I ever needed to know! Different insight as to early German cinema and 1920s and 30s Hollywood. His contributions to film are legend, and Eyman does a good job trying to explain what the "Lubitsch Touch" meant then and means now. I'll keep this one my bottom shelf -- I know I have it but may not reach for it on a regular basis.
August 11, 2011
Padded with pages which simply recap his films... this is a once over lightly of lubitsch's career by someone who has done a lot of research, but had no great insight into this director. What it really lacked was the voice of people who actually knew Lubitsch. It came to life only when Billy Wilder was quoted.
September 15, 2013
Really enjoyed this book. Did a good job of recapping his films and trying to explain "the Lubitsch touch." As a fan of really old movies, I thoroughly enjoy his and have several in my collection. It was interesting reading about how he made them. Quotes from folks who knew Lubitsch and worked with him added a lot.
April 23, 2008
Scott Eyman is one of the best film biographers writing today. Always entertaining and informative, I learn so much from his books and look forward to his next project.
December 17, 2011
A very complete biography, although maybe I bit too detailed. Very useful if you are writing a paper (like I was doing), but a little too dense otherwise. Still, I'd recommend it.
May 2, 2024
An excellent biography of one of the great Hollywood directors, Ernst Lubitsch.
Lubitsch’s family had a clothing business in Berlin, but he instead gravitated toward the theater, starting as a stage actor and then moving into the movie business as an actor, editor, and director. After making more than 50 silent films in Germany, Lubitsch came to America in 1923 and directed numerous classic movies over the next two decades, including To Be or Not To Be, Trouble in Paradise, The Shop Around the Corner, and Heaven Can Wait. At one point, he was king of the movie musical, making Maurice Chevalier a worldwide star. During the Great Depression, he briefly ran production for Paramount while the company transitioned out of bankruptcy. His movies were marketed as having "the Lubitsch touch," frequently described as a blend of wit, sophistication, and sexual innuendo, often achieving comedy through indirection.
Despite having a lengthy directing career, Lubitsch died in 1947 from a heart attack at the relatively young age of 55. Although I'm familiar with most of the movies mentioned above, this biography provides valuable insight into Lubitsch's other movies, a rich legacy to mine on streaming platforms.
The book pairs well with City of Nets by Otto Friedrich, which provides more cultural history of the European exile community in Hollywood in the Forties.
Lubitsch’s family had a clothing business in Berlin, but he instead gravitated toward the theater, starting as a stage actor and then moving into the movie business as an actor, editor, and director. After making more than 50 silent films in Germany, Lubitsch came to America in 1923 and directed numerous classic movies over the next two decades, including To Be or Not To Be, Trouble in Paradise, The Shop Around the Corner, and Heaven Can Wait. At one point, he was king of the movie musical, making Maurice Chevalier a worldwide star. During the Great Depression, he briefly ran production for Paramount while the company transitioned out of bankruptcy. His movies were marketed as having "the Lubitsch touch," frequently described as a blend of wit, sophistication, and sexual innuendo, often achieving comedy through indirection.
Despite having a lengthy directing career, Lubitsch died in 1947 from a heart attack at the relatively young age of 55. Although I'm familiar with most of the movies mentioned above, this biography provides valuable insight into Lubitsch's other movies, a rich legacy to mine on streaming platforms.
The book pairs well with City of Nets by Otto Friedrich, which provides more cultural history of the European exile community in Hollywood in the Forties.
April 16, 2020
The Lubitsch Touch. Most movie buffs have heard of it; now I know much more about the man behind it. This excellent biography delves into the movies and the man himself, from his early days as an actor to the great (and not so great) pictures he directed, with many other Hollywood anecdotes sprinkled in. My favorite quote about Lubitsch: "His life was an uninterrupted ribbon of film." A charming summary.
May 7, 2021
“他的人生就是一卷连绵不绝的胶片”。印象最深的是老刘对自己影片风格极强的控制力。一方面是他性格中的egoism使然，另一方面应该是他早期长期服务的制片厂（UFA、联美、华纳、派拉蒙）都相对尊重导演（又要骂MGM了是吗）。也正是这种把控让他能独立于旧坞流水线影片，形成独具风格的“刘别谦宇宙”，并让痴迷于旧世界秩序与美学的观众沉醉其中（比如我XD）。“致谢”中提到作者的朋友极力推荐他写刘别谦，因为“Lubitsch would be fun”。确实如此。他是天真质朴的孩童，亦是玩弄禁忌的大师。这两种属性一并融入他所创造的角色：自由、率性、纯粹，只为寻找生活中的“乐趣”，无视一切保守的“道德准则”。“只有刘别谦可以写出‘刘别谦之触’”，因为除了刘别谦，再也没有人可以打造出如此精妙华美的电影幻梦
Read
June 8, 2023As good a film biography as you're gonna get. Eyman is as willing to cite contemporaneous gossip columns as he is to dive deep into film theory, while making those transitions flawless. If you love Lubitsch and his films read this book.
Want to read
November 4, 2021Author Scott Eyman will be doing a book signing at the Columbus Moving Picture Show in Columbus, Ohio in May 2022.
December 20, 2022
Eyman ofrece muchas claves de los años 30 y el sistema de estudios en su biografía de Lubitsch. De nuevo, tiene un acceso a fuentes primarias que hoy es muy difícil.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews