"Highly recommended" (Library Journal): The only full-length
biography of legendary film director Ernst Lubitsch, the director of
such Hollywood classics as Trouble in Paradise, Ninotchka, and The
Shop Around the Corner.
In this groundbreaking biography of Ernst Lubitsch, undeniably one of
the most important and influential film directors and artists of all
time, critic and biographer Scott Eyman, author of the critically
acclaimed New York Times bestseller John Wayne, 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 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. He was
quickly established as a director of unique quality and distinction. He
captivated 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,
created Greta Garbo's most successful film. 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.
Written with the cooperation of an extraordinary ensemble of
eyewitnesses, and unprecedented access to the files of Paramount
Pictures, this is an enthralling biography as rich and diverse as its
subject--sure to please film buffs of all types, especially those who
champion Lubitsch as one of the greatest filmmakers ever.
