Organ Symphony of Cinema/“ Doll” /Ernst Lubitsch and cinema fun

The 20s and 30s of the twentieth century in the Hollywood dream factory belonged to him. Few know his name today. Ernst Lubitsch, a German director with an established position in Europe at the time, came to America in 1922 with his star and muse, Polish actress Pola Negri, with whom he made several high-profile films on the continent. This fame opened the door to Hollywood for both. Lubitsch brought something else across the ocean — his own style of film storytelling. It was so original that American filmmakers, and later also the audience, gave it the name “Lubitsch Touch” (“Lubitsch touch”). The director revolutionized Hollywood cinema, adding to it a European flair, lightness and sophistication.

The doll (Die Puppe), made in Germany in 1919, in a captivating way offers viewers fantastic cinema fun. The screen world is built — in the literal sense and in front of the audience — by the hand of the director. Real characters enter this totally artificial space made of cardboard and paint. They will move in carriages pulled by mechanical horses... The element of situational (and verbal) comism draws you into a whirlwind full of spicy jokes and situations, into a comedy of mistakes, disguises and getting into someone else's skin. There is an admixture of slapstick (treated with a grain of salt) and ingenious animation. There is also irony and social criticism — of the clergy and the aristocracy. Ossi Oswald (nicknamed the German Mary Pickford) in the lead role impresses with the expressiveness of the game and the efficiency of the body. The doll as a film is a perfectly shot mechanism of the on-screen spectacle.

Anita Skwara

Language: boards in German
Subtitles: Polish, English

This concert may be part of the “My Pass” offer. Check the details and compose “My Pass” at will, choosing from concerts of different series in the chamber and concert hall — more information.

Performers: David Cassan — organ

Program: The Doll (1919) — directed by Ernst Lubitsch