The Pride of the Firm
(Der stolz der firma, Carl Wilhelm, Germany 1914, 47 min., 35mm, German Intertitles with English Subtitles)
When I Was Dead
(Als Ich tot war, Ernst Lubitsch, Germany 1916, 35 min., 35mm, German Intertitles with English Subtitles)
These two early films both star Ernst Lubitsch, who started out as a comic actor in Germany. The Pride of the Firm casts Lubitsch as a young man from a small town who moves to the big city and, through some clever maneuvering, makes his way in a new company and catches the eye of a beautiful woman. Also taking the reins as director in When I Was Dead, Lubitsch casts himself as the put-upon husband who threatens to kill himself and then hires on as the new manservant in his old house to take his revenge. Lubitsch’s talent for broad physical comedy is on full display in these preservations of his early work.
Live piano accompaniment by Dr. Philip Carli.