(Ernst Lubitsch, Germany 1919, 113 min., 35mm)
If stylistic grandeur and visual excess are the hallmarks of the historical spectacle, then Madame Dubarry is one of the genre's most rigorous and shining examples from the silent period. Director Ernst Lubitsch used almost every cinematic resource at his disposal in telling this story of love and betrayal during the French Revolution. It quickly became Germany's first major post-war success on the international market, and was lucratively distributed in the United States by First National. The film's vast popularity with American audiences persuaded Hollywood executives that Lubitsch and his principal players, Emil Jannings and Pola Negri, belonged on this side of the Atlantic. The rest, of course, is history.
Live piano accompaniment by Dr. Philip Carli.
