Lubitsch aus Berlin

Anyone who enjoys the films of Ernst Lubitsch will want to take a look at the recent box set release by the UK-based Masters of Cinema Series called “Lubitsch in Berlin: Fairy-Tales, Melodramas, and Sex Comedies.” The package, which I’ve just reviewed for DVD Times, contains six Lubitsch silents made between 1918 and 1921 in Germany. These films have been available from Kino in the U.S. for a few years already but some relatively small improvements easily give MoC the edge. If you’re not familiar with the films included and reluctant to splurge on the set, my advice would be to first rent or purchase the individual Kino releases containing both I Don’t Want to Be a Man (Ich möchte kein Mann sein) and The Oyster Princess (Die Austernprinzessin) as well as the one with The Doll (Die Puppe) and the feature-length documentary Ernst Lubitsch in Berlin. The other pictures stray some from typical Lubitsch fare, though Die Bergkatze is also a delight.