Design for Living
Many years ago, all I saw by Lubitsch was “Ninotchka” and “To be or not to be”. By that time already, I declared Lubitsch to be one of my favorite directors, even though with two films, he was way, way in the back in my Directors list. Now that the list has grown to 9 films, I can finally put him next to Godard and Truffaut, the only other two directors I have seen so many films of (with the exception of my favorites of course, who I do not count in this list anymore).
For me, Lubitsch is a little miracle. He never does anything openly smart and is not afraid of actually making films which are a little silly. In fact, when it comes to light-hearted humor, I don’t think there is anybody comparable. Most of the times we like movies because they transport some sophisticated message or because they give an interesting perspective to observing their time. Lubitsch makes a nazi comedy in the middle of the Second World War, and a bohemian love comedy with artists who have nothing to worry about in the middle of the Depression. He never says anything really smart nor is anyone of his films moralistic in any sense. Most of his movies are boudoir comedies or feel-good movies on friendship and love. If he does anything political, he makes fairly naive fun of it. But I could not care less. Lubitsch films are hilarious, his characters are even more human when they do not have to subject themselves to tedious political environments, and I cannot think of anybody who has mastered the humorous interaction between people so perfectly as Lubitsch.
“Design for Living” didn’t impress me as much as “Bluebeard’s Eighth Wife” nor “Trouble in Paradise”, but it was still very, very enjoyable. There are people, mostly annoying critics without any joy in life, who find Lubitsch’s humor too slapstick Jewish. Of course I don’t think so at all, and I don’t even know why this blog post reads as if I am trying to defend him here. Lubitsch shouldn’t need any defense.
Interestingly enough, I think that Miriam Hopkins was perfectly believable as the charming little lady who makes men turn their life upside down for her. In “Trouble in Paradise”, she had the unlucky role of being the neglected girlfriend and only appeared in 1-2 good scenes, but in this film she was able to shine. It also seems I don’t feel so affected by triangle love stories anymore, since I couldn’t take “Design for Living” seriously. (I need to rewatch “Jules et Jim” to check this proposition.) Most of the time, the characters were in quite a pinch, but that didn’t keep me up from laughing whenever they said something funny. Instead, when they suffered it looked like life is so much fun nevertheless so it couldn’t possibly be that bad. In a Lubitsch film, any complicated situation can be lightened up with a funny line. Amazing.
Back in the day, I thought Lubitsch made so many movies that I will never be able to see them all. I am approaching that goal at a slow pace, but one day it will come, I am sure.