FEBRUARY CELEBRATING THE BEST OF 2011 plus THE OSCARS

It's that time again. As per usual, February is the time to celebrate the best in film according to the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, but to be fair, they've kinda missed the mark on a number of occasions. At the same time, this is also when we here over at Jeremy and the Movies celebrates what Jeremy (That's me) thinks the best in film are.

On most occasions, I'd say I differ with the Academy, but that mostly has to do with their sheer lack of imagination and narrow minded views of what the best in film is. I'm usually shocked and appalled when I hear the nominees, however I am delighted to see a few surprises. This year in particular I was glad to see the inclusion of some films (Yay "Midnight in Paris") but baffled by others (You couldn't drag me to see "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close").

But really it's all in good fun, we all have our own views of what we think the best movies are, and this is just a chance for me to share mine with you. I also like to think I highlight some films that don't usually get the kind of press mainstream movies do. And heck if my writing about them gets you intrigued to watch them, then that's all the better.

I usually think some of the best films I've ever seen were the ones I took a chance on. Just in the past few years, I could count foreign films like "Summer Hours" and indie movies like "Shotgun Stories" to be the best recent movies I've ever seen. This year is no different. There have been some unique and surprising Hollywood movies that I was immensely entertained by, but also some smaller films that were brought to my attention by other critics who I admire and trust.

Before Oscar night, I will reveal my top ten list, one I am still trying to compile. I might also focus on a favorite performance, or favorite moments from the past year. I also like to give a special Jury Prize award to a unique film that deserves a special mention.

So I hope you join me this month for some fun as we give a fond final farewell to 2011. And if I don't talk about your particular favorite film/performance/moment, don't take it personally, but I hope you let me know what it is.

Superman

"Superman" was the first super hero and the first super hero movie, and in my opinion it's still the best of its kind. "Superman" is a movie designed for kids, he's less dark than Batman, less ironic than Ironman, and less angsty than Spiderman. Superman is the kind of hero who knows what the right thing to do is and he does it, he's all black and white, there is no grey area.

I think it might be a mistake to squeeze much hidden substance behind Superman, he was a character designed to be the perfect speciman, that doesn't mean you can't have fun with it. The 1978 film which cast Christopher Reeve as the titular character hits just the right tone, it takes Superman's existence seriously, it resists temptation of treating him like a joke, thus creating the modern super hero movie.

"Superman" as a film is constructed as what is commonly described as "The Origin Story", where we see him escaping his dying planet of Krypton in a spaceship, growing up as a simple farm boy in Smallville U.S.A., and then discovering his true nature at his Arctic Fortress of Solitude. He then creates a secret identity for himself, that of Clark Kent mild mannered reporter and takes up residence in Metropolis working at the Daily Planet Newspaper.

The film is full of wonderful sequences involving Superman doing very super things, from saving a cat stuck in a tree to keeping Air Force One from crash landing. The most famous scene in the film is probably the one which properly introduces Superman in full garb in the film. This is where local damsel in distress Lois Lane (Margot Kidder) is being hung off the top of a sky scraper dangling from a helicopter. Of course Superman wooshes in to save the day, but part of the excitement of the scene is the anticipation of seeing him in action, plus the sudden astonishment of seeing a man who could fly. This whole sequence is craftily handled with some cliffhanging suspense but also some modern humor thrown in. When Lois falls, Superman grabs her in which he quips "easy miss, I've got you." To which she replies "You've got me? Who's got you? It's got that feeling you're reading a block right from a comic book.

Part of the excitement of watching "Superman" is that feeling of seeing your favorite Super hero flying right off the page and onto the screen. The opening credit sequence plays with that a bit as curtains open to reveal a comic book, suddenly the scene gets bigger and the giant red "S" appears on the screen right as the memorable John Williams theme music kicks in. It has a childlike mentality, imagine being a kid and seeing these images for the first time in the movie theatre.

There is much to appreciate with "Superman" they even have a romantic interlude between him and Lois as he takes her on a night fly in the air. How often to you see such a romantic scene in a super hero movie?

The film was directed by Richard Donner who fought with the producers into making a sincere "Superman" picture. Originally, the film was meant to be campy making fun of the myth, but Donner obviously wasn't as cynical, and it was his vision which you see on screen. His master touch was probably casting Reeve as Superman; he plays the character without a sense of irony. When Superman says he's out to fight for truth, justice, and the American way, you don't blink an eye or snicker, it's done with a straight face. As Clark Kent he's as clueless and befuddled as he has to be in order for people not to suspect he's the man of steel, Reeve actually said his inspiration for Clark came from Cary Grant's performance in the comedy "Bringing up Baby", which you can no doubt see.

"Superman" is still a great entertainment even though it seems super heroes have grown more complex and dark. The latest Christopher Nolan Batman films are great in their own way, yet I see them as being more adult. "Superman" is more family oriented, there isn't much violence, he's never seen throwing a punch, he doesn't have to, he mostly just flies around saving people.

I get the same feeling when I watch "Superman" as with an Indiana Jones film or a James Bond movie featuring Sean Connery. It's that feeling of being a kid again and these larger than life heroes feel more alive on the screen than ever. It's almost as if those characters exist for real in your own childlike universe. I hope I never get too old for "Superman" and I hope the world doesn't either.

My Desert Island Movies

I've stumbled upon a neat little idea for movie fanatics such as I from Matt Zoller Seitz a renowned film essayist. He took the time to make up his desert island list of movies he would take with him. He did have some ground rules, it would include ten movies you couldn't live without followed by a season from a television show and a short film, making a total of 12. In my moments of reflection I've taken upon myself to construct such a list for myself since making lists are so much fun for movie fans such as myself. So in lieu of a Top Ten films of 2011 (Which I will post once I'm caught up with more films from last year) I give you 12 films I certainly can't live without.

Television Season If it had to be one season from one television show I know I certainly couldn't live without "The Simpsons" for very long. I simply can't remember what television was like without "The Simpsons" so how could I imagine what a desert island would be like without them. Though there are many seasons to choose from, my preference would probably be season six. This was the season that ended with the cliffhanger of "Who Shot Mr. Burns", and it also had perhaps my favorite sentimental episode "And Maggie Makes Three" which features a sweet story of how Maggie said her first words.

Short Film Along with "The Simpsons" another animated institution I couldn't dare live without would be Bugs Bunny. He's simply a comic genius this side of Buster Keaton and Groucho Marx. Of the many Bugs Bunny short films I could choose from it would be "Rabbit Seasoning" featuring Bugs and his two greatest foils Daffy Duck and Elmer Fudd.

Now for the feature films, they are...

Tokyo Story In my mind there has never been a more perfect film than this one. If there is one film I would say shows what life is all about it would be this film. I've talked much about this film and its director Yasujiro Ozu at length throughout the years this blog has existed.

It's a Wonderful Life A tougher film than its reputation, it's dark, grim, but also uplifting and hopeful, a film for me that has taught me a series of life lessons I'm still learning today.

The Three Colours Trilogy I'm cheating a little bit by adding this three-piece series as a whole movie, I can't live without them as individuals only as a whole. They are metaphysical masterpieces of movie making, philosophical in their motives and I'm fascinated by them. I can ponder these films forever on my desert island.

Horse Feathers Still my favorite comedy of all time. How can I spend the rest of my life on a desert island without The Marx Brothers? I ask you how? I can't and I won't which is why it will go with me.

The General While I'm at it, how can I exist without Buster Keaton, the most innovative, and compelling silent comedian known to man. So many to choose from, but "The General" was the first one of his films I ever saw, the first silent film, I declare you can't take a shot away from this film, it's perfect.

City Lights I've taken Keaton, I cannot banish Chaplin I'm sorry. To hell with those who choose one over the other, they are both geniuses sir, and both will be with me until my dying day.

The Shop Around the Corner The greatest romantic comedy known to man, it's witty with two people who deserve to fall in love with eachother, it's by Ernst Lubitsch and he is for sure one director who I can't be without.

Top Hat I need music and romance to get through my lonely days on the island and Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers can take me out of any funk into their world of wonderful melodies, dance, and art deco. I choose this one over "Swing Time" because it has Edward Everett Horton one of the greatest character actors playing Astaire's best friend.

Casablanca This is for my cynical days where there is no hope to remind me that perhaps my life doesn't amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world but that's only because there are bigger things. Humphrey Bogart also proves that cynics can also be poets.

Jules and Jim Because it's like a dream, a memory, a life I may have lived long ago. It's a film that captures love, youth, and cinema perhaps better than any other film, because it's alive and in those dark days on the island I may have to be reminded of what feeling alive and in love is.

There are many others, I regret not picking a film with Cary Grant or Barbara Stanwyck, a Hitchcock, or a Kurosawa. No Billy Wilder or The Coen Brothers, to them and a hundred others I wish I could bring you all, the truth is I can't live without any of you, and I hope I never have to choose.

Holiday

"Holiday" is one of those films that should be talked about more. Why isn't it talked about more? It's a serious comedy made in the 1930s golden age, it was directed by George Cukor, one of the most prominent filmmakers of that era. The stars at its center are Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn, they made four movies together, this one was squeezed in between their more revered comedies "Bringing up Baby" and "The Philadelphia Story". Great as those comedies are, I can't seem to shake the feeling "Holiday" gives me everytime I watch it.

"Holiday" starts off like most comedies of that era do, with an engagement. Johnny Case (Grant) is a young idealistic man who is love with a rich socialite Julia (Doris Nolan). Johnny fell head over heals for Julia right away, so quickly in fact he had no idea she was rich. Julia introduces him to the rest of her family which includes her sister Linda (Hepburn) and her brother Ned (Lew Ayers). Right away Johnny is being groomed to meet Julia's father (Henry Kolker), a hard nosed businessman who thinks making a lot of money is what makes a person successful. This is contrary to what Johnny believes, he's still young, he wants to find out more about the world. He has this silly idea about taking a holiday once he has enough money saved up to figure out what he wants to do, and what he wants to be.

The only person who seems to understand where he's coming from is Linda who is the self-proclaimed black sheep of the family. Linda is the only one who seems to be able to stand up against their father and give him a piece of her mind. She spends most of her time in the family playroom which is a place of escape for her. To her Johnny represents a breath of fresh air in the family, and although she loves her sister very much, she can't help but fall in love with him. It's obvious at the very beginning Johnny is in love with the wrong woman, and by the end of the film, he'll end up with the right one, but "Holiday" isn't as frivolous as all that, this is in fact a comedy with a certain philosophy on how one should live their life.

Johnny Case isn't just the romantic lead of the film, he's also the hero, in a way he's pretty much a representation of what young people usually come to feel, what is their purpose in the world? Is life all about making a lot of money? These are at least questions that plague me. I remember I saw "Holiday" for the first time when I was very young and still fairly new to classic films. I didn't think too much of it at the time, yet as I grow older I see it as a very wise film and unconventional.

It's a rather melancholy film with scarred characters, the most of which is Ned the brother. Ned is portrayed as a drunk, who was a promising musician, but was forced to focus on business by his father. Ned had to live up to certain expectations, he was the only son and therefore had to carry on his family name. He basically became someone he hated, so he is usually seen drowning in alcohol. The character as played by Ayers gives the film a certain reality largely unseen in films of that time.

Linda is also scarred, she doesn't seem to fit in with the rest of her family, she dotes on Ned and loves her sister, but she's mostly a loner, and isolates herself. It's hard to say what kind of a person she was before Johnny came into her life, with him she seems to have found a soulmate, someone she could feel free to discuss things.

There is indeed much discussion in "Holiday", different ideals are debated, there are emotional battles between characters, the tone shifts from high comedy to sombre drama, it never goes for an easy answer. Much of the dialogue probably has to do with the fact it was adapted from a play. It was written with great literal style by Donald Odgen Stewart who also wrote "The Philadelphia Story" and Sydney Buchman. The dialogue is one of the great things about this film, the people are always speaking about something, they are intelligent sophisticated human beings with a certain point of view. It's a film full of wit, but it never sacrifices human emotion for it.

Johnny is the man you root for, yet there is empathy towards the father who can mostly be seen as a miser, yet he is a stubborn old man set in his ways, and even Julia who has a sweet exterior but may be shallow underneath. The characters do remain very human and are given a bit of grace at some point or another, and of course it must be capped off with a happy ending like they do in those days, although my heart goes out to poor Ned who doesn't seem to even muster up enough courage to stand up to his father making the ending somewhat bittersweet.

Here it was back in 1938, with the world still in the throws of "The Great Depression" and a Hollywood film comes along with ideas. It doesn't happen too often these days, and when it does it's time to cheer. But "Holiday" speaks for our society today just as it did back then. It doesn't matter if you saw the film when it was released or you saw in on the eve of 2012, it's nice to see a film that has something to say on where you should put your priorities.

The Bandwagon

What I love most about "The Bandwagon" is just how light it is, not just on its feet, but also in tone. This is no frivolous musical, but it is a musical comedy that doesn't take itself too seriously, nor does it want to be. It is one of the great MGM musicals from the same era of MGM musicals which produced, "Singin in the Rain", and "An American in Paris". It's about the highs and lows of putting on a show, the tragedy of when one doesn't work out, and the joyousness when one does. But mostly "The Bandwagon" is about entertainment, giving the people what they want, and it doesn't skimp on riches, it's bright, witty, and dreamlike, it's there for us to enjoy time and time again.

"The Bandwagon" is about Tony Hunter (Fred Astaire), a washed up movie star who heads to New York to star in a Broadway Musical written by two friends of his, Lester and Lily Martin (Oscar Levant and Nanette Fabray). They've got a part tailor made for Tony, it's light and funny, just what he's known for. But before you could say Broadway smash, the Martins entrust their show to an ego driven director named Jeffery Cordoba. Jeffery currently has three shows running on Broadway simultaneously, while he himself is performing "Oedipus Rex". Very quickly Jeffery changes the Martin's show show it parallels the story of "Faust". It no longer is light and funny, but dark and tragic. However everyone seems to go against their better judgment because Jeffery just happens to be a genius.

There is also an acting coup, when Jeffery also hooks up famed ballerina Gabrielle Gerard (Cyd Charisse) to star opposite Tony. At first Tony is terrified of this, since he is a hoofer, while Gabrielle is much more refined. It becomes obvious early on that the show is not working, Jeff's demands become more and more outrageous, soon it is preview night, and no one is prepared, but of course this is a crowd pleasing musical, all they need is to go back to the drawing board and all will turn out well.

When you look at all the plot points, you could say that "The Bandwagon" is sort of the companion piece to "Singin in the Rain". That film took aim at the movie business, while this one is about Broadway. The dreadful show within a show in "The Bandwagon" mirrors the similar situation in "Singin in the Rain" which had a movie that needed fixing. This probably isn't just coincidence, since both films were produced by Arthur Freed, the mastermind behind the best MGM musicals. Freed basically had the same idea for both films, he wanted to use existing musical numbers that MGM had the rights over and make a musical surrounding them. Both films had the same screenwriters who Betty Comden and Adolph Green, they had the difficult job of taking all these songs and somehow making a story around it. Luckily they were witty writers and had a great flare for comedy. The characters played by Levant and Fabray were loosly based on them, however they weren't married in real life.

The other creative force behind "The Bandwagon" was Vincent Minnelli, probably the best known director of musicals. However Minnelli never just stuck to one genre, he could do comedy, and drama, but there was something special when he made musicals. He made magical worlds within his musicals, and "The Bandwagon" lets him play around a bit even making fun of his own pretensions in a musical. The film is warmly lit for most of the time, and Minnelli makes every number memorable.

Let's talk about these musical numbers, there's too many to count, some don't seem to last long enough, you beg for more. The big one for sure is "Dancing in the Dark" featuring Astaire and Charisse. It's a purely romantic sequence with the two characters seeing if they could actually dance together. It begins quite casual almost as if the two dancers are making it up as they go, then it flows into a gorgeous number with a beautiful symphony backing them up.

There is also the triplets number featuring Astaire, Fabray, and Buchanan as toddlers. They do the entire number with fake feet strapped to their knees. According to Fabray in the making of documentary, they each had to learn how to dance on their knees, there was no trick photography included. The final riot comes with the final ballet call "Girl Hunt", which is a parody of Mickie Spillane pulp novels. The mystery doesn't make a lick of sense, but who cares with all the spirited dancing going around.

Each star makes their own mark on the film, but when you think of "The Bandwagon", it's hard not to think of Astaire. This was the beginning of the next great era in Astaire's career. He was semi-retired by the time he made "The Bandwagon", Gene Kelly seemed to have come in as the next generation. You could make comparisons between Tony Hunter and Astaire's own career, however I don't think he was ever that far forgotten. If anything, "The Bandwagon" shows off some of Astaire's best filmed moments, the aforementioned "Dancing in the Dark", as well as early in the film "A Shine on your Shoes". I love watching Astaire dance, it's one of the greatest pleasures the movies can afford. Astaire was known as a perfectionist along with Kelly, from what I've heard and read about him, he was quiet and shy and very insecure about his dancing. Yet when you see him on screen, it all goes away, and you are left with a man who looks to be enjoying himself.

Astaire would go on to call "The Bandwagon" his favorite film, and it probably is his best, unlike the films he did with Ginger, he's more of a solo act here, more well-rounded and perhaps even more comfortable within his own skin. He's free of any expectations because he's been able to grow as an artist and he's able to just have fun and go with it.

I look at "The Bandwagon" today as one of the great entertainments, something that lasts because the people who made it were the best in their field. That was the norm in Hollywood back then, when they could get creative forces behind one project and made magic. Their talent was taking something that looked so difficult and make it seem so effortless.

Vivre Sa Vie (My Life to Live)

"Vivre Sa Vie" is one of the best films to come out of the 1960s, it was the fourth film by that new wave dynamo Jean-Luc Godard, he wasn't afraid of challenging the way we viewed film, weather it was how he staged his scenes or directed his actors, there was something new and exciting about it. That being said, "Vivre Sa Vie" may be his most subdued film of this period.

The story centers on Nana (Anna Karina), a young girl who works at a record store with aspirations of becoming an actress. Nana becomes unsuccessful with her dream and soon resorts to prostitution, there he life is tragically cut short when she is killed by her pimp. I don't feel like I'm giving anything away at telling you the fate of Nana, since it is plainly clear at the beginning of the film, that it doesn't end well for her.

"Vivre Sa Vie" is more about capturing these moments of time in Nana's life, Godard titles these moments in tableau, there are twelve in total. Godard explains that these tableau's work as pebbles or blocks in time, they are meant to show these little snapshots of Nana at this moment in her life. Because of that, many plot points are often not shown but referred to, Godard even said he wasn't sure as to how long of a span the film is supposed to focus on, it may be months even years, but to him it didn't matter, what mattered was following Nana, almost to a point where the film feels like a documentary, but of course Godard is dealing with fictional material, yet what he does is play with our expectations with what a fictional film could be.

Much of convention is dropped in the world of Godard, he plays with the elements of film like a symphony, using every tool to its full advantage and never afraid to experiment. Some critics consider "Vivre Sa Vie" as simply a film about different conversations, and indeed that's much of what goes on. The opening tableau is Nana in a cafe talking to her ex, but Godard makes the extreme choice of filming directly behind them, showing only their heads. When I first saw this film, that scene always seemed annoying, yet it grew on me the more I viewed it, Godard was making the conversation more realistic, by not seeing the faces, we get the feeling of eavesdropping on a conversation. Similar scenes are all shot differently, sometimes with simple panning from one person to another, and other times from a more conventional two-shot cut. The effect is never distracting, and Godard seems more interested in letting the camera be part of the emotion of the scene.

These techniques aside, what draws me into this film more often is how liberated it is, both in technique and in theme. It is in fact a movie about freedom, and personal liberty, it begins with a quote from Montaigne "You must only lend yourself to others but give yourself to yourself." Nana is a woman at a constant struggle of finding freedom for herself. She is denied her freedom when she becomes a prostitute, but there is a resistance in her as she yearns for love and happiness. Tragically she becomes a martyr and in the film's most famous scene, she is shown inside a movie theatre watching Carl Dreyer's classic silent film "The Passion of Joan of Arc", Godard makes a direct parallel with Nana and Joan in the film, it's also her one burst of emotion as she is seen crying in the theatre.

The film seems to be fighting this philosophical question as well regarding freedom and love, which is summed up wonderfully when Nana runs into an actual philosopher at a cafe. Here he makes a parable regarding "The Three Musketeers" which could directly relate to Nana's own struggles. She questions the philosopher, and challenges him, and it's interesting how she is seen quite intelligent and literate, how you may ask did this girl get driven into prostitution?

It's also relevant to point out, "Vivre Sa Vie" could be thought of as Godard's own fascination with his star Anna Karina. At the time this film was made, the two were married, they made seven films together, their later ones particularly "Pierrot le Fou" showed off their disintegrating relationship, but at the time of this film, you could see Godard was at least in love with her face, Karina is given some of the most flattering close-ups in history. Karina complained that she thought the film made her ugly, but I don't see it. Karina gives Nana a beautiful sadness, and a shine that comes out in her actions; Godard gives her great freedom to play around, including a hypnotic scene where she dances around to a rocking tune trying to get the attention to a young man whom she loves. There is as much joy in her performance as there is in meloncholy and contemplation.

There's so much about "Vivre Sa Vie" that remains with you once you watch it, like most of Godard's films of the 1960s, it's youthful and vibrant, it holds a certain unique cinematic point of view. Godard seemed to be concerned with youthful ideas back then, most of his films were about young people who were alienated, confused, and questioning their existence. He also had more encyclopedic knowledge about film than anyone and he used it as his advantage.

Today Godard continues to take chances for better or for worse; his last film "Film Socialism", was completely incomprehensible, yet you felt there was a mind working trying to stretch the film language as far as it could go. "Vivre Sa Vie" still surprises and delights, it's a film that was and is ahead of its time.

The Doll

One of my favorite opening shots in any movie comes from the charming 1919 silent fairy tale comedy "The Doll". In it, we see the film's director Ernst Lubitsch opening up a toy box and creating the scene from cardboard scenery and dolls for the characters. The film begins and the dolls turn into real life characters while the cardboard scenery remains. It's such a nice little wink and shows off Lubitsch's playful sense of humour to the audience.

"The Doll" takes place in a made up kingdom where a young man named Lancelot (Hermann Thimig) is being pressured by his Uncle the Baron to take a wife. The Baron wants to see his family name live on but Lancelot is a bit of a prudish momma's boy who seems to be afraid of women. He doesn't want to get married, he runs away from his Uncle and takes solace in a monastery which houses a bunch of monks who happen to be broke. Lancelot's Uncle sends word to him that if he decides to marry, he'll give him a large sum of money which the monks need desperately. Lancelot is still hesitant but luckily there is a toymaker in town who specializes in making life-sized women dolls for men.

The dolls are all wound up and can follow orders with the push of a button, so Lancelot figures this is the perfect way to get him from marrying a real woman and still get the money he needs to help the monks.

One such doll is modeled after the toymaker's daughter Ossi (Ossi Ozwalda). When the incompetent assistant accidentally breaks the doll, Ossi takes its place and goes off to marry Lancelot. Lancelot still isn't any the wiser, even as Ossi shows signs of not being a real doll. The toymaker meanwhile realizes that his daughter has gone off to marry Lancelot without his knowing, and his hair begins to raise and turn instantly white with worry.

"The Doll" was made while Ernst Lubitsch was still making movies in Germany, before his golden age of making sophisticated romantic comedies in Hollywood. I always found Lubitsch to be an anomaly; besides him the most famous German directors were Fritz Lang, and F.W. Murnau, these were men who had a reputation for being controlling and somewhat humourless when it came to their films. They were pioneers in what is now known as German expressionism, which usually dealt in dark genres such as horrors or thrillers. Lubitsch always dealt with the lighter side of life, because he had a sense of humour about it.

I've seen many old photographs of Lubitsch and in every one he's always smiling and is usually holding a cigar in his mouth. He seemed to be a man who didn't take life too seriously and therefore didn't make anything sacred.

"The Doll" could be described as one of the very first sex, comedies. Sex has always remained in the movies countless times no matter how much the censors try to take it off the screens. In another director's hands, sex could be seen as sensuous or tantalizing, but Lubitsch simply found it funny. He was probably the first director ever to make fun of sex, and what happens when the lights go out in the bedroom.

With "The Doll", he makes fun of the implications of marrying a toy. "Just as long as it doesn't hurt", says Lancelot when he agrees to marry the doll. The toymaker even gives Lancelot some maintenance tips for the doll, making sure to "oil it every two weeks", and make sure "to give it a good dusting". It's that kind of innuendo which makes "The Doll" hilariously modern, but it's done so innocently, it never sounds crass or dirty.

The glue that holds the film together has got to be Ossi Oswalda, who plays the wonderfully bratty daughter of the toymaker as well as the doll itself. Ossi appeared in a number of Lubitsch's German films, and she seems to have a wonderful comic sensibility. There is just the right sense of charm and mischief in Ossi's performance that Lubistch must've took a shine to her particularly for this film.

The world, "The Doll" inhabits though is like a child's make believe land, and it's with that aesthetic, the film is able to sustain a sense of innocence, despite the rather grown up subject matter. Only a director like Lubitsch could create such a world where even sex could be thought of as so innocent, under his hands it never became taboo, just fun.

When someone talks about the films of Ernst Lubitsch, they are usually given a nickname, it's called "The Lubitsch Touch". No one can exactly explain what his touch was, everyone has their own theories towards what it was. I suppose the point is, once Lubitsch died, his magical touch died with him. No matter how many people tried, they couldn't duplicate his movies. They were a perfect balance of taboo subject matter, and popular entertainment, and I suppose another word for that would be class. But Lubitsch never thought a joke was too cheap to use, you could tell he found anything funny. Did I mention the toymaker's name was Hilarious?