Die Bergkatze

The leading man seems such a cad that it holds the film back even if he does have his moments. Even so, it's a very fun film with Lubitsch's humour. Negri is great in this, dominating the screen in a performance that is both really funny and surprisingly touching. She's a big part of what raises this up above average, the other is the creative direction. There are plenty of great visual moments and the pacing is very solid, developing the story to a reasonable extent while moving along briskly.

Viewed June 14, 2021. Possibly the strangest and most unhinged of Lubitsch's early, manic German comedies. I love the way Lubitsch uses misshapen overlays to segment the frame and emphasize the feeling that his world has gone mad. The snowy mountaintop setting is lovely, too.

Really good fun. As far as comedy goes it isn't a laugh riot or anything being far more about clowning around instead of the sharp wit of To Be or Not to Be, but it handles it all with such exuberance and with such a wonderful rhythm that it is hard not to be smiling throughout. Even the sets are exuberant often looking like something out of a child's toy-box bringing plenty of charm, imagination and a surprising amount of grandness to the look of the film.

Lively, rhythmical and funny mix of slapstick and romance with even a few clever word gags thrown in. The comedy has a warm anarchic tone that's really enjoyable even if there are but a few laugh-out-loud moments. Grand location, fantastic toy-box sets and a great performance from Pola Negri.

Lubitsch's film stands out as one of the most lively and comical works of its era. It asserts convincingly that expressionist acting was no limitation of silent films, but instead a creative solution which went hand in hand with slapstick. Eccentric physical comedy triumphs in the hands of these players, while visual creativity is evident in the cartoonish sets, props and costumes. Most of the characters, especially Negri's, appear to be mental, and you've just got to love their loopy stylings.

It's a comedy, but romance/drama part was even better.

Beijos que se Vendem estreava há exatamente 100 anos na República de Weimar. Eu deveria realmente assistir algum filme do Lubitsch ou do Preston Sturges toda a semana, quem fala mal de comédia romântica é porque não os conhecem. No Youtube ( https://youtu.be/VPd_8TdgRkM )

A lavish comedy set in the Alps. Nothing but an excuse for a silly -bordering on stupid- ride, and for aesthetic-beauty-formal overdose, including striking and unlikely sets, and overuse of all kinds of frame masks.