The Oyster Princess

Ernst Lubitsch’s first feature-length comedy (1919), about an American millionaire trying to acquire a noble title for his daughter by marrying her off to a Prussian prince, is an unalloyed delight–a perfect rejoinder to those critics who maintain that Lubitsch only found “the Lubitsch touch” after he moved to Hollywood in the 1920s. The satire is sharp, and the visual settings are sumptuous and gracefully handled; with Ossi Owalda, Harry Liedtke, and Victor Janson. (Film Center, Art Institute, Columbus Drive at Jackson, Saturday, February 8, 8:30, 443-3737) Read more