The Ethics of Ernst Lubitsch

Reviews / Votes

The title of this superb volume tells it all: it treats Ernst Lubitsch not just as a great director of comedies but as an author whose movies confront the basic ethical dilemmas of his time. Lubitsch is the greatest philosopher among movie directors, much greater than the celebrated art-movies classics. Is this not reason enough to read The Ethics of Ernst Lubitsch for all who care about the mess we're in? -- Slavoj Zizek, professor of philosophy, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia There are those who see comedy only as a mode of relief from the dangers and anxieties of the real world and who thus dismiss the genre merely as a form of distraction. Such a ridiculous stance drastically avoids the precise ethical core of comedy, which, in the hands of Ernst Lubitsch, provides a real and authentic encounter with the world-one that is needed more than ever today. This is a fact demonstrated with excitement and brilliance by the authors collected in Novak and Moder's book. Building upon the rich and expanding analytical frameworks produced by the Ljubljana School for Theoretical Psychoanalysis, The Ethics of Ernst Lubitsch is a marvelous achievement showing why the name Lubitsch deserves to be etched in stone alongside the names Lacan and Hegel. -- Matthew Flisfeder, associate professor of rhetoric and communications, The University of Winnipeg, Canada