Having been looking at it on the shelf these past few weeks,I this weekend finally got the chance to take the Masters of Cinema great Lubitsch in Berlin box set off the shelf,and got ready to meet Sumurun.
View on the film:
Galloping across the stage like a pantomime villain, Paul Wegener gives a wonderfully ripe hammy turn as Old Sheikh, who Wegener has smirk with glee when making Sumurun follow his orders, and banging fist on the table fury, when he sees others not shaking in fear at him.
The last title he would star in after believing his performance was "Too hammy", co-writing/(with Hanns Kraly) directing auteur Ernst Lubitsch overacting as the hunchback Yeggar fits in smoothly with Wegener, whilst Jenny Hasselqvist brings a drizzle of fairy tale glamour as lascivious dancer Sumurun.
Based on Richard Riess's novel (which got officially released after the film came out) and a pantomime by Friedrich Freksa, Lubitsch reunites with his regular co-writer of this period Hanns Kraly and struggles to wrestle both formats into a successful adaptation, with adultery that the Sheik discovers,being played serious,rather then the comedic The Lubitsch Touch that the film maker would later give the subject,which sits at odds with the grand multi-coloured tint farce atmosphere Lubitsch conjures up on this Arabian night.
View on the film:
Galloping across the stage like a pantomime villain, Paul Wegener gives a wonderfully ripe hammy turn as Old Sheikh, who Wegener has smirk with glee when making Sumurun follow his orders, and banging fist on the table fury, when he sees others not shaking in fear at him.
The last title he would star in after believing his performance was "Too hammy", co-writing/(with Hanns Kraly) directing auteur Ernst Lubitsch overacting as the hunchback Yeggar fits in smoothly with Wegener, whilst Jenny Hasselqvist brings a drizzle of fairy tale glamour as lascivious dancer Sumurun.
Based on Richard Riess's novel (which got officially released after the film came out) and a pantomime by Friedrich Freksa, Lubitsch reunites with his regular co-writer of this period Hanns Kraly and struggles to wrestle both formats into a successful adaptation, with adultery that the Sheik discovers,being played serious,rather then the comedic The Lubitsch Touch that the film maker would later give the subject,which sits at odds with the grand multi-coloured tint farce atmosphere Lubitsch conjures up on this Arabian night.