Ernst walks into an aspect ratio store and says 'Yes Please!'

A video essay about the great 1921 German anarchic comedy "The Wild Cat" (Die Bergkatze), directed by no other than master craftsman Ernst Lubitsch and starring Pola Negri in her best role.

We'll analyze the film's inventive use of masks to manipulate its screen shape and – I dare say – aspect ratio into whatever Ernst feels is most appropriate for the moment, achieving humorous and aesthetic results.

The aspect ratio is an inherent part of a movie. The image has gotta end some place, right? Until a new John Cage type says he made a documentary without a frame or a camera and it’s the real world and you roll your eyes and pseudo intellectuals hail it as a modern art masterpiece – but I digress.

Have you ever thought about how much we take our movie shapes for granted? Theoretically you can give your film whatever aspect ratio you soever desire but we keep limiting ourselves to a handful of rectangles. Over 100 years ago, this little unpretentious divertimento showed how infinite are the possibilities of the movie screen.

I'll gladly die on the hill that Lubitsch's silent films were even better than his talkies. And I imagine there aren't more people on this hill because they simply haven't watched his silent masterpieces ("Lady Windermere's Fan" from 1925 is likely his best).

By the way, the films shown in the beginning, in order are: O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000), 12 Angry Men (1957), Anatomy of a Murder (1959), Written on the Wind (1956), Lawrence of Arabia (1962), Les Girls (1957), The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), Ben-Hur (1959), Pulp Fiction (1994), Lawrence of Arabia again, Caché (2005), Asteroid City (2023), Life of Pi (2012), Lucifer (2014) which has a circular ratio, Mommy (2014), War and Peace (1967) and finally Die Bergkatze (1921). And later I show other Lubitsch films when talking about masks: The Oyster Princess (1919) and The Doll (1919).

#videoessay #filmmaking #silentfilm

[bartolomeus]

Such a simple, yet effective trick. He really had an eye for visuals. It's amazing how in the early days of cinema filmmakers achieved results that look so fresh after 100 years, without fancy modern Hollywood tools.

[ProuvaireJean]

The theatrical release of Galaxy Quest manipulated its aspect ratio in a fun "dramatic function dictates form" way. It starts off in 1.33 for the introductory TV scenes, expands to 1.85 for the real world scenes, and - at the moment we go into space - expands again to 2.35 for a real "woah" reaction. Unfortunately the home media release cuts out the middle ratio as it would have necessitated distracting vertical bars for a large part of the runtime, so that first trip into space never evoked the same sense of wonder.

Lubitsch of course takes it to entirely different level.

[ronbock]

I had no idea that Siouxie Sioux was not only alive in the 20s, but starring in Lubitsch movies.

[venus_envy]

Not only have a seen a film like this, I have seen THIS film. Just happened to borrow it from the Vancouver Public Library when I was in high school. Watched it with my dad, we both found it very funny. I never found another film like it since, but then, I didn't really try. Godo video, I hope more people see this and the film. Silent films are pretty great, I wish they were shown in theatres more (so far I've only seen three, maybe four, in theatres).

[alejoparedes]

They really did invent everything in the 1920's, didn't they?

[asgads]

i learned more in this 5 min that in other 2 hours movie analysises. best movie channel

[OuterGalaxyLounge]

Lubitsch was an incredible artist. I'm giddy you did this. Too many people seem to think that the vast cinema before 1970 didn't exist, when in fact it was innovative and great, especially, and including the silent era.

[DarkSideofSynth]

103 years ago: no sound, no huge budgets, coming out of WWI, chaos, bad economy, limited technology - Hey, let's do something crazy & have fun!
2024: hundreds & hundreds of millions, all the tech you like, instant world distribution - Hey, let's do the Nth sequel/reboot, super boring and all by committee, break no rules!

[allenrubinstein]

I effing love this channel. Best film classroom on YouTube, both in clear, incisive thinking and clear-as-day narration. Please never stop making these.

[NachtmahrNebenan]

Is available on YouTube *The Wildcat, Lubitsch, 1921*

[alexrollinsberg]

I love Lubitsch, need to see this movie ASAP. Wonderful as always, Moviewise

[filmnobelpreis]

The shot of the womanizer wiping his tears away with women's underwear will always be iconic.

[Quirderph]

It has been said that if "Nosferatu" and "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" are the epitome of German expressionist horror, then Ernst Lubitsch's "The Wild Cat" and "The Doll" are the epitome of German expressionist comedy.

[thelostone]

Why am I just learning about this film?!? I even took courses in college about film history. But this makes me feel like I am a century behind the times!! 😉😂 That is wild. Thanks Moviewise for showcasing a wacky film that I must now see!

[ingridsommer]

This looks like the funniest movie ever!!! Great video as always

[aravis]

This makes me want to watch one of my favorite films again - Ninotchka.

[ccd]

Mind blowing. Now that this video is out, the next Wes Anderson movie (after the one he's already shot) will prove whether he watches this channel or not. I think he does.

[exexalien]

I watched this video after it popped up in my YouTube recommendations, and I'm glad I did because right after that I watched the movie and enjoyed the hell out of it! Aspect ratios are really an overlooked (and underutilized) aspect of the film process.

(I didn't even plan on making that awful joke, by the way - guess that thing just sort of happens as you get older)

Anyway, I mainly came back to say thank you, and also to subscribe! Also, I appreciate you keeping your videos to a reasonable length - so much "original content" of this sort on YouTube is unnecessarily long now.

[kelownatechkid]

3D movies use this commonly. As you mentioned, Ang lee (a master of stereoscopic film), but the wildest examples are probably the last Transformers films by Bay since he went absolutely hog-wild with different camera rigs. Recently, Guardians of the Galaxy 3 used boundary breaks (also present in the first two films' 3D versions).

[abrahemsamander]

It’d be cool to try a style like this in modern day. Silent movies are a treasure trove of visual influence.