Photo de stock - Jan 01, 1940; Berlin, GERMANY; German-born Jewish film director ERNST LUBITSCH whose subtle humor and the virtuoso visual wit that would in time become known as 'The Lubitsch Touch.' The style was characterized by a parsimonious compression of ideas and situations into single shots or brief scenes that provided an ironic key to the characters and to the meaning of the entire film. Lubitsch subsequently alternated between escapist comedies and grand-scale historical dramas; he enjoyed great international success with both.  His reputation as a grand master of world cinema reached a new peak after the release of his spectacles Madame Du Barry (Passion, 1919) and Anna Boleyn (Deception, 1920). In December of 1921, Lubitsch made his first trip to America, to promote his film Das Weib des Pharao (The Loves of Pharaoh). (Credit Image: © Keystone Press Agency/Keystone USA via ZUMAPRESS.com)