Ernst Lubitsch's The Merry Jail

The Merry Jail
Script & Direction: Ernst Lubitsch
Cinematography: Theodor Sparkuhl
Decor: Kurt Richter
Cast: Harry Liedtke, Kitty Dewall, Agda Nielson, Paul Biensfeldt, Erich Schönfelder, Emil Jannings

The Merry Jail, or Das fidele Gefängnis (1917), is one of the early films by Ernst Lubitsch. It is a light comedy based on Strauss's operetta Die Fledermaus, centering on a wealthy couple and their maid in a vibrant, carefree Berlin filled with endless parties and ceremonies. The film also features one of Emil Jannings' early roles, portraying a nutty prison guard. The 25-year-old Lubitsch presents one of his first and most original conceptions of marriage and women in a manner that feels remarkably ahead of its time.

That's why I was disappointed not to find this film among Kristin Thompson's selected titles in her fantastic book Herr Lubitsch Goes to Hollywood, which examines Lubitsch's career and his influence on Hollywood.

The film contains numerous scenes showcasing Lubitsch's unforgettable technical creativity. One excellent example from the first act demonstrates what is now known as the "Lubitsch touch." In this scene, the wife receives a police warrant regarding her husband's scandalous behavior at a party the previous night. As she discusses the possible misunderstanding over the phone, the camera moves down to reveal her drunken husband sleeping on the floor — an ingenious visual gag. Remember, this was filmed in 1917!

Lubitsch's storytelling reflects one of the most intelligent uses of the camera in the history of motion pictures. The camera itself becomes a character, offering a witty analysis of relationships — not only between people but also between characters and their environments, including rooms, staircases, and especially doors.

The camera treats every character with equal importance, which is particularly evident in the scene where all the characters unknowingly head to the same party. Each has their own motive — usually a rather mischievous one — yet Lubitsch employs the same mise-en-scène for the cheating husband, the unfaithful maid, the clever wife, and the aging gigolo.

Gerald Mast called Lubitsch "the greatest technician in American cinema after Griffith." In The Merry Jail, Lubitsch experiments with various montage techniques — innovating alongside D. W. Griffith — but his techniques are so seamlessly charming that they become almost invisible to the audience, and even to inattentive historians.

Traditional film historians often limit the influences of German cinema to figures like Murnau or Lang. However, with Lubitsch, one can see the true essence of Hollywood — a Hollywood that transformed the complexities and occasional pains of human life into palatable fantasies. This talent for blending reality with whimsical storytelling was already evident in Lubitsch’s work as early as 1917.

— Ehsan Khoshbakht