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It is also as a cinematician that Mr. Lubitch and whoever may have been responsible with him have won distinction. The settings seem truly of the Paris of the latter eighteenth century, and the costuming and habits of the people portrayed are harmonious with them. And few spectacles, if any, have surpassed the scenes of the street crowds and revolutionary mobs, which increase in number and importance as the story hurries to its final scene—du Barry at the guillotine. The French Revolution has never been so vividly pictured, probably, as in this photoplay. "What is was, as ugly as it was, and as human, is forcefully presented, which means dramatically.

But all that Mr. Lubitch and his associates behind the camera did could not have made "Passion" the living thing it is without its cast. Seldom has a photoplay been as excellently acted. First among the players is Pola Negri. Here is one of those rare persons with screen personality. Her moving photograph is stamped with individuality. And largely because of her definite pantomimic ability, or whatever distinctive motion picture acting may be called. It is not physical beauty that wins for her. She is lovely in many scenes, it is true, but some of her features are not beautiful, and she makes no apparent effort to pose becomingly without regard to the meaning of—her performance. She is expressive. That is her charm. She makes du Barry real, as fascinating as she has to be, with as much of the appearance of dignity as she must have on occasion, and as contemptible and cowardly as she was. She actually wins sympathy for a woman who cannot at any time be admired. This is an accomplishment.

Eureka! Entertainment have announced the release of MADAME DUBARRY, starring Pola Negri (of Lubitsch's Sumurun and Die Bergkatze) and Emil Jannings (of Lubitsch's Anna Boleyn and Murnau's Der letzte Mann and Faust). This is the first ever blu-ray release of Lubitsch’s epic history, and will be accompanied by Lubitsch's earliest surviving film, Als ich tot war. MADAME DUBARRY will feature as part of Eureka’s award-winning The Masters of Cinema Series and will be released on 22 September 2014.

Here are the full details from the press release:

Before Ernst Lubitsch created his eminently sophisticated Hollywood sex comedies, he was at work in Germany perfecting his earliest entries into the genre, alongside sweeping ironic dramas based on historical events and often set in exotic locales. One of his earliest successes merged elements of both modes: Madame DuBarry.

A recounting-à-la-Lubitsch of the torrid affair between the title character (Pola Negri) and France's King Louis XV (Emil Jannings, who would go on to portray Henry VIII in Lubitsch's Anna Boleyn of the following year – a film that neatly bookends Madame DuBarry), the picture spans scandalous intrigue at the court and the ring of the guillotine among the riotous mobs of the Revolution.

Also included in this edition is Lubitsch's earliest surviving film, the 1916 Als ich tot war [When I Was Dead], which stars the director himself in a lead role that involves his faked suicide and (prefiguring the later Die Puppe.) an infiltration of the domestic space whilst in disguise (not as an automaton, but as a servant). The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present Madame DuBarry and Als ich tot war in a special Dual Format (Blu-ray + DVD) edition for the first time.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

• New high-definition 1080p presentation of the main feature on the Blu-ray, and progressive encode on the DVD
• Original /French / German intertitles with newly translated optional English subtitles
• Lubitsch's earliest surviving film, Als ich tot war [1916]
• 36-PAGE BOOKLET