Ernst Lubitsch has long been recognized as the director of some of Hollywood’s greatest comedies, including Trouble in Paradise (1932) and Ninotchka (1939). However, he made some of his best films while an emerging filmmaker in his native Germany. The Wildcat (Die Bergkatze) is a madcap farce about a charming lieutenant (Paul Heidemann) who is captured en route by outlaws who roam the snow-covered mountains. When the bandit leader’s untamed daughter (silent superstar Pola Negri) falls for the young officer, a delicious sex comedy is set in motion. Peter Bogdanovich described The Wildcat as “an uproarious, hard-edged antimilitary spoof,” and ranks the film among the five funniest movies he’d ever seen (along with another early Lubitsch comedy, 1919’s The Doll). This edition includes a rare 1916 domestic comedy directed by and starring Lubitsch: Where Is My Treasure?
For thoughts on The Wildcat, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:
Video Quality
The Wildcat makes its Blu-Ray debut thanks to Kino Classics with a magnificent transfer from a 2K restoration performed by L’Immagine Ritrovata in Bologna in 2014. The basis of this presentation dates back to a 2000 photochemical restoration by the Friedrich-Wilhelm-Murnau-Stiftung of primarily the camera negative with reconstructed intertitles derived from the censor registration documents. This film is over 100 years old, and it never ceases to amaze us how well a film like this can be preserved.
The sumptuous black-and-white photography shimmers in high definition with consistent natural grain intact. You are able to discern a surprising amount of detail with gentle textures on the clothing and within the setting. The transfer captures a striking amount of depth and enhanced detail within the film’s composition. Black levels present some fine depth with no major occurrence of black crush or compression artifacts. The contrast is really well defined with not much in the way of flicker or significant specks of damage to the print, especially compared to many films of this vintage. There are some stray, faint vertical lines that make a quick appearance without intruding on the overall aesthetic of the film. The lighting on this effort is stable so that nothing ever looks washed out. Kino Classics has really delivered with this.
Audio Quality
This Blu-Ray presents the film with a top notch DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that delivers everything that is asked of it. Like most silent films, the film is graced with an original score. This one composed by Marco Dalpane is lively throughout to complement the comedic tone. The music is the only element to worry about with this track, and it sounds bright and pleasing with no clipping or other such anomalies. Silent film fans will be more than pleased with the sound quality of this track, as the score seems to accompany the thematic elements well. Optional English subtitles are provided.
Special Features
- The Wildcat Audio Commentary: Film Historian Anthony Slide provides a really insightful commentary track in which attempts to give details on this relatively obscure feature including some analysis of the story, the known behind-the-scenes details and history of key figures in the production, the filmmaking techniques, how this fits into the career of Ernst Lubitsch, the film’s scarce legacy and much more.
- When I Was Dead: The 38-minute film from 1916 directed by and starring Ernst Lubitsch is presented here in HD with DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio. The film is an amusing effort (and largely a joke on mothers-in-law) about a man who is kicked out of his house and has to go to some great lengths to get back inside.
- When I Was Dead Audio Commentary: Joseph McBride, author of How Did Lubitsch Do It?, provides a solid commentary track which not only gives some great background about this film, but also Lubitsch as a director in general.
Final Thoughts
The Wildcat is far from the apex of the career of Ernst Lubitsch, but it holds up as a pleasing comedic farce. Lubitsch working here with Pola Negri feels like another important building block on the road to more character-driven efforts. The film can be broad and extremely silly, but it also holds some pretty effective satire within its text that lands its blows. There are small stretches that can become a bit tedious, but overall this is worth seeking out for silent film fans. Kino Classics has released a Blu-Ray with a truly outstanding A/V presentation and an interesting array of special features. If you are a Lubitsch fan looking to round out your collection, this disc is technically excellent. Recommended
The Wildcat is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray and Digital.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Kino Classics has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.