Cluny Brown

Filmmaker Ernst Lubitsch was one of early cinema's hardest working filmmakers. His career stretched from 1913 onwards, spanning the inception of both silent films and sound films. He eventually was known for his unique, elegant, sophisticated "comedies of manners" -- his most famous works being "Trouble in Paradise," "Design for Living," "The Shop Around the Corner" and "To Be or Not to Be."

During his penultimate film in 1945, "A Royal Scandal," Lubitsch became ill and delegated the remainder of his shooting duties to the great Otto Preminger. Upon regaining his health, Lubitsch returned for one final picture: "Cluny Brown," a romantic comedy that satirizes British high society on the cusp of World War II.

"Cluny Brown" has now arrived on The Criterion Collection, propelling it back into the cinematic hivemind and rightfully so. The film is zippy and so much fun, representing a magnificent final turn for a filmmaker who was arguably one of our first (and best) film auteurs. The title character is played by Jennifer Jones in a sublime performance as a wild child who loves plumbing. The rest of the plot is a magnificent blast, as many 1940s comedies were, and Lubitsch's touch is prevalent throughout.

In a new 4K digital restoration, "Cluny Brown" is presented with an uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Criterion Blu-ray. Some highlights of the bonus features include a new conversation between film critics Molly Haskell and Farren Smith Nehme on Lubitsch films and the unconventional female characters within them. Additional bonus features include:

� New video essay by film scholar Kristin Thompson
� "The Lubitsch Touch," an interview with film scholar Bernard Eisenschitz from 2004
� Screen Directors Playhouse radio adaptation of the film from 1950, featuring Dorothy McGuire and Charles Boyer
� An essay by novelist and essayist Siri Hustvedt

"Cluny Brown"
The Criterion Collection Blu-ray
$31.96
www.criterion.com/films/28564-cluny-brown