Ernst Lubitsch’s Trouble in Paradise was an adaptation of Hungarian playwright, Laszlo Aladar’s play entitled The Honest Finder. Lubitsch would go on to say that though the play was the basis for the script that screenwriter, Samson Raphaelson created the main character, Herbert Marshall based of of a real life con-man by the name of George Manolescu. The director began in silent pictures before making his mark in the “talkies” where he developed what became known as the “Lubitsch touch.” This touch was said to be work that stood alone, outside the Hollywood system and even outside the standards and structures of arthouse pictures. Lubitsch created worlds that seemed to not exist within the confines of the United States nor any other continent. Instead, the director used his skill and point of view to change the perception of the conventional thinking on what should be socially acceptable.
Lubitsch himself began as an actor, and thus once he transitioned into directing was able to successfully steer actors towards the themes and intentions of the picture he was making. The director was one of a kind and after gaining success for his German based productions of spectacle pictures, he sets his sights on Hollywood. After World War I he went to work for Mary Pickford before joining Warner Brothers. His style and ability to create large scale Hollywood pictures that delighted audiences became inspiration for such famed directors as Billy Wilder and Wes Anderson.
