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OPEN CLASSIC CINEMA · 825

The Doll

191970 minGermany
ComedyRomance

Synopsis

A timid young heir is offered a fortune if he marries, but the prospect of a real wife terrifies him. Sympathetic monks suggest a mechanical doll as a convenient substitute. When the dollmaker's daughter takes the place of the damaged creation, the reluctant bridegroom enters a marriage whose supposedly obedient partner has intentions of her own.

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Video edition
Wikimedia Commons
Original language
No spoken dialogue. Intertitles: not identified.
This copy runs
63:51
Subtitles
No subtitle track in this language

No spoken dialogue. Intertitles: not identified. No subtitle track in this language.

Languages and subtitles

No subtitle track in this language

Wikimedia Commons · Ernst Lubitsch · Public domain

Cast

DirectorsErnst Lubitsch

Inspirations

Lubitsch draws on the operetta La poupée and its connections to the tales of E. T. A. Hoffmann. Deliberately artificial scenery and the dollhouse opening present the romance as a playful constructed world.

Sources and availability

General references identify the work and its copy. A reference beside an editorial section is linked to the claims checked in that section.

Wikipedia — film referenceWikidata — film identity and credits

Work catalogued as public domain in the United States.

The public-domain references concern the original films in the United States. Rights can differ for other countries, editions, restorations, music or translations. Sources are listed on each film page.

Availability checked on September 12, 2026.

Photograph credit

Photographs cropped, resized and optimized as WebP, displayed in monochrome.

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