Meyer from Berlin (1919)

Brace yourselves.  My youngest son is taking a film class focusing on Ernst Lubitsch, a director (and in this film, also an actor) who I had never heard of, but will spend this semester immersing myself in.  The bad news is that while he was a very influential director, much of his work is largely unknown today.  The good news is that a lot of his films are available on YouTube, this one included.

Meyer from Berlin is a German silent movie that features Sally Meyer, a character that Lubitsch created and played from 1916-1919.  Sally is a man who is oblivious to his flaws and has hutzpah, an overinflated sense of confidence that ends up serving him well.

Early in the movie we know that Sally is a womanizer.  When he is 'sick in bed' he manages to get up and kiss the maid when she brings him bouillon.  So when he takes off to an Alpine motel for some mountain climbing we are not surprised that he focuses his attention on the woman every man wants to woo, and he is successful at getting her attention because he seems so harmless.  The movie is beautifully shot  and it does not seem almost 100 years old.  The playfulness and off color suggestiveness is well done and fun to watch.