I Don't Want to Be a Man

Ossi smokes, plays cards and follows none of her guardian's rules. When the new guardian Dr Kersten arrives to bring the house to order, Ossi finds a solution: she orders a dinner suit, pins up her hair, and goes to the ball dressed as a man. There she runs into Dr Kersten. The two drink together, go home together, and the night ends very differently from what Ossi planned. Ernst Lubitsch's short comedy from 1918 dismantles gender roles with startling ease. That Ossi in men's clothes finds new troubles rather than new privileges shows the film rests more on observation than on gags. The drunken sequence at the ball is among the boldest things in silent comedy. Ossi Oswalda takes the lead; Lubitsch made a run of films for her and this is one of the best known. Curt Goetz plays Dr Kersten. Who it's for: Anyone curious about silent comedy, Lubitsch, and early cinema's play with gender. Who it's not for: It runs under forty-five minutes and the narrative is simple; some jokes will land lightly for a present-day viewer.