Written by Samuel Hoffenstein and Elizabeth Reinhardt from the novel by Margery Sharp
Cinematography by Joseph LaShelle
Editing by Dorothy Spencer
Original music by Cyril Mockridge
Cast: Charles Boyer, Jennifer Jones, Peter Lawford
USA, 1946, 20th Century Fox (Criterion Films USA), 35mm, B&W, 100 min.
Begun two years after a massive heart attack in 1943, Lubitsch’s final delight tops off a treasure chest of more than 70 films on the sheer and unadulterated effervescence of Jennifer Jones. Sabrina’s unification of Audrey Hepburn and head Lubitsch protégé Billy Wilder would wait until the next decade, but the master’s career already came bejeweled with priceless turns from delicate queens (Pickford/Garbo/Tierney). Jones’ titular orphan turned preternatural plumber’s assistant meets international anti-war hero Charles Boyer, banter/obstacles ensue. Said Wilder to William Wyler, pallbearers at Lubitsch’s funeral: “What a shame, no more Lubitsch.” “And then [Wyler] said something better. He said, ‘And worse, no more Lubitsch pictures.’”