Mitchell Leisen’s cinema comes to life in a light and sophisticated no-man’s-land (inhabited, in reality, above all by women), poised between romantic comedy, screwball, and pure Paramount aestheticism. Having begun as a costume designer and art director in the silent era, Leisen became famous for classics such as Easy Living, Hold Back the Dawn, and Midnight, and he was the only Hollywood director ever allowed to include his autograph in the opening credits. No auteur theory was needed to recognize his unmistakable qualities: the natural ease of his narrative flow, immaculate mise-en-scène, and sparkling, innuendo-rich dialogue—sometimes written by Preston Sturges, Billy Wilder, or Charles Brackett—together with female protagonists who were as captivating as they were uncompromising.

In his films, Carole Lombard, Claudette Colbert, Barbara Stanwyck, and Jean Arthur combined wit and grace with impeccable comic timing. Their heroines upended convention, while their encounters with male characters—often played by Ray Milland or Fred MacMurray—spiralled through misunderstandings and mishaps until the final happy ending. This tribute presents a selection of Leisen’s classics in restored versions (courtesy of Universal), alongside rarely screened archival prints.

Curated by Ehsan Khoshbakht.

Photo: Hands Across the Table (I milioni della manicure, 1935), directed by Mitchell Leisen