Summary: Publisher Summary 1 Explores the common ethical themes of these influential Hollywood filmmakers and their influence on American culture.   Publisher Summary 2 Henry (German and Russian, Pomona College) provides biographical material as a backdrop for discussion of the ethical and social orientation of her subjects, German and Austrian filmmakers Erich von Stroheim, Ernst Lubitsch, and Billy Wilder. Issues explored include the intellectual and cultural influences on their work, their political and social beliefs and pedagogical aims, and the public and critics' reactions to their films. A selection of each director's individual films are also individually analyzed. Includes b&w film stills. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)   Publisher Summary 3 This study of Erich von Stroheim, Ernst Lubitsch, and Billy Wilder focuses on what the common ethical themes in their Hollywood films unveil about the cultural and intellectual heritage of these German and Austrian emigres and their influence on American culture. Aware of the influential power of their films, these filmmakers strove to raise the intellectual standard and the positive educational value of the American film. Brief individual biographies describe their heritage, major influences, and goals and draw connections among the three filmmakers in their preference for German and Austrian literature and philosophy, which focuses on social criticism, ethics, and the problem of identity. Detailed analyses of their individual styles of filmmaking and readings of selected films reveal how they put their philosophies into practice and to what extent they influenced one another. Films analyzed include The Merry Widow, The Wedding March, Heaven Can Wait, To Be or Not To Be, Sunset Boulevard, and The Fortune Cookie among others. By delineating their contributions to the development of modern film, this research explores the filmmakers' impact on film and cultural history.