Carnival, Spectatorship and Desire in Rosita (1923)

This chapter examines Rosita (1923) through the lens of carnival and collective spectatorship, highlighting how Lubitsch’s first American costume film reimagines historical revolt and erotic desire through a carnivalesque aesthetic. Drawing on Bakhtinian theory and feminist film criticism, the analysis foregrounds the role of the crowd as a destabilising force within the diegesis. Lubitsch’s staging of popular resistance and spectacle—embodied by Mary Pickford’s spirited performance—generates a form of historical consciousness that resists monarchical authority while simultaneously indulging in theatrical excess. The chapter argues that Rosita marks a transitional moment in Lubitsch’s career, blending European theatricality with Hollywood production values, and positioning the extras, the mob, and the street as agents of desire and political subversion.