How did Ernst Lubitsch adapt successfully from silent movies to sound movies?

Ernst Lubitsch’s transition from silent to sound films is considered one of the most successful in cinema history. He achieved this by overcoming the technical limitations that rendered many early sound films static and visually uninspired.12

While many directors of the era were forced to keep cameras in soundproof "iceboxes" and actors motionless to accommodate stationary microphones, Lubitsch effectively "freed the camera" by filming sequences without dialogue and using dubbing to add sound later. This technique, known as postsynchronization, allowed him to maintain visual fluidity and creative control.132

Furthermore, Lubitsch leveraged his deep affinity for theatrical traditions, drawing on the wit and elegance of comedies of manners and "well-made" bourgeois farces. He also pioneered the integration of music into his films, becoming the first director to introduce songs as a natural part of the plot in his musical productions, such as The Love Parade (1929) and Monte Carlo (1930). By blending these sophisticated narrative styles with innovative technical workarounds, Lubitsch successfully adapted to the new medium.14