Directed by G.W. Pabst
Written by Ladislas Vajda from plays by Frank Wedekind
1929/Germany
IMDb page
Repeat viewing/Criterion Channel
One of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die
Prosecutor: The Greek gods created a woman – Pandora. She was beautiful and charming and versed in the art of flattery. But the gods also gave her a box containing all the evils of the world. The heedless woman opened the box, and all evil was loosed upon us.
Some things never change and the allure of Louise Brooks after almost a century is one of them.
Lulu (Brooks) is a young woman who makes her way in the world with her beauty, body, and man manipulation skills. She has also attracted the unrequited love of a lesbian who will do anything for her. She is not mercenary exactly as she seems to share most of her money with her creepy pimp/father and his mostly drunk friend. She just likes a perpetual good time.
As the movie begins, Lulu is being kept by respectable Dr. Ludwig Schön. The good doctor has been long engaged to a wealthy and respectable young lady. The point has come when he must choose or lose his chance at an advantageous match. Though Lulu doesn’t appear to love the doctor, she is extremely jealous and manages to wreck his prospects. So he decides to marry Lulu, though he knows this may be the end of him.
On her wedding day, the doctor’s son Alwa (Franz Lederer) reveals his love for Lulu. The doctor catches them in a fairly innocent embrace. He knows that this will ruin his son and tells Lulu she must kill herself or she will drive him to murder. Instead it is the doctor who ends up dead and Lulu is arrested for his murder. After her conviction, she escapes the courtroom, and goes on the lam with Alwa and her two hangers on. Her fortunes take a turn for the worse with the appearance of a blackmailer. Then things get worse.
Brooks alone makes this movie a must-see. She is so natural she seems modern in comparison to any of the silent screen actresses of her time. Her smile would melt any heart. But we get more. Pabst is a master at directing crowd scenes and using the camera in a beautiful expressionist fashion. And this is a glimpse into the decadence of the Weimar Republic. Recommended.
Restoration Trailer
Montage of scenes featuring Brooks
Louise Brooks is absolutely AMAZING! Timeless and modern. And this is a fabulous film. If you, or anyone are interested in this film and story and if you have not already experienced it, I suggest you give a serious listen to Alban Berg’s landmark opera, “Lulu” (1935). It’s modern music but one of the highlights of Twentieth Century art and an excellent pendant to this film.
I’m an opera buff but have not tried out “Lulu”. I’ll have to find it! Pabst was a seriously great director. I have another Brooks/Pabst collab on tap for today!
I think of Pandora’s Box as the greatest of all silent films. I’ve seen it a bunch of times, including three times at a theater.
I saw it once on LSD and it seems more like something that happened to me instead of something I watched.
The idea of dropping acid during something as dark as Pandora’s Box is scary to me. You were brave! It is a great film. I’ve been thinking about what is my favorite silent now. If forced to pick, I’d probably go with The Crowd. It had a big impact on me.
Love Louise Brooks. The montage was fun!
Wait for the clip I’m going to give you today!
You could see a “Lulu” going around town today. Her look is not even that uncommon. The rest of the movie… Ah, not my favourite silent movie.
How far will you be going back? Did you ever see Dr. Caligari?
We plan to visit Babelsberg where many of these movies were filmed, next weekend.
I’ve seen a lot of the German classic silents, including Caligari, and envy you your visit to Babelsberg! But my “journey” starts in 1929 and I’m going to have fun watching pre-Code talkies as well as knocking off the List films from 1929-1933.