Pandora's Box - Criterion Collection (1929)

Lu Lu at her best !!!

It was a dream come true to find this movie in the Criterion Collection. Pandorax Box is a classic movie and a great story ... I loved watching this movie. This collection is loaded with interviews from people and family members who knew Louise Brooks very well, also included in this DVD Collection is Lulu in Berlin, Looking for Lulu, and also a commentary throughout the whole movie... I also must say that there are four scores to chose from, what other movie has that ??? Just a great DVD for Louise Brooks fans a must have !!! and there are also subtitles in english too... If you are a Louise Brooks fan this movie collection is a must ... September 15, 2008

You have to watch this one

This movie is incredibly complex, and is best watched with the commentary on, at least for the first time. Otherwise, you're going to be totally bewildered about what is going on. The scenes jump, sometimes jarringly, and it is often difficult to determine what is happening, and where things are going. I believe that the movie would have benefitted from more indications of what the characters are saying- although you can often read Louise's lips- and she seems to be following the script.

Even if you hate the movie- it's worth the money just to see the beautiful shots of Louise Brooks.
August 14, 2008

Exceptional release

The scene opens on an upper landing outside Lulu's apartment. A man is reading the meter when Lulu emerges, flirts with him, pours him a glass of schnaps. He is quite charmed until an elderly man appears at the door and Lulu hustles him inside. The scene tells us a lot about Lulu, but not all of our first impressions are correct.

While there are some tense scenes in PANDORA'S BOX, it's not what most people would call a thriller. It is, in fact,
... a tragedy,
... black and white,
... German, and
... silent.
... Obviously, not what most people look for in a popcorn movie.

For all that, however, this film is a great romance and one of the most moving dramas on DVD. It remains a showcase of great dramatic acting, all the more remarkable when actors' voices were not recorded and communication was through glance and gesture. While Louise Brooks' portrayal of Lulu is justly famous, her costars are also extraordinary.

One example: Lulu's lover is Dr. Schoen, the editor of a prestigious newspaper. Their affection is mutual, but because Shoen cannot possibly marry a "modern woman" like Lulu in class-conscious Berlin, he announces his engagement to a woman from a respected family. But when Schoen and his fiancee walk backstage at a musical review in which Lulu plays, there is an exchange of glances. Schoen sees Lulu in costume and his fiancee immediately understands their relationship. No words are exchanged; we see the recognition in the way lips tighten and eyes widen, we see the history revealed in a glance.

Few German films of the late '20s (PANDORA'S BOX was released in 1929) have left clean prints for the DVD era. The Criterion disk is a little cloudy at times and the scenes occasionally seem out of focus and, since the story feels disjointed in places, there may also be missing footage, but this is likely the best restoration we're going to have. Such minor defects do not detract from a deeply moving story and extraordinary performances.

Several alternate musical scores are included. An audio commentary is a somewhat academic discussion of the social themes that inform the film and, in particular, feminist theory of "the gaze" is invoked to explain how Lulu's character is interpreted by the camera. The theory, I think, is interesting enough but is stretched beyond its applicability to this film.

One critic called this the best release of 2006. Yes, indeed!

August 14, 2008

Die Bücshe der Pandora

Georg Wilhelm Pabst's 1929 film Pandora's Box is a masterful melodrama. Based on Frank Wedekind's character Lulu, Pandora's Box is a classic of German cinema detailing the life and downward spiral of a sexually vivacious yet innocent young woman. The original plays (Earth Spirit and Pandora's Box) which served as inspiration, were vast and rambling accounts of Lulu's many relationships. G.W. Pabst felt that theatregoers would lose interest in what would have been for the time a terribly long film, so screenwriter Ladislaus Vajda greatly edited the original stories. Rather than focusing on Lulu's multiple relationships, Vajda uses those with Dr. Schön and his son, Alwa as the principal examples of Lulu's unintentionally destructive sexual appetite. However the eroticism of the film isn't ever directly shown, rather it is implied through longing glances, physical gestures and even in the costume design.

The film tells the story of Lulu, an irrepressible and irresistible young woman, who inadvertently uses her naïve sexual charms to seduce men into giving her what she wants. Though, she is clearly aware of her affect on men (and women), Lulu is oblivious to the disastrous consequences that her unrestrained affection causes. At first her flirtations help her to get ahead and Lulu is given a part in a musical revue, but when one of her lovers, Dr. Schön, tries to kill her in order to keep their affair a secret, he is accidentally killed instead. Lulu must flee the country or else suffer the legal penalty. She spends time on a gambling barge where Dr. Schön's son looks after her, but he has developed a serious gambling habit and they are being blackmailed. A man who knows of Lulu's identity says that he will inform the German authorities of her whereabouts if they do not pay him. After Alwa is caught cheating in a card game, trying to win the money, there is a riot and the boat catches fire and all aboard are evacuated. Alwa and Lulu end up in London where she becomes a prostitute and on Christmas, out of charity, she offers herself to a handsome stranger. This man turns out to be a conflicted killer (Jack the Ripper, in fact) and he murders Lulu. The irony being that Lulu in life was selfish in giving herself away to men and accepting their tokens of affection, all the while their lives fell apart and now Lulu gives herself away out of charity and she pays the price. But it is ultimately this final act that redeems her.

When the film was released it was unfairly criticized. German audiences were outraged that an American actress was playing the quintessentially German Lulu, and most critics felt the film to be emotionally shallow and the story to be disjointed. Only recently has Pandora's Box become so beloved by critics and film historians. The main reason for its current success is the rediscovery of Louise Brooks' naturalistic performance. One must remember that during the silent age many actors were stiff and gave forced performances while Louise Brooks was effortless and breezy, a true breath of fresh air.

The 2006 Criterion Collection edition is spectacular. The film has never looked so sharp nor sounded so good. Included are four different musical scores* and an excellent audio commentary. Also included is a fascinating book about Louise Brooks and the making of the film, a documentary by Hugh Munro Neely, a lengthy interview with Brooks, an interview with Pabst's son and a photo gallery. Overall this 2-disc Special Edition set is a must-have for fans of silent cinema.

* = The six audio tracks are:
1. & 2. Orchestral Score by Gillian Anderson (in both stereo and surround)
3. Cabaret Score by Dimitar Pentchev
4. Modern Orchestral Score by Peer Raben
5. Piano Improvisation by Stéphan Oliva
6. Audio commentary with film historians Thomas Elsaesser and Mary Anne Doane

Also recommended:
Secrets of a Soul
Diary of a Lost Girl
Lulu in Hollywood
Louise Brooks: Lulu Forever July 28, 2008

Louise Brooks: Timeless Icon

The only reason I watched this was because I was led to think that this film was highly artistic, and secondly, because of Louise Brooks. I can't say that I was that impressed about the film, but Louise Brook's performance was great. She was so much ahead of her time, and her beauty and appeal would fit into today's modern subcultures as well. July 28, 2008

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