Pandora's Box (Silent) (Special Edition) (DVD)

...theatre in town was showing Pandora's Box, the classic movie starring Louise Brooks. It was accompanied by a brand new score played by a live orchestra (the Royal Ballet Sinfonia) and the evening was presented by actor Paul McGann.

Despite expecting it to be rather a niche market, the theatre was packed and the ages ranged from students to the elderly. It was great to see such a variety and everyone seemed to love the experience. ...
...to do.

Pandora's Box is available on DVD though. I bought mine from Amazon for £6.97 and not only does it have the restored and uncut film - lasting two hours eleven minutes - but also an hour long documentary on Louise Brooks too.

But why should you spend your hard-earned cash on an old film anyway? Well, hopefully my review will convince some of you…


THE FILM

Die Buchse der Pandora ... more

On Saturday evening, I had the pleasure of watching a 1920s silent film on the big screen! A theatre in town was showing Pandora's Box, the classic movie starring Louise Brooks. It was accompanied by a brand new score played by a live orchestra (the Royal Ballet Sinfonia) and the evening was presented by actor Paul McGann.

Despite expecting it to be rather a niche market, the theatre was packed and the ages ranged from students to the elderly. It was great to see such a variety and everyone seemed to love the experience. Silent films are rarely - if ever - shown on TV and even if they are, seeing it on a big screen - as it was intended to be shown - is quite a special thing to do.

Pandora's Box is available on DVD though. I bought mine from Amazon for £6.97 and not only does it have the restored and uncut film - lasting two hours eleven minutes - but also an hour long documentary on Louise Brooks too.

But why should you spend your hard-earned cash on an old film anyway? Well, hopefully my review will convince some of you…

THE FILM

Die Buchse der Pandora (as it was originally known, being German) was released in 1929. The DVD gives you the option to watch it with English or German dialogue cards. Apart from the main star Louise Brooks, who was American, the cast are mainly German actors, as is the film's famous director Georg Wilhelm Pabst.

The film caused a huge stir when it was released, being banned in several countries and heavily censored everywhere else. These days, of course, the whole film is available and is rather tame, nowadays only rated a PG. Its themes include sex, prostitution, infidelity, lesbianism, violence and murder - definitely a bit risky for the late 1920s!

The main attraction of the film for me was Louise Brooks herself. She has an amazing appeal and really works the camera beautifully, drawing your attention towards her in every shot. She is not only beautiful, but has great facial expressions and conveys so many emotions without words. Watching this film made me realise she is really one of the all time great actresses.

Louise plays Lulu, who on the face of things has a tragic life, but she enjoys it and certainly doesn't come across as a victim. She is a prostitute, living on her earnings and the patronage of the older Dr Peter Schon (played by Fritz Kortner). Things seem to be going according to plan, until Schon announces he is going to get married. Lulu is upset and annoyed by this, so plots to get him to change his mind and marry her.

Without wishing to give too much away, as this is a film full of shocks and surprises, Schon finally marries Lulu, but things are not happy. Every time he looks away, it seems Lulu ends up in the arms of another man and the jealousy is destroying him. This has tragic consequences which end up with Lulu on the run with Schon's son, Alwa (played by the rather handsome Francis Lederer).

The movie moves to different settings and different countries, the final part being played out in London in the time of Jack the Ripper (despite Lulu being very much of the 1920s!). The black and white is used very effectively, especially for the more frightening or tense parts, when shadows and light are used brilliantly. Needless to say, Louise Brooks looks stunning in light or shade!

The acting is of a very high quality throughout, although I did find the character of Schigolch (Carl Goetz) rather annoying - but I think he is supposed to be. Lulu's first patron (cough), he turns up later on, back to downing alcohol, cuddling Lulu on his lap and exhibiting selfish behaviour. He has the last laugh though, as he is the only character who really survives intact.

As the title of the film would suggest, Lulu is a Pandora's Box - you experience her pleasures, only to pay for it later. Everyone else who falls for her charms ends up dead, destroyed, a criminal or some equally awful fate - except for Schigolch, who is happy with his lot throughout.

Pandora's Box is a remarkable film for so many reasons - Louise herself, the adult themes, being so advanced for its age (and therefore, not appreciated until its re-release decades later) and for introducing the first lesbian character in a film - Countess Anna Geschwitz (played beautifully by Alice Roberts), who also loves Lulu and would do anything to help her.

The film features such a strong female lead in Lulu. Throughout the film, she is able to manipulate people to get what she wants and while this might not be the nicest trait, you can't help but admire her feistiness, determination and guts!

It is accepted that Louise Brooks was playing herself in many ways in this role and this went against her in several ways, leading to Louise's early retirement from films and years as a recluse. But I would also argue that this same spirit led to her living a long life, dying at the age of 78 in 1985.

The film is fascinating - a commentary on the 1920s and what was allowed (or not!) to be shown on the big screen at the time. It is an interesting story with complex plot twists and surprises.

I soon got into the idea of making up my own story from the actors' faces and physical movements, rather than our modern day 'lazy' way of listening to the dialogue. It is surprising how far our films have come in the last eighty years or so, but in some ways, actors can said to be lazier now. They can convey so much with a script and don't need to be so reliant on their expressions.

Louise Brooks was excellent at this and I am sure it will be her image that you remember the clearest, after watching the movie. My husband and I found her very watchable. Hubby did complain slightly that the film was rather bleak and depressing, but overall, there are many light moments, plenty of comedy, dancing and humorous bits. It does have a dark undertone, but I didn't find it depressing myself.

Overall, I would definitely recommend it. I now plan to buy another Louise Brooks film on DVD - Diary of a Lost Girl is also available from Amazon for £11.98.

LOOKING FOR LULU

Louise Brooks lived a fascinating life - an early career as a dancer, followed by thirteen years in the movies. Then her 'wilderness years' where she lived in a small flat with few friends and a penchant for drowning her sorrows. Her 'rediscovery' followed and she came back into the public eye and carved out a successful career as a writer and critic.

Looking For Lulu is an hour-long documentary about Louise's life. It features interviews with family members, co-stars and people who knew here - including Pandora's Box co-star Francis Lederer, who died in 2000 aged 100.

There are also clips of an interview with Louise herself from 1976. She looks so different, almost unrecognizable, as she is so slim and her hair is long and grey. But her opinions are freely given with honesty and are fascinating to listen to. Her voice is strong and strident and even in her seventies, she comes across as a formidable woman who would happily put anyone in their place!

There are still photos and film clips included throughout, so you get to see Louise as she grows and changes. I especially enjoyed the clip of her from Overland Stage Raiders. Although this was her last film, in 1938, she acts with a young John Wayne and she looks quite different with longer hair, but still has that special something that the camera captured so well.

The only disadvantage to this documentary is that it is very American in its style - rather clichéd at times, as though following a series of tabloid headlines. It is narrated by Shirley Maclaine, but her voice grates after a while too. It is well worth sitting through though, as you will discover a lot about Louise's life.

FURTHER READING

If you are interested in Louise Brooks, I would recommend you buy her book Lulu In Hollywood (£8.86 from Amazon, but I got mine from Ebay), which is her view of the Hollywood 'machine' - warts and all, of course - and the biography by Barry Paris (£10.42 from Amazon).

She led a fascinating life, was an extremely talented and beautiful woman and deserves to be remembered. 

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