bbmtwist Pandora's Box is one of the most internationally highly regarded silent films of the era. Pabst only equaled this success with his The Love of Jeanne Ney. His direction is solid, certain, full of details, and his actors are uniformly superb. The cinematography is sharp, atmospheric, and well framed. The editing is excellent, although the film suffers a bit by being over long at two hours and thirteen minutes. It could certainly have been tightened by fifteen to twenty minutes with judicial cuts.Francis Lederer as Alwa, the equally ruined son of Dr. Schon, is extremely handsome and a superb actor just beginning his career. Fritz Kortner as Schon is Emil Jannings-like in his depressed and rage-filled introspection at his helplessness to give up Lulu. Alice Roberts as the lesbian Countess Geschwitz, also hopelessly in love with Lulu, gives a restrained and riveting performance, reminding one of Lotte Lenya, but far more attractive. Carl Goetz as Lulu's father is always present and equally reminds one of character actor, George Marion. One can only imagine Jannings, Lenya and Marion in the roles.Michael Newlinsky plays a blackmailing marquis and Gustav Diessl is terrifying as Jack.The most amazing work is delivered by Louise Brooks in the only real performance she ever gave. I have seen almost a dozen of her films and found her only a personality with little dramatic talent. Here as the totally immoral Lulu, who leaves a wake of ruined men behind her, she is full of life, facial expression, and revealing body movement. Brooks herself has been described by someone who knew her as a hedonist, so perhaps she was most at home in this role of all she attempted.It is hard to imagine Garbo in the role. Her characters, who played with and discarded men, did so with a purpose, usually revenge. It is hard to imagine her as being completely immoral and amoral. Dietrich may have well pulled it off and justified the script's irresistibility of the character.The film is divided into eight sections, numbered acts with title cards to announce the beginning and end of each one. They range from 9 minutes to 24 minutes.Although Pabst's films as a rule have no point of view or if they do, it is heavy handed and slammed down at the last minute, he was a successful director of actors, who by reputation adored him. All in all, this is a solid and interesting film of societal conventions and repressions versus an amoral love object, out to enjoy life without a care in the world. The drama comes from the clash between possession and freedom of a free soul. Worth a look.

thinbeach 'Pandora's Box' is what 'It' might have looked had it been written by Erich von Stroheim and directed by FW Murnau. Instead of a romantic comedy, we get a softly lit noir where the sexy flirtatious girl is caught up in a web of crime and devious desires. The Greek myth of Pandora claims her to be a beautiful charming girl who brings evil to all around her, and with Lulu representing Pandora, the film doesn't deviate from this script, although as one misadventure brings about another, we see her get a weighty dose of Karma, and become quite a memorable anti-hero. Just as Lulu's flaws are laid bare however, so are those of the male characters, who one after the other fall for her, and bring their own wickedness to the frame.Not being familiar with the story before watching, and not quite understanding the censorship in place in 1929, I wasn't sure if she was a prostitute or not (it is heavily hinted at, rather than shown explicitly). It made sense in the number of men she lead on, but not in the way they appeared to desire her love and marriage, while another who claimed to be her father acted more like a wannabe over. Even the newly married husband thought he was not father but lover, and wanted to kill because of it. Surely the groom wouldn't make that mistake! The uncertainty made the plot hard to swallow at times, and enticingly mysterious at others, so it was a double edged sword, but either way neither she nor any of the characters are particularly likable. At over two hours the film drags a bit, too much I think for anyone previously unfamiliar with silents, and with Lulu's unlikely escapes from the law, you need to take a few small leaps with the script. To the stories credit however, it is always told through action and dialogue, which is a great improvement on the many title-card reliant silents of the time.Aside from the strong cast performances, the most winning feature is the mood and atmosphere created by GW Pabst and co. The cinematography, particularly in the back half of the film, is stunning, and the shadowy darkness captures the evil lurking beneath, while the softness gives it all a kind of depressing romantic charm, as if to say, even in this sad place, there is beauty. The misty scenes at the end bring to mind Von Sternberg's compellingly shot unromantic romance 'Docks of New York'. The old saying is that you can't polish a turd - ie. you can't make a good film from a poor story- but these types of films provide a case that with strong photography, you can certainly make improvements.

evening1 Lulu grew up in horrible conditions and the only person who comes close to a father figure is an alcoholic pimp. "Too bad," he tells her as Jack the Ripper roams the dusky alleyways of London and they both are starving, "I'd have liked to taste Christmas pudding one more time before I die." Played with incredible sex appeal by Louise Brooks (herself sexually abused as a child, according to Wikipedia), Lulu tries to get by as long as possible banking on her pretty face and adorable figure. Sex gets her everything she wants till she accidentally kills her sugar daddy (the handsome older actor Fritz Kortner). Once this wealthy, sophisticated but ultimately dumb benefactor is out of the picture, Lulu can no longer run away from life's harsh realities. Turning to the only means of survival she has ever known, she becomes a sitting duck for the worst that life has to offer. Having absolutely no compass for trustworthiness -- how could she? -- she trusts the wrong guy. What are we to take from this grim tale? Must birth be destiny? Is life a mere rehearsal for disaster? Let's hope not. Whatever one's circumstances, we can try to lead an examined life and establish a reliable, legal way to earn one's bread. Poor Lulu. Poor Countess Geschwitz (compellingly played by Alice Roberts). I hope this movie lives forever. It's important viewing.

PWNYCNY This is a great movie, not only as an example of cinematic expressionism but as a story. The movie is well-acted, movies along at a brisk pace, has a well-organized story, and has a female lead who is pretty and endearing. She can't help being who she is, and if she gets into trouble it's really not her fault. Louise Brooks is beautiful as the lovely lady Lulu, who is everyone's friend. Of course men are going to love her because she is so lovable. And the rest of the cast is wonderful too. The movie touches on all kinds of themes that would ring true for a contemporary audience, including marital fidelity, jealousy, bisexuality, domestic violence, and class conflict, and does this all within the framework of a coherent story. Although this is a silent movie, it still manages to keep the audience's attention. This movie is proof that a compelling story can be told without sound, and that silent movies, as a genre, are worthy of respect.