Showing posts with label Pandora's Box. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pandora's Box. Show all posts

Sunday, March 10, 2024

Pandora's Box, starring Louise Brooks, screens in Houston, Texas on March 24th

Lulu continues to get around.... The newly released digital restoration of the sensational 1929 silent film, Pandora's Box, starring Louise Brooks as Lulu, will be shown on Sunday, March 24th at 5:00 pm in the Brown Auditorium Theater at the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, Texas. This screening of the digital restoration includes a musical soundtrack by the late composer Peer Raben. More information about this event can be found HERE.


And here is what the event venue says:

Early German cinema master G. W. Pabst cast Ziegfeld girl Louise Brooks, whose legend was defined by this stylish and controversial melodrama. One of silent cinema’s great masterworks and a testament to Brooks’s dazzling individuality, Pandora’s Box follows the downward spiral of the fiery, brash, yet innocent showgirl Lulu, whose sexual vivacity has a devastating effect on everyone she meets. Digital restoration includes a musical soundtrack by the late composer Peer Raben (2046; Querelle).

Digital restoration from best surviving 35mm material (1952, 1964, and 1970 duplicate elements) by Haghefilm Conservation, with archival sponsorship and FIAF coordination by the George Eastman House and the collaboration of the Cinémathèque Française, Cineteca del comune di Bologna, Národní filmový archiv, and Gosfilmofond of Russia. Restoration conceived and supervised by Martin Koerber and funded by Hugh M. Hefner.


Want to lean more? A big, newly updated page about Pandora's Box can be found on the newly improved Louise Brooks Society website. Click on the film title to access the LBS filmography page devoted to the movie.

THE LEGAL STUFF: The Louise Brooks Society™ blog is authored by Thomas Gladysz, Director of the Louise Brooks Society  (www.pandorasbox.com). Original contents copyright © 2024. Further unauthorized use prohibited. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Saturday, March 2, 2024

Pandora's Box, starring Louise Brooks, screens March 12th with live musical accompaniment by Ben Model

Lulu sure does get around.... Pandora's Box, the sensational 1929 (not 1933) film starring Louise Brooks, will be shown on Tuesday, March 12th at 7:30 PM at the Cinema Arts Centre on Long Island in Huntington, New York. And what's more, this special event will feature live musical accompaniment by Ben Model. More information about this screening can be found HERE.

Here is what the venue says about this just announced event.  

PANDORA’S BOX (1933) - starring Louise Brooks - new restoration, with live score by Ben Model!

Anything But Silent
PANDORA’S BOX
Tuesday, March 12th at 7:30 PM
With live accompaniment by Ben Model

G. W. Pabst’s sensationally modern and controversial melodrama, Pandora’s Box, defined the legendary persona of star Louise Brooks, solidifying her as ‘the' icon of the Jazz Age, and propelling her to international acclaim. The film, from one of the masters of early German cinema, follows the downward spiral of the brash, yet innocent showgirl Lulu, whose sexual vivacity has a devastating effect on everyone she meets. Daring and stylish, Pandora's Box is one of silent cinema's great masterworks and a testament to Brooks' dazzling individuality. (1929, 133 mins)

Presented courtesy of Janus Films. Restored from the best surviving 35mm elements at Haghefilm Conservation under the supervision of the Deutsche Kinemathek with the cooperation of George Eastman Museum, the Cinémathèque Française, Cineteca di Bologna, Národní filmový archiv, and Gosfilmofond. 
 
Want to lean more? A big, newly updated page about Pandora's Box can be found on the newly improved Louise Brooks Society website. Click on the film title to access the LBS filmography page devoted to the movie.

THE LEGAL STUFF: The Louise Brooks Society™ blog is authored by Thomas Gladysz, Director of the Louise Brooks Society  (www.pandorasbox.com). Original contents copyright © 2024. Further unauthorized use prohibited. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Saturday, February 24, 2024

Pandora's Box, starring Louise Brooks, screens at UW Cinematheque FREE

The Janus Films restoration of Pandora's Box, starring Louise Brooks, will be shown at the University of Wisconsin Cinematheque today - February 24 at 7 pm. This screening of the restored 141 minute 2K DCP will take place at 4070 Vilas Hall in Madison, Wisconsin and will be accompanied on live piano by David Drazin. And what's more, it is FREE. More information can be found HERE.

The UW Cinematheque event description reads, "Brooks plays Lulu, heroine of Frank Wedekind’s beloved German plays. An innocently immoral sexual predator, Lulu discards and destroys men as she tries to get ahead…until she meets Jack the Ripper. After a series of nondescript flapper films, the American Brooks abandoned Hollywood in favor of artistically richer projects in Europe. She emerged a screen icon through her work on Pandora’s Box, Pabst’s masterpiece of silent cinema."

I think that is the first time I have ever seen Wedekind's plays described as "beloved." Perhaps a better word would be "classic" or "highly regarded." Also, this venue and all the others screening the film are describing the film's restoration as "new." It is not. Unless I am mistaken, the restoration dates to 2009. A better word or phrase would be "newly released."


Want to lean more? A big, newly updated page about Pandora's Box can be found on the new and improved Louise Brooks Society website. Click on the film title to access the LBS filmography page devoted to the movie.

THE LEGAL STUFF: The Louise Brooks Society™ blog is authored by Thomas Gladysz, Director of the Louise Brooks Society  (www.pandorasbox.com). Original contents copyright © 2024. Further unauthorized use prohibited. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Saturday, February 3, 2024

Pandora's Box, starring Louise Brooks, in Pittsburgh, PA on March 3

The Lindsay Theater & Cultural Center in partnership with the Pittsburgh Silent Film Society are set to screen Pandora's Box, starring Louise Brooks, on March 3 at 3:00 pm. This just announced screening of the most recent, 2009 restoration of the classic silent film will feature live musical accompaniment by Ben Opie and Mark Micchelli. More information about this event can be found HERE.

Additional information and ticket availability can be found HERE.

The event description from the Lindsay Theater website states: " One of the masters of early German cinema, G. W. Pabst had an innate talent for discovering actresses (including Greta Garbo). And perhaps none of his female stars shone brighter than Kansas native and onetime Ziegfeld girl Louise Brooks, whose legendary persona was defined by Pabst's lurid, controversial melodrama Pandora's Box. Sensationally modern, the film follows the downward spiral of the fiery, brash, yet innocent showgirl Lulu, whose sexual vivacity has a devastating effect on everyone she comes in contact with. Daring and stylish, Pandora's Box is one of silent cinema's great masterworks and a testament to Brooks's dazzling individuality." 

UPDATE 2-16-2024: An article about this event, "The Lindsay Theater to Screen Silent Film Masterpiece Pandora’s Box, With Live Music, March 3," appeared in the Sewickley Herald.

Want to lean more? A big, newly updated page about Pandora's Box can be found on the new and improved Louise Brooks Society website. Click on the film title to access the LBS filmography page devoted to the movie. 

THE LEGAL STUFF: The Louise Brooks Society™ blog is authored by Thomas Gladysz, Director of the Louise Brooks Society  (www.pandorasbox.com). Original contents copyright © 2024. Further unauthorized use prohibited. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. 

Monday, January 29, 2024

Pandora's Box, starring Louise Brooks, at Film Forum in NYC Feb 14 - Feb 20

In a previous Louise Brooks Society blog post, I noted that the 2009 restoration of Pandora's Box will receive a theatrical release through Janus Films. This release is meant for exhibitors like the Toronto Silent Film Festival - who will be screening the 2009 restoration on April 12 in Canada. See the prior LBS blog for details.

As it turns out, the Janus theatrical release will debut at Film Forum in New York City on February 14. And what's more, the film is set to run an entire week, through February 20. More about this historic event can be found HERE.

Here is some additional information about this week long screening from the Film Forum website.

Germany, 1929
Directed by G.W. Pabst
Starring Louise Brooks, Fritz Kortner, Francis Lederer
Music by Peer Raben
Approx. 141 min. DCP Restoration.


Sex in the City — Weimar Berlin: in the wake of Louise Brooks’ patent leather-bobbed Lulu, men set up sleek Deco love nests, ruin themselves gambling, and commit both murder and suicide, as she moves from kept woman, showgirl, Lesbian love interest, widow, convicted criminal, fugitive, and possible sex slave; amid a bustling backdrop of life in post-war, pre-Hitler Germany. Pabst’s adaptation of the Wedekind plays plucked Brooks from a waning career as Hollywood flapper to European art film goddess. One of the last masterpieces of the cinema’s most exciting era — with Brooks’ Lulu taking her place as one of the screen’s most enduring creations. Orchestral musical score composed by Peer Raben.

Restored from the best surviving 35mm elements at Haghefilm Conservation under the supervision of the Deutsche Kinemathek, with the cooperation of George Eastman Museum, and the collaboration of the Cinémathèque Française, Cineteca di Bologna, Czech Film Archive, and Gosfilmofond

With support from the R.G. Rifkind Foundation Endowment for Queer Cinema


The Film Forum page also quotes the esteemed film critic David Thomas. It's a rather delicious quote.

“ONE OF THE MOST COMPLETE, ECSTATIC, IMPETUOUS AND RECKLESS PERFORMANCES ANYONE HAD EVER GIVEN ON SCREEN! [Brooks] makes Marlene Dietrich in THE BLUE ANGEL seem coy and calculated… Brooks is a flame fluttering in the wind of her own breath. She is danger as it had not been seen or felt before.”
– David Thomson, Moments That Made the Movies
 
Want to lean more? A big, juicy page about Pandora's Box can be found on the new and improved Louise Brooks Society website. Click on the film title to access the LBS filmography page devoted to the movie. 
 
I would say more, but I need to get back to work on my next book, Lulu in America: the Lost History of Louise Brooks and Pandora's Box. This book, which I hope to have completed later this year, explores the film's rich, textured and improbably undocumented history in the United States, including New York City. The basis for my book is an article, “'Sin Lust Evil' in America: Louise Brooks and the Exhibition History of Pandora’s Box (1929)," which I wrote for Film International last April. Stay tuned to this channel for updates.


THE LEGAL STUFF: The Louise Brooks Society™ blog is authored by Thomas Gladysz, Director of the Louise Brooks Society  (www.pandorasbox.com). Original contents copyright © 2024. Further unauthorized use prohibited. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Sunday, January 28, 2024

Sunday Silents Presents Pandora’s Box (1929), starring Louise Brooks, in Rosendale, NY

One week from today, Pandora's Box, starring Louise Brooks, will be shown at the Rosendale theater in Rosendale, New York. This screening, part of the theater's Sunday Silent series, will feature live musical accompaniment by Marta Waterman. More information about this February 4th event can be found HERE.

There was an article about this screening in the local Shawangunk Journal, which can be found HERE. According to the Rosendale theater website: "In this acclaimed German silent film, Lulu (played to perfection by the luminous American actress Louise Brooks) is a young woman so beautiful and alluring that few can resist her siren charms. The men drawn into her web include respectable newspaper publisher Dr. Ludwig Schön, his musical producer son Alwa , circus performer Rodrigo Quast and Lulu’s seedy old friend, Schigolch. When Lulu’s charms inevitably lead to tragedy, the downward spiral encompasses them all. Marked by GW Pabst’s innovative, atmospheric direction and a surprisingly modern storyline, Pandora’s Box ultimately owes its power to Louise Brooks’ monumental, iconic performance.

Sunday Silents is made possible by the generous support of Jim Demaio, State Farm Insurance Agent, New Paltz. $6 | NR | With live accompaniment by Marta Waterman | 1 Hour 49 Minutes."


The historic Rosendale Theatre is a three-story, 260-seat movie theater and performance venue in Rosendale Village, a hamlet and former village in the town of Rosendale in Ulster County, New York. The building was opened as a casino in 1905, and began showing films in the 1920s. I did a quick search to try and find any record of this charming old venue having shown any of Louise Brooks' American silent films in the 1920s, but was unable to track down any listings. However, back in 2017, the theater screened the other 1929 Louise Brooks film, Diary of a Lost Girl. More about that 2017 event can be found HERE.

Want to lean more? A big, juicy page about Pandora's Box can be found on the new and improved Louise Brooks Society website. Click on the film title to access the LBS filmography page devoted to the movie. Below is the promo video associated with this screening.


THE LEGAL STUFF: The Louise Brooks Society™ blog is authored by Thomas Gladysz, Director of the Louise Brooks Society  (www.pandorasbox.com). Original contents copyright © 2024. Further unauthorized use prohibited. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Saturday, January 27, 2024

Restoration of Pandora's Box to Receive Theatrical Release

The recent restoration of Pandora's Box, the acclaimed 1929 silent film starring Louise Brooks, will receive an American theatrical release through Janus Films on February 14th. (This release is meant for exhibitors like the Toronto Silent Film Festival - who will be screening this version of the film on April 12. See the prior LBS blog. ) 

Seemingly, hopefully, a Criterion Collection DVD / Blu-ray can't be far behind - though no specific release information has been posted. I emailed Janus but have yet to hear back. More information about this exciting news can be found HERE.

Unless I am mistaken, this same version of the film was recently released on Blu-ray in the UK by Eureka Entertainment. (See my Pop Matters article on that release). It was restored from the best surviving 35mm elements at Haghefilm Conservation under the supervision of the Deutsche Kinemathek with the cooperation of George Eastman Museum, the Cinémathèque Française, Cineteca di Bologna, Národní filmový archiv, and Gosfilmofond. As I stated in my Pop Matters article, in all likelihood, this restoration is the best version of the film we may see in our lifetime.

However, I noticed one significant difference. Notably, the Eureka release run time was given as 133 minutes. The run time on this version is given as 141 minutes. Below is the Janus Films trailer for those who would like a sneak peak.

 


While I am very excited that this 2009 restoration of Pandora's Box will be screened and hopefully released in the United States, I am concerned about some of the SLOPPY writing found in the press materials. 

The Louise Brooks Biography included in the Press Notes, for example, is riddled with factual errors. I count five or six. Here is one: Louise Brooks did NOT join the Denishawn Dance Company in Los Angeles, as the biography states. She went to New York City, as stated in the Barry Paris biography and as depicted in The Chaperone.

Likewise, the Production History essay makes a few questionable (read inaccurate) conclusions, as when it claim that "in 2012, the seventeenth San Francisco Silent Film Festival screened Pabst’s completely restored masterpiece in all its glory." Yes, it was glorious. I was there. But to state that the film is "completely restored" suggest this is the film Pabst released in 1929. IT AIN'T. As they stand, these notes should be corrected asap.

I hope that they do not accompany any home video release. As with the marred Eureka release (see this 1-12-2024 LBS blog), the film world doesn't need any more inaccurate information. In this day and age, getting it right is important. Facts matter. And getting it wrong has repercussions. I could imagine someone defending their claim that Brooks went to Los Angles in 1922 or that Pandora's Box is now complete since they saw it on the Janus website, or in the liner notes to a later release. Look what happened to the London Times, when they reviewed the Eureka release and made use of the publicity materials they were no doubt given. They got it wrong because the company they got their press materials from got it wrong. 

Want to read more about the film? Visit the Pandora's Box filmography page in the Louise Brooks Society website.

 
THE LEGAL STUFF: The Louise Brooks Society™ blog is authored by Thomas Gladysz, Director of the Louise Brooks Society  (www.pandorasbox.com). Original contents copyright © 2024. Further unauthorized use prohibited. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Wednesday, January 24, 2024

Pandora's Box, starring Louise Brooks, opens Toronto Silent Film Festival

The Toronto Silent Film Festival has announced that it will screen the 1929 classic, Pandora's Box, as its opening film at its upcoming Festival, which is set to take place April 12-14, 2024. More information may be found HERE.

The event description reads "Today, Pandora’s Box is rightly celebrated as one of silent cinema’s greatest masterpieces. Brilliantly directed by G. W. Pabst, it's a dark, beautiful film filled with meticulous attention to details, fluid camera work, expressive lighting and, of course, the potent performance by Louise Brooks as Lulu. Lulu is a woman who is driven by her desires and in her wake she leaves a trail of destruction and even death. 

For many, this is the only performance by Louise Brooks that they've ever seen, and now, with the latest restoration, her beauty, power and presence makes it even more memorable. 

133 minutes / Live accompaniment by Marilyn Lerner."

This screening will be held at the 150 seat Revue Theater in Toronto, Canada. The Festival describes the event as a "Toronto Restoration Premiere-A TSFF exclusive screening." I've sent them an email for clarification as to the nature of this restoration. I will post-edit an update here when I hear back. 

A volunteer run not-for-profit, Toronto Silent Film Festival screens the Silent Film era's most compelling films and pairs them with talented silent film accompanists. Other films set to screened at this year's Toronto Silent Film Festival include The Mark of Zorro (1920), West of Zanzibar (1928), So This is Paris (1926), and Sherlock Jr. (1924). 

THE LEGAL STUFF: The Louise Brooks Society™ blog is authored by Thomas Gladysz, Director of the Louise Brooks Society  (www.pandorasbox.com). Original contents copyright © 2024. Further unauthorized use prohibited. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Friday, January 12, 2024

The Troubled History of Pandora’s Box, a review of the new Blu-ray release starring Louise Brooks

Pop Matters has just published my new piece on Pandora's Box, the once controversial 1929 film starring Louise Brooks. My article is a review of the recent Eureka Entertainment release of the film on Blu-ray in the UK. My article can be found HERE.


Pandora’s Box has long had a troubled history. There have been controversies, censorship, and critical disdain, as well as the loss of the original negative. The film that has come down to us today is only an approximation of the film G.W. Pabst made in Germany during the silent era. Yet still, it remains a powerful piece of early cinema. Over the years, versions of the film have been released on VHS, DVD, and Blu-ray all around the world. The best of them, up until now, may well have been the Criterion Collection release from 2006. 

As I mention near the beginning of my article, "This release is notable on a couple of accounts. It marks the film’s first-ever release on Blu-ray in England, and it marks the first-ever release anywhere of the Hugh Hefner-funded Martin Kroeber-Deutsche Kinemathek restoration completed in 2009. In all likelihood, this 133-minute, 2K digital restoration is the best version of the film we may see in our lifetime." 

As a silent film buff, as Louise Brooks fan, and as an admirer of G.W. Pabst's film, I am very glad that Eureka released the film on Blu-ray; however, I am just as disappointed in some of the bonus material included in this limited edition release. To learn exactly what disappointed me, and what I had to say about it, you will have to read my article, "The Troubled History of Silent Film Pandora’s Box."

In short, I point to factual errors and the inclusion of images that are 1) not from Pandora's Box, and 2) not Louise Brooks. 

Regarding my first point, the use of images from Diary of a Lost Girl in a booklet about Pandora's Box; I should mention something I didn't mention in my that article -- that Eureka is not alone in this blunder. Criterion beat them too it years ago in the booklet which accompanied their 2006 release of an earlier restoration of the film. See page 48 of "Reflections on Pandora's Box", the booklet which accompanies the Criterion box set. 

Regarding my second point, the use of images in a video essay about Louise Brooks which do not actually depict Louise Brooks; I don't know why, but Pop Matters didn't run the images in question, which I submitted to them along with my article. Nevertheless, here they are -- two images of two girls, both of whom happen to have bobbed hair and resemble, in a general way, the future actress. I would guess both images date from the 1920s.Both are anonymous images from the time, one a studio portrait, the other a snapshot.

Despite my reservations regarding some of the bonus material, this Eureka release is something special – and is recommended. It is worth noting that it is a limited-edition release numbering only 3,000 copies. If you’re thinking of purchasing a copy of this silent film masterpiece, don’t hesitate – even if that means purchasing a multi-region Blu-ray player to view it, as I did.

As I allude to in my Pop Matters article, I was fortunate enough to have seen this version of Pandora's Box on the BIG screen of the Castro theater as part of the 2012 San Francisco Silent Film Festival. Read more about that historic screening in "The Preservationist and the Playboy: Restoring Pandora’s Box," an article in the 2012 SFSFF program. I remember sitting next to Brooksie (fellow Louise Brooks devotee and Camille Scaysbrook.), and both of us being thrilled at this print of the film -- as if we were seeing it anew. By the way, I wrote an essay on the film for that year's SFSFF program, which you can read HERE.

You can see the look of awe on my face when I met the production team behind the Hugh Hefner-funded Martin Kroeber-Deutsche Kinemathek restoration of Pandora's Box, David Ferguson (left) and Angela Holm (right). That's me in the middle looking gobsmacked. I thanked them for their great work, and we spoke a little about what went into this restoration. I recall David called me "the keeper of the flame."

We all make mistakes. I know, I make plenty of them. I hope I don't come off too complainy, either in my Pop Matters article or in this follow-up blog, but the inaccurate stuff I see online -- not to mention all of the clickbait, fake news, and sloppy reporting -- irritate me. In this day and age, getting it right is important. Facts matter. And getting it wrong has repercussions, as when a seller lists a picture of Louise Brooks on eBay which isn't Louise Brooks, and then it gets retweeted or posted on Facebook, or when the London Times reviewed the Eureka release of Pandora's Box and ran a scene still from Diary of a Lost Girl.

THE LEGAL STUFF: The Louise Brooks Society™ blog is authored by Thomas Gladysz, Director of the Louise Brooks Society  (www.pandorasbox.com). Original contents copyright © 2024. Further unauthorized use prohibited. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Saturday, October 28, 2023

Pandora’s Box (Limited Edition Box Set) starring Louise Brooks due out October 30

Eureka Entertainment's Blu-ray release of Pandora's Box, starring Louise Brooks, is due out on October 30th. This limited edition box set, which is limited to 3000 copies, is a UK release, which means it may not play on American Blu-ray players, i.e. you would need a region free player. (I ordered mine as soon as it was released, and just received my copy. I plan on writing a review next month.) More information on this new release can be found HERE.


The trailer for this new release, shown below, can be found on VIMEO. Otherwise, here is some information from Eureka: 

In a role intended at one point for Marlene Dietrich (The Blue Angel), 22 year-old Louise Brooks (Diary of a Lost Girl), with her fragile beauty and iconic dark bob hairstyle, gives a performance decades ahead of its time and immortalised her as an icon. Largely condemned and censored upon its initial release for its daring treatment of sexuality and female desire, Brooks’ understated yet erotically charged performance, endures as among the most modern of the silent era.

Adapted from a pair of plays by Frank Wedekind, Pandora’s Box tells the story of prostitute Lulu, a free spirit whose open sexuality breeds chaos in its wake. When Lulu’s latest lover, the newspaper editor Dr. Ludwig Schon (Fritz Kortner, The Hands of Orlac), announces plans to leave her to marry a more respectable woman, Lulu is devastated. Cast in a musical revue written by Schon’s son, Alwa (Francis Lederer, The Return of Dracula), Lulu seduces Schon once more — only to have their tryst exposed, and Schon’s plans for a more socially acceptable marriage shattered. Left with no choice but to marry Lulu, Schon meets with tragedy on their wedding night. Lulu stands trial for the incident, facing years of imprisonment. With the aid of her former pimp (Carl Goetz, Tom Sawyer) an infatuated lesbian countess (Alice Roberts, The Merry Widower), and Alwa, she flees toward a fate of increasing squalor and peril, finally crossing paths one Christmas Eve with Jack the Ripper.

Reviled and bowdlerised at its debut, Pandora’s Box has since been recognised as one of the masterpieces of early German cinema. A sordid melodrama made with great style, it affirms G.W. Pabst as a daring and important director and Louise Brooks as one of cinema’s most exquisite and distinctive performers. The Masters of Cinema series is proud to present Pabst’s masterpiece in a new restoration on Blu-ray for the first time in the UK.

SPECIAL FEATURES

  • Limited Edition Box Set - 3000 Copies
  • Limited Edition Hardcase featuring artwork by Tony Stella
  • Limited Edition 60-Page Book featuring new writing on the film by critics Alexandra Heller Nicholas, Imogen Sara Smith, and Richard Combs; alongside archival stills and imagery
  • 1080p HD presentation on Blu-ray from a definitive 2K digital restoration
  • Optional English subtitles
  • Orchestral Score by Peer Raben
  • New audio commentary by critic Pamela Hutchinson
  • New visual appreciation by author and critic Kat Ellinger
  • New video essay by David Cairns
  • New video essay by Fiona Watson

One earlier Eureka release in their Masters of Cinema Series is their duel-format edition (DVD & Blu-ray) of Diary of a Lost Girl (Tagebuch einer Verlorenen), which came out a few years ago. More information on it can be found HERE.

THE LEGAL STUFF: The Louise Brooks Society™ blog is authored by Thomas Gladysz, Director of the Louise Brooks Society  (www.pandorasbox.com). Original contents copyright © 2023. Further unauthorized use prohibited. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Tuesday, October 24, 2023

Pandora's Box, starring Louise Brooks, to screen in Youngstown, Ohio on October 29

Pandora's Box, the frequently revived 1929 silent film starring Louise Brooks, will be shown at the Stambaugh Auditorium in Youngstown, Ohio on Sunday, October 29th at 2:30 pm. Live musical accompaniment for this event, which is expected to draw more than 1500 people, will be provided by Jay Spencer. More information about this event can be found HERE.


Here is some more information about this special screening from the host website: 

"Pandora’s Box is a 1928 1929 silent film based on two plays by Frank Wedekind; Earth Spirit and Pandora’s Box. Louise Brooks plays Lulu, who is a wickedly charming showgirl and the mistress of a wealthy publisher, Dr Ludwig Schön. A tragic series of events is set into motion when Schön finds Lulu entertaining another man. In his attempt to end his relationship with Lulu, Schön confesses he is engaged to another woman. An intense argument results in Lulu shooting and killing him. Now on the run, Lulu’s downward spiral devastates everyone around her.

Organist Jay Spencer has been playing the organ at the Canton Palace Theatre since the early 90s, and performing with Silent films there for thirteen years. In addition to performing on the organ, Spencer has also spent a great deal of time volunteering at the Palace Theatre, from concessions to ticket taker, he says he 'loves everything about it [the theatre]'.  Spencer prepares his repertoire for silent film accompaniment by watching the film several times and then utilizing popular music from the era to compliment the themes and characters of the films. 

The E.M. Skinner Pipe Organ, Opus 582 is the only remaining Skinner organ in the area. The organ features a four manual consoles, 67 stops, and nearly four thousand pipes that vary from the smallest which is the size and weight of a #2 pencil to the largest which is 30 inches by 32 feet and weighs 750 pounds. There are 58 ranks altogether."

Built in 1926, the Stambaugh Auditorium is a grand space. I wish I could be there. Tickets are on sale now on the Stambaugh Auditorium website. Tickets cost $7 with a $3 service fee, and refreshments will be available to purchase.


THE LEGAL STUFF: The Louise Brooks Society™ blog is authored by Thomas Gladysz, Director of the Louise Brooks Society  (www.pandorasbox.com). Original contents copyright © 2023. Further unauthorized use prohibited. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Wednesday, October 18, 2023

Loulou (aka Pandora's Box) airs on French television tonight

Loulou (aka Pandora's Box) will be shown on French television tonight at 8:50 pm on the Ciné+ Classic station. An article in L'Obs describes the film as "One of the most legendary films in the history of cinema." The article goes on to state (in translation) "Louise Brooks, who plays the main role, has become the very symbol of evil beauty, devastating sexuality and, thanks to her (unusual) physique, the most toxic passion." The L'Obs article, « Loulou », naissance d’une femme fatale, can be found HERE

Curiously, the article describes Brooks hairstyle as a "pixie haircut," and also claims that the Nazi's "burned" the film. I think they might mean censored. Here is an old French advert for the film.


If you don't live in France or can't catch the film on television, take note that the film will released on Blu-ray in the UK at the end of the month. This forthcoming release is part of the Masters of Cinema series from Eureka. More information can be found HERE.


THE LEGAL STUFF: The Louise Brooks Society™ blog is authored by Thomas Gladysz, Director of the Louise Brooks Society  (www.pandorasbox.com). Original contents copyright © 2023. Further unauthorized use prohibited. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.


Tuesday, October 10, 2023

New Novel Imagine's Life of Director G.W. Pabst

I am beginning to see articles about a new novel imagining the life of German director G. W. Pabst. Lichtspiel, by the internationally acclaimed German writer Daniel Kehlmann, is already being termed a "masterpiece." (As of now, the book is not available in the United States.)

The novel largely focuses on the years in which the Austrian-born Pabst, unable to leave Germany, continued making films while the Nazi regime was in power. Pabst's earlier life, including the years in which he made films with Garbo, Asta Nielsen, and Louise Brooks, is depicted in flashbacks.

Here are links to articles about the new book in the Berliner Morgenpost, the Basler Zeitung, NZZ Magazin, and Falter. Notably, each of these (and other) reviews make mention of "„Die Büchse der Pandora“ die US-amerikanische Schauspielerin Louise Brooks."

 

Kehlmann's novel Die Vermessung der Welt (translated into English as Measuring the World, 2006) is the best selling book in the German language since Patrick Süskind's Perfume was released in 1985. According to The New York Times, it was the world's second-best selling novel in 2006.

His subsequent novels reached the number one spot on German bestseller list, and each were translated into English. Interestingly, Kehlmann collaborated with Jonathan Franzen and Paul Reitter on Franzen's 2013 book The Kraus Project, a book of translations of Karl Kraus's essays. Notably, in 1904, Kraus aided Frank Wedekind in his first ever staging in Vienna of his controversial play Pandora's Box, which was later turned in a film directed by Frank Wedekind and starring Louise Brooks.

Louise Brooks, second from left, with G.W. Pabst, far right (though he was a leftist).

THE LEGAL STUFF: The Louise Brooks Society™ blog is authored by Thomas Gladysz, Director of the Louise Brooks Society  (www.pandorasbox.com). Original contents copyright © 2023. Further unauthorized use prohibited. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Sunday, May 14, 2023

Pandora's Box booklet from the San Francisco Silent Film Festival Presentation

Here's a new Louise Brooks collectible - the San Francisco Silent Film Festival booklet for the May 6th showing of Pandora's Box at the Paramount Theatre in Oakland, California. This attractive, illustrated, thirteen page program booklet contains information about the two musical ensembles, the Clubfoot Orchestra and San Francisco Conservatory of Music, which accompanied the presentation, as well as two essays, "Pandora's Box" by Pamela Hutchinson, and "Why Did He Want Her?" by David Thomson. 

The program also includes "Special thanks to Ira M. Resnick for underwriting this program. And thanks to the Louise Brooks Society for the use of so many lovely images." 


THE LEGAL STUFF: The Louise Brooks Society™ blog is authored by Thomas Gladysz, Director of the Louise Brooks Society  (www.pandorasbox.com). Original contents copyright © 2023. Further unauthorized use prohibited. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Wednesday, May 10, 2023

Report from Saturday's showing of Pandora's Box at the Paramount Theater

A number of pictures from Saturday's screening of Pandora's Box at the Paramount theater have been added to my article, "Lulu By the Bay", on Eat Drink Films. Included among them is this stunning snapshot by Gary Meyer of the facade of the Paramount. 

My piece on Eat Drink Films is a micro-look at the exhibition history of the film in the San Francisco Bay Area. That article compliments another new piece of mine on Film International titled, “'Sin Lust Evil' in America: Louise Brooks and the Exhibition History of Pandora’s Box (1929)", a macro-look at the exhibition history of Pandora's Box in the United States. 

A number of other snapshots (both exterior and interior) of the gorgeous Paramount theater have shown  up on Facebook, including this one below from Sacramento film goer Michael D. Jackson, who allowed me to share this pic which he took at the Paramount. In these trying times, this put a smile on my face - my name on the big screen! (My Paramount theater debut!) Thank you Michael. 

And thank you to the San Francisco Silent Film Festival on behalf of Louise Brooks fans everywhere for screening this film and keeping Louise Brooks' name out there. This screening got some major press in the Bay Area, including this article in the San Francisco Chronicle. Louise Brooks is certainly a Bay Area favorite.


Michael
also shot this 'swonderful video of the Paramount theater. Regrettably, this is what I missed dealing with other matters (you know what). I have also learned that a program booklet was published, copies of which are being sent to me. I am looking forward to receiving them.


THE LEGAL STUFF: The Louise Brooks Society™ blog is authored by Thomas Gladysz, Director of the Louise Brooks Society  (www.pandorasbox.com). Original contents copyright © 2023. Further unauthorized use prohibited.

Saturday, May 6, 2023

Louise Brooks Society website to be taken down

I am saddened to report that the Louise Brooks Society website (at www.pandorasbox.com) will be taken down. Over the course of the last year, an individual who has been trolling the LBS has managed to have the various LBS social media accounts (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc...) twice taken down by falsely alleging my pre-existing site infringed on his recent, 2019 trademark. And now, he has succeeded in taking down my website.
 
 
The Louise Brooks Society™ website was launched in 1995 as a "virtual fan club in cyberspace." It has been praised in the pages of the New York Times, USA Today, and Wired magazine. Besides considerable research, numerous articles, thousands of blogs, five books, and help in restoring two of Brooks' films, this website helped inspire the Emmy nominated documentary, Louise Brooks: Looking for Lulu, and, it helped bring both the Barry Paris biography and Brooks' own Lulu in Hollywood back into print. This site made a difference.... I am proud of what it accomplished. It has been a great run of 28 years getting to know Louise Brooks fans & scholars from around the world. To stay in touch with the latest regarding all things Lulu, be sure and follow the Louise Brooks Society™ blog (as long as it lasts).
 
How can this happen? Quite easily. If you have a registered trademark, all you have to do is wave the number around in front of an ISP or social media platform and they will remove any content that offends! It doesn't seem to matter if your claim is valid or not. The various internet platforms are - as they have explained to me time and again - simply following the law.
 
Pictured here is one of the pieces of "evidence" of trademark infringement which this person sent to my ISP. It is a recent snapshot of me (taken by my wife, no criminal she) wearing an old Clubfoot Orchestra / PandorasBox t-shirt which I personally bought from the musical group a long time ago at the Castro theater in San Francisco, following a performance in which they accompanied the film. Despite the fact this shirt is 10 or 20 years old, and despite the fact it was made by/for the Clubfoot Orchestra, and despite the fact that Louise Brooks' name doesn't even appear on the shirt, the troll person in question claimed it was a "knock-off" (meaning counterfeit?) product which violated his Louise Brooks trademark on apparel.
 
Such "proof" !
 
I am wearing that old wrinkled t-shirt today in celebration of tonight's Clubfoot Orchestra accompaniment of Pandora's Box at the glorious Paramount theater in Oakland. Long live Lulu, if not the Louise Brooks Society.
 
Sorry for the scary pic. I am getting old.
It's all those reels of microfilm I scrolled through.

THE LEGAL STUFF: The Louise Brooks Society™ blog is authored by Thomas Gladysz, Director of the Louise Brooks Society  (www.pandorasbox.com). Original contents copyright © 2023. Further unauthorized use prohibited.
 

Thursday, May 4, 2023

Another BIG article about Louise Brooks and Pandora's Box on Eat Drink Films

Ahead of the May 6 screening of Pandora's Box in Oakland, California - the excellent multi-topic blog Eat Drink Films has a big new piece by yours truly titled "Lulu By The Bay." 

My recent Film International article, “'Sin Lust Evil' in America: Louise Brooks and the Exhibition History of Pandora’s Box (1929)", was a macro-look at the exhibition history of Pandora's Box in the United States. 

This new piece on Eat Drink Films is a micro-look at the exhibition history of the film in the San Francisco Bay Area. The two articles compliment one another. 

A reminder: Pandora's Box starring Louise Brooks, will be shown at the Paramount theater in Oakland, California on Saturday, May 6. More about that special screening, which will feature live musical accompaniment by the Clubfoot Orchestra and members of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, can be found HERE. If you live in the Bay Area, don't miss this special event.

Also, there was a good article in the San Francisco Chronicle about the history of this particular restoration of Pandora's Box. The article, by Pam Grady, is titled "Diving into the archive: Film preservationists partner to restore an erotic drama from 1929." It is also well worth checking out.

If you attend this special screening, please do post a comment or send me an email. I would love to hear from you.

Pictured below is yours truly wearing a vintage Clubfoot Orchestra / Pandora's Box t-shirt obtained from the musical groups nearly 20 years ago. I also have a massive 3' x 5' poster depicting the same image. 

(Curiously, this very image of me was said to violate the intellectual property rights of the internet troll attacking the Louise Brooks Society who is also threatening to take down the LBS website. Despite the fact my wife took this photo, and despite the fact the shirt was manufactured by the Clubfoot Orchestra, and despite the fact this shirt is nearly 20 years old, and despite the fact the shirt doesn't even mention Louise Brooks by name, the troll claimed it violated his trademark on "Louise Brooks." That's a stretch..... )

For the record, here is a listing of all the documented screenings of Pandora's Box in Northern California.If you know of others or if I have missed some, please let me know so I can add them to the record.

Monterey Peninsula College in Monterey (between Aug. 2-5, 1962 as part of Peninsula Film Seminar); Pacific Film Archive in Berkeley (Oct. 5, 1972 as part of Women's Works); Pacific Film Archive in Berkeley (Oct. 21, 1972 special matinee); San Francisco Museum of Modern Art in San Francisco (Nov. 21, 1972); Cento Cedar Cinema in San Francisco (February 1-7, 1973 with Threepenny Opera); Surf  in San Francisco with The Last Laugh (Jan. 22-23, 1974 “new print”); Pacific Film Archive (Wheeler Auditorium) in Berkeley (July 24, 1974); Cento Cedar Cinema in San Francisco (Sept. 18-20, 1975 with The Blue Angel); Wheeler Auditorium in Berkeley (Nov. 9, 1975 with L’Age D’Or); San Francisco Museum of Modern Art in San Francisco (Nov. 7, 1976); Noe Valley Cinema (James Lick Auditorium) in San Francisco with Oskar Fischinger’s Composition in Blue (May 21, 1977); KTEH Channel 54 – San Jose television broadcast (Dec. 18, 1977 and Dec. 24, 1977 and Dec. 25, 1977); KQEC Channel 32 – San Francisco television broadcast (Dec. 24, 1977 and Dec. 25, 1977); KVIE Channel 6 – Sacramento television broadcast (Dec. 18 and Dec. 24 and Dec. 25, 1977); Wheeler Auditorium in Berkeley (Feb. 10, 1978 with L’Age D’Or); Sonoma Film Institute in Sonoma State University (Feb. 28, 1979 with The Blue Angel); Pacific Film Archive in Berkeley as part of “Tapes from the Everson Video Revue” (Jan. 20, 1980); U.C. in Berkeley with The Threepenny Opera (March 10, 1980); Roxie in San Francisco with The Blue Angel (Mar. 31, 1980); Noe Valley Ministry in San Francisco (April 11, 1980 with Un Chien Andalou); Castro in San Francisco with A Girl in Every Port (May 2-3, 1980); Rialto in Berkeley with The Threepenny Opera (May 14-20, 1980); Castro in San Francisco with The Threepenny Opera (Aug. 28, 1980); Strand in San Francisco with The Threepenny Opera (December 15, 1980); Rialto in Berkeley with The Threepenny Opera (December 17-23, 1980); Roxie in San Francisco with A Girl in Every Port (Feb. 17-19, 1981); Showcase Cinema in Sacramento with Foolish Wives (Mar. 3, 1981); San Francisco Museum of Modern Art in San Francisco (March 6, 1981); Pacific Film Archive in Berkeley (Mar. 7, 1981 as part of the series “Starring Louise Brooks” with Organ Accompaniment By Robert Vaughn); Rialto in Berkeley with Salome (June 24-27, 1981); Rialto in Berkeley with A Girl in Every Port (Feb. 12-16, 1982); Electric in San Francisco with The Blue Angel (Mar. 10-11, 1982); Avenue in San Francisco with She Goes to War (May 6, 1982); York in San Francisco with Threepenny Opera (June 22, 1982); Roxie in San Francisco with A Girl in Every Port (Oct. 17-18, 1982); UC in Berkeley with A Girl in Every Port (Oct. 25, 1982); Darwin / Sonoma Film Institute at Sonoma State University (Jan. 20, 1983); Showcase Cinema in Sacramento with M. (Feb. 1, 1983); Castro in San Francisco with Diary of a Lost Girl (Oct. 26 – Nov. 3, 1983); Pacific Film Archive in Berkeley with Kameradaschaft (Dec. 7, 1983); Santa Cruz Film Festival in Santa Cruz with A Conversation with Louise Brooks (Jan. 19, 1984); Pacific Film Archive in Berkeley (Jan. 27-28, 1985 with M.); U.C. in Berkeley (Sept. 18, 1985); Pacific Film Archive in Berkeley (Oct. 13, 1985 as part of the series A Tribute to Louise Brooks (1906-1985),” accompanied on piano by Jon Mirsalis); Castro in San Francisco with The Threepenny Opera (Nov. 29, 1985); Pacific Film Archive in Berkeley (Oct. 29, 1986); San Francisco Public Library (main branch) in San Francisco (Dec. 18, 1986); Castro in San Francisco (Feb. 26, 1987 as part of “Vamps” series); Castro in San Francisco (Jan. 7, 1988); U.C. in Berkeley (June 30, 1988); Castro  in San Francisco (Nov. 8, 1988); Pacific Film Archive in Berkeley (Nov. 17, 1988); Red Vic in San Francisco (Feb. 13-14, 1990); Castro  in San Francisco (Aug. 7, 1990); Pacific Film Archive in Berkeley (Dec. 4, 1990 as part of the series Surrealism and Cinema”); Castro  in San Francisco (Apr. 29, 1991); Pacific Film Archive in Berkeley (Apr. 5, 1992 as part of the series Silent Film Classics”);  Castro in San Francisco (May 11, 1992 with Diary of a Lost Girl); Castro in San Francisco (May 5-8, 1995 accompanied by the Club Foot Orchestra, as part of the San Francisco Film Festival); Castro in San Francisco (Dec. 16-17, 1995 accompanied by the Club Foot Orchestra); Castro in San Francisco (Apr. 2, 1996 with Wings, accompanied on organ by Robert Vaughn); Towne Theatre in San Jose (June 28, 1996 accompanied on organ by Robert Vaughn); Castro in San Francisco (May 18, 1998 as part of Femme Fatale Festival); Pacific Film Archive in Berkeley (May 28, 2000); Stanford in Palo Alto (Sept. 5, 2001); Jezebel’s Joint in San Francisco (Feb. 10, 2003); Castro in San Francisco (July 15, 2006 as part of the San Francisco Silent Film Festival, with introductions by Thomas Gladysz and Bruce Conner); Rafael Film Center in San Rafael (Nov. 11, 2006 introduced by Peter Cowie); California in San Jose (Mar. 9, 2007 as part of Cinequest); Castro in San Francisco (July 14, 2112 as part of the San Francisco Silent Film Festival); Niles Essanay Film Museum in Fremont (Sept. 12, 2015); Stanford in Palo Alto (Sept. 23, 2016); Niles Essanay Film Museum in Fremont (March 23, 2019); Paramount in Oakland (May 6, 2023).

 

THE LEGAL STUFF: The Louise Brooks Society™ blog is authored by Thomas Gladysz, Director of the Louise Brooks Society  (www.pandorasbox.com). Original contents copyright © 2023. Further unauthorized use prohibited.

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