Two book reviews

Two reviews of the excellent new book by Peter Cowie, Louise Brooks: Lulu Forever, were published today. A long, appreciative piece by Wayne Meyers appeared in the Oneida Daily Dispatch (from Onedia, New York). That piece can be foundon-line. A shorter, and even more enthuisiastic piece by Leonard Maltin appeared on his website. (I believe Maltin will also be mentioning the book on one of his television shows.)

I would be interested in hearing from anyone who has gotten the book. Please post a reply comment and let everyone know what you think.

BTW: The Booksmith in San Francisco is nearly out of autographed copies, though I think they still have one or two or three left. (Any remaining signed copies will likely be for sale at the Castro Theater this Saturday.) Hurry up and get one from whatever source. . . . they are going like hotcakes. And with a bunch of reviews starting to hit, there will probably be a run on them.

Silly Symphonies / Chicago this Saturday

This Saturday, December 2nd at the Castro Theatre here in San Francisco, the good people at the San Francisco Silent Film Festival are showing the original filmed version of the great Broadway hit CHICAGO, starring Phyllis Haver as tough-as-nails Roxie Hart; and a rarer-than-rare 35mm presentation of a bunch of Walt Disney's pioneering SILLY SYMPHONIES - great cartoons, and great examples of how a silent-era filmmaker met sound head-on in a dazzling display of music, creativity and imagination. I am very excited. I will be there!

SILLY SYMPHONIES (one show only at 1:30)

Straight from the Disney archives, a program of SILLY SYMPHONIES, the famous cartoon series set to a madcap mix of classical, popular and folk music. Disney and his team of talented animators make skeletons, frogs, devils and trees dance in time to music with delightful originality – thus trailblazing the transition to sound. The host and expert guide to this tribute will be Russell Merritt, silent film historian and co-author of two invaluable studies of early Disney animation: Walt in Wonderland and Walt Disney's Silly Symphonies: A Companion to the Classic Cartoon Series. The shorts to be shown are:

THE SKELETON DANCE (1929, Walt Disney)
HELL'S BELLS (1929, Ub Iwerks)
NIGHT (1930, Walt Disney)
THE CHINA PLATE (1931, Wilfred Jackson)
EGYPTIAN MELODIES (1931, Wilfred Jackson)
THE UGLY DUCKLING (1931, Wilfred Jackson)
FLOWERS AND TREES (1932, Burt Gillett)
MUSIC LAND (1935, Wilfred Jackson)
Following these special screenings . . . 


DUCKS, DEVILS, DOWNBEATS AND DISNEY: An Animated Conversation On Animation
Right after the films, Russell Merritt will moderate a lively talk with Disney scholars and animation experts, including: Leslie Iwerks (granddaughter of the legendary animator Ub Iwerks), Neal Gabler (author of Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination), Jere Guldin (UCLA Film & Television Archive, Preservationist) and J.B. Kaufman (co-author of Walt Disney's Silly Symphonies: A Companion to the Classic Cartoon Series).

CHICAGO (one show only at 7:30)

There may be other versions – Bob Fosse’s 1975 Broadway musical, and the 2002 adaptation that took the Academy Award for Best Picture – but you haven’t seen CHICAGO until you’ve seen the original! Based on the true story of two women who dealt with their no-good lovers by gunning them down in cold blood, CHICAGO features an explosive, riotous performance by Phyllis Haver, who throws everything she’s got – and more! – into the role of two-timing, morality-free jazz baby Roxie Hart. Fast-paced, hard-boiled and sin-soaked, the 1927 CHICAGO is  the real thing: a straight-up portrait of Roaring Twenties madness, straight out of the Twenties! Presented in the long-lost roadshow version, now completely restored by the UCLA Film & Television Archive, with pulse-pounding live accompaniment supplied by the BAKER–MEHLING HOT FOUR, purveyors of authentic 1920s jazz!
I will be at the book table in the lobby before and after each program hosting book signings with Neal Gabler, Russell Merritt, John Bengtson (author of Silent Traces: Discovering Early Hollywood Through the Films of Charlie Chaplin) and Jack Tillmany (Theatres of Oakland). Visit the San Francisco Silent Film Festival website at www.silentfilm.org for further information or to purchase tickets.

Pandora's Box DVD reviews

A number of reviews of the new Criterion DVD of Pandora's Box have started appearing in newspapers and magazines around the country. Here are links to some of the on-line versions of these reviews:

The New York Times ran a long article in today's paper (11-28-2006) of the new DVD. It's especially good on the American history of the film. Here is the link:  http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/28/movies/28dvd.html?ref=arts    

And, a couple of days ago, on Sunday the 26th, the Boston Globe ran a review. The link to that piece by Ty Burr can be found athttp://www.boston.com/ae/movies/articles/2006/11/26/dvd_report/?page=2

And a few days before that, on the 24th of November, a piece by Justin DeFreitas appeared in the Berkeley Daily Planet. That review can be found at http://www.berkeleydailyplanet.com/article.cfm?issue=11-24-06&storyID=25727

Elsewhere, the Los Angeles Times ran a capsule review in today's newspaper:

"Pandora's Box" (Criterion, $40): Superlative two-disc set of G.W. Pabst's seminal 1929 German silent starring the iconic Louise Brooks as the tragic heroine, Lulu. Brooks never looked lovelier in the high-definition digital transfer. Extras include four different musical scores that run the gamut, including cabaret and orchestral, and enthralling commentary from film historians Thomas Elsaesser and Mary Ann Doane, both of whom have studied "Box" for years; a well-crafted 1998 TV documentary, "Louise Brooks: Looking for Lulu"; a fabulous 1984 documentary "Lulu in Berlin," with a rare filmed interview with Brooks; and an interview with the director's son, Michael Pabst.

As did the Seattle Post Intelligencer. Their staff review ran in today's paper as well:

Louise Brooks is one of the legendary actresses of the silent era -- a Kansas beauty with a "black helmet" of hair turned into a sex symbol by German director W.S. Pabst. In this defining role, the former Hollywood bit player and Ziegfeld Follies dancer plays Lulu, an innocent but sexually aggressive showgirl turned prostitute who leaves death in her wake and eventually ends up on a foggy London street with Jack the Ripper. The Criterion Collection release provides the 1928 silent with four stylistically different scores, a disc of extras including the documentary "Louise Brooks: Looking for Lulu" and a booklet with a chapter from her memoirs and Kenneth Tynan's essay, "The Girl in the Black Helmet." 109 minutes. Unrated.

The Los Angeles Daily News ran a short piece by Rob Lowman in yesterday's paper:

Criterion is releasing a remastered disc of one of the more daring films of the silent era, German director's G.W. Pabst's 1929 psycho-sexual melodrama "Pandora's Box," which stars Lousie Brooks. The American actress plays a showgirl named Lulu, whose unabandoned lifestyle sends her on a downward path that results in terrible end. Brooks was a fascinating figure in Hollywood, and that magnetic personality comes across on in the film. Her controversial life is examined in the 1998 documentary "Louise Brooks: Looking for Lulu," narrated by Shirley Mclaine is one of the extras, as well as commentary by film historians.

Brazilian article

Just back from a few days away for the holidays. . . . This long article on Louise Brooks in a Brazilian publication was brought to my attention. Check it out here. Embedded in the piece is a nifty video clip (featuring video from Pandora's Box and music by Clan of Xymox) from youtube.com. The music reminded me of Joy Division. Check it out.

Still keeping busy

Despite all that is going on lately in the world of Louise Brooks, I have been able to make it to the library pretty much every week over the course of the last month . . . as I am trying to keep up with my research. I am still requesting inter-library loans - and microfilm still arrives for me to look through. Lately, I have secured Louise Brooks-Denishawn material from the Sharon Herald(from Sharon, PA.) and Knickerbocker Press (from Albany, New York). I figure I have acquired material on about 95% of the Denishawn engagements with which Brooks was involved. Striving towards completion, I still have a couple dozen New York and Pennsylvannia dates to acquire

I also recently looked through the Atlanta Georgian (a Hearst newspaper), Knoxville Journal, Tulsa Daily World, Capitol Times (from Madison, Wisconsin),  and Waterbury American (from Conneticut). And in each of these newspapers I found a few more film reviews and advertisements. The pile grows. Slowly, I am also finishing up my gathering of film-related material from major American cities and towns. My goal has been to gather articles and reviews from the 30 or 40 biggest urban centers, as well as material from every region and state. To that end, I also recently looked at microfilm of the Arizona Republican (from Phoenix) and Santa Fe New Mexican, but I found nothing in either of those papers. Phoenix and Santa Fe were pretty small towns back then - and didn't seem to support much of a movie culture.

The most interesting material I came across concerned the Better Films Committee of Atlanta, Georgia. In the review I found for A Girl in Every Port (1928), the journalist reported that the local committee gave the film a rating of "A - G," which basically means it was deemed "very good" but for an "adult" audience. This was not a "general audience" rating that some of the other films playing in town received. I guess "A - G" might be the equivalent of today's "R" rating. Apparently, the local committee back then found the theme of "flirtation, fighting and friendship" a bit strong.

And, while looking through September issues of the Capitol Times for material on The Street of Forgotten Men (1925), I happened to notice the paper's radio guide included a listing for a live broadcast of the Atlantic City beauty contest. Wow - I never knew! That was the same contest which served as the backdrop for The American Venus (1926), Brooks' second film. I wonder if Brooks herself was there? Certainly, Paramount film crews were, as was Brooks' friend and fellow Ziegfeld Follies performer Dorothy Knapp. One can only wonder.

These are the sort of interesting things I find on occassion, and that's why I keep on looking. To be continued . . . .

Leaving things for fans

Lately, during my weekly research trips to the San Francisco Public Library, I have been paying a quick visit to the Louise Brooks exhibit which I organized and which is on display at the SFPL (on the 4th floor). The exhibit is titled "Homage to Lulu: 100 Years of Louise Brooks." It will remain on display through January 5, 2007. (See this LJ entry  for pictures, and this entry for a short description.)

And what I have taken to doing every week is leaving things for fans to pick up: so far, I have left a few Louise Brooks Society pinback buttons, programs to the Lulu play currently in town, a LB "Further Reading" handout, and some of the reproduction movie heralds created for the Peter Cowie event here in San Francisco. In the coming weeks, I will leave some more buttons, as well as Louise Brooks crossword and word search puzzles, as well as whatever else I have extra of or will create just to give away. Everything I leave will be on the comment book stand, so please do check out this little exhibit if you live in the San Francisco Bay Area.

I had also rubber stamped the comment book with the Rick Geary images of Louise Brooks and Buster Keaton, and somebody responded with a little drawing of LB. Very cool!  And somebody else wrote that they had visited the show while visiting from Pittsburgh, PA. Thank you all for stopping by.

Long live Lulu - Lulu Forever.

Wichita screenings

Four of Louise Brooks'  films will be screened in Wichita, Kansas in early December. The Louise C. Murdock Center has announced that they will be showing Diary of a Lost Girl (on December 7), Pandora's Box (on December 8), and The Show Off and Prix de Beaute (on December 9).

The 20th Century Center, incorporating the Louise C. Murdock Theatre, is located at 536 N. Broadway in Wichita, just one block north of Central on Broadway. More info can be found at http://www.murdocktheatre.com/

Love em and Leave em

A FREE EVENT: Tuesday - November 21st in San Francisco - A screening of the rarely shown 1926 Louise Brooks flapper comedy, "Love 'Em and Leave 'Em,'' at 6 p.m. at the San Francisco Public Library (Koret Auditorium), 100 Larkin Street in San Francisco. More info at (415) 557-4400 or http://sfpl4.sfpl.org.  And while you are there, take in the Louise Brooks exhibit, "Homage to Lulu: 100 Years of Louise Brooks," which is currently on display on the 4th floor.

Pandora's Box in Milwaukee

This is how the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel describes tonight's free screening of Pandora's Box on the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee campus. So succinct!

German classic: Selfish behavior leads to tragic consequences in G.W. Pabst's 1929 silent film "Pandora's Box" starring Louise Brooks. 7 p.m. UWM Union Theatre, 2200 E. Kenwood Blvd. Free.

Wedekind's Spring Awakening

Following the successful adaption of Frank Wedekind's "Lulu" by the Silent Theater company of Chicago comes a new musical adaption of Wedekind's "Spring Awakening."  Though one of the first expressionist writers, Wedekind's sometimes akward, sometimes scandalous work has fallen between the cracks of literary history. Nevertheless, we are seeing something of a revival of interest in the United States. There is a big article about the new production, which opens December 10th, in today's New York Times.

“SPRING AWAKENING,” the new Broadway musical in previews at the Eugene O’Neill Theater, covers nearly all the hurly-burly that can rattle, confuse and capsize the teenage years: sexual confusion, abuse, death. A bit like “The History Boys” with a rock score and a lot more angst.

The candid portrayal of such subjects may disquiet some of today’s viewers, but the original 1891 German drama by Frank Wedekind on which the musical is based caused a scandal. The play wasn’t produced in Germany until 1906, 15 years after it was written, and then only in an abridged form. In New York City the commissioner of licenses tried to shut down its English-language American premiere in 1917. A court injunction permitted the production, which ran for a single matinee and closed.

Wedekind — probably best known for the Lulu plays, the source of Alban Berg’s famous opera — was not unaccustomed to such dust-ups. He lived in Munich, a center of the literary avant-garde, and often contributed poems and stories to the satirical magazine Simplizissimus. One that ridiculed Kaiser Wilhelm II (better known for his megalomania than his sense of humor) landed him in jail for several months in 1899 on charges of treason. He was continually at odds with the censors until his death in 1918.

Thanks to Rob Carver for pointing this out.

In the news, again

There is a long, illustrated interview with Peter Cowie about Louise Brooks on the PopMatters website. It can be found atwww.popmatters.com/pm/features/article/7690/louise-brooks-at-100-interview-with-peter-cowie/

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LBS member Gregor Arlt tipped me off to these recent illustrated articles on Louise Brooks in various German language publications. (Not only have there been major film retropsectives in Berlin and Vienna, but there is a new book on Louise Brooks published by the Austrian Film Archive, Louise Brooks. Rebellin, Ikone, Legende. Peter Cowie's book, Louise Brooks: Lulu Forever, has also been published in Germany.)

Film-Dienst,  Nov. 2006
"Das Leben ist ein Scherz: Erinnerungen an Louise Brooks" by Claudia Siefen
http://film-dienst.kim-info.de/artikel.php?nr=152313&dest=frei&pos=artikel

Neue Zürcher Zeitung,  Nov. 4, 2006
"Lächeln und Los der Lulu" by Jürgen Kasten
http://www.nzz.ch/2006/11/04/li/articleEMAVD.html

Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung,  Nov. 9, 2006
"Louise Brooks: Die Rebellin von Hollywood" by Verena Lueken
http://www.faz.net/s/Rub8A25A66CA9514B9892E0074EDE4E5AFA/Doc~E5902139EF4DD444FABADE08D52EB8663~ATpl~Ecommon~Sspezial.html

Süddeutsche Zeitung,  Nov. 13, 2006
"Die Chiffre des Lichtspiels" by Hans Schifferle
http://www.sueddeutsche.de/kultur/artikel/487/91396/

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I had a great time at Tuesday evening's Louise Brooks Birthday Bash at the Victoria Theater. We all sang "Happy Birthday" to Louise. There was cake and something to drink. And, it was fun to meet the cast of "Lulu" and other members of the Louise Brooks Society, some of whom had come from as far away as Los Angeles! Here are a few snapshots taken that evening.

A bit blurry, but here's a pic of yours truly and Kyla Louise Webb, the talented young actress who plays Lulu.
If there is anyone who could play Louise Brooks in a film, it is this terrific Chicago-based actress!



LBS members Scott Bradley and Amy Wallace, with whom I had a very nice chat!
 (Amy, the daughter of novelist Irving Wallace, is the co-author of such bestsellers
as The Book of Lists and The People's Almanac, etc....)

That evening, I also met photographer Nili Yosha, who is producing a book of photographs of the Lulu cast and play. I am looking forward to it, I plan to get a copy of what promises to be a rather cool keepsake.

In the news

There was a "Pop Candy" column about Louise Brooks in yesterday's USA Today. The article, by Whitney Matheson, can be found at http://blogs.usatoday.com/popcandy/2006/11/happy_birthday_.html  The article mentions the Louise Brooks Society and this blog. How cool!

-------------

Thanx to Amanda, who noticed that the current issue of TIME magazine has a long article on Louise Brooks by Richard Corliss. The article can be found on-line at http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1559304,00.html

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Paul Doherty sent me some snapshots of the Louise Brooks event in Rochester, New York on November 14th. Paul said I could share these with all of you. Thank you Paul.

Before the show



A bit of the exhibit at the George Eastman House



Jack Garner (sitting) and Peter Cowie (standing). Cowie authored Louise Brooks: Lulu Forever for which Garner wrote the forward. Cowie is wearing a Louise Brooks Society button which I had given him in Sunday in San Francisco.

Today in history - Nov. 14

According to the Associated Press syndicated feature - "Today in history - Nov. 14" - which has been printed in newspapers across the country

"In 1906, 100 years ago, actress and dancer Louise Brooks was born in Cherryvale, Kan."



HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LOUISE BROOKS !

Marian Marsh

Marian Marsh, petite film star of the 1930's, has died. I always liked her bangs. Here is an excerpt from the New York Timesarticle on her death.

Marian Marsh, 93, Petite Star of ‘Svengali,’ Dies

By MARGARLIT FOX

Marian Marsh, a Hollywood actress of the 1930s and early ’40s best known for starring opposite John Barrymore in the 1931 melodrama “Svengali,” died on Thursday at her home in Palm Desert, Calif. She was 93.

Ms. Marsh, who was known by her married name, Marian Marsh Henderson, died in her sleep, her daughter, Cathy Scott, said.

Mr. Barrymore handpicked Ms. Marsh, then a teenage bit player, for the role of Trilby, the virginal young singer who falls under Svengali’s control. The film was based on “Trilby,” the 1894 novel by George du Maurier.

A petite blond actress described by critics of the day as doll-like, Ms. Marsh was also known for her performance opposite Edward G. Robinson in “Five Star Final” (1931). She played Sonya to Peter Lorre's Raskolnikov in “Crime and Punishment” in 1935. Her last film role was in the 1942 comedy “House of Errors.”

Ms. Marsh was born Violet Ethelred Krauth on Oct. 17, 1913, in Trinidad, West Indies, where her parents ran a chocolate factory. The family moved to the Boston area when she was a child. After her older sister, Jean, became a bit player in Hollywood — she worked first as Jean Morgan and later as Jean Fenwick — the family relocated to California.

Following her sister into acting, Ms. Marsh began her career in the late 1920s as Marilyn Morgan. Under that name, she had a small role in “Hell’s Angels,” the 1930 war drama directed by Howard Hughes.

Pandora's Box in San Rafael

Last night I attended the screening of Pandora's Box at the Smith Rafael Film Center in San Rafael, California. (That's about 45 minutes north of San Francisco - across the Golden Gate Bridge.) Peter Cowie, author of the just released must-have new book,Louise Brooks: Looking for Lulu, gave some introductory remarks. He told how he came to meet Louise Brooks. And what her life was like in the 1970's while living in Rochester, New York. Cowie discussed Brooks' brief affair with Charlie Chaplin. And, Cowie made some interesting references to the existentialist author Jean-Paul Sarte and the Bauhaus artist Herbert Bayer - both of which I hope to ask him about tonight, when I host him at the Balboa Theater in San Francisco. I will be meeting him for dinner before hand - so there will be time to talk!

Tonight on IFC

Tonight on the Independent Film Channel, Lulu on the Bridge (1998), the Louise Brooks / Pandora's Box - "inspired" film.

A seemingly magic stone leads an aging, injured musician into love with a young, aspiring actress.
Cast: Harvey Keitel, Mira Sorvino, Willem Dafoe, Gina Gershon, Mandy Patinkin, Vanessa Redgrave, Victor Argo, Don Byron, Richard Edson, Kevin Corrigan.

Director(s): Paul Auster.
Producer(s): Sharon Harel, Jane Barclay, Ira Deutchman, Peter Newman, Greg Johnson, Amy Kaufman , Amy J. Kaufman.
Writer(s): Paul Auster

This Sunday in Witchita

Don't forget, this Sunday in Witchita: Louise Brooks' Centennial Birthday Bash, a viewing of two films by the Kansas-born silent film star, 2-4:30 p.m., Wichita Public Library, 223 S. Main. Free. Information, 316-261-8500.  Longtime LBS member Amanda Howard has a display of some of her Louise Brooks' treasures on display. Check it out!

What a Lulu!

from today's San Francisco Chronicle website. The two area Louise Brooks screenings were the e-pick of the week!

'Pandora's Box' (Sat/11)
What a Lulu!
Kansas-born Mary Louise "Brooksie" Brooks went to New York to become a dancer, joined the Ziegfield Follies and then headed west, and Hollywood -- though she despised the movie-making culture -- was never the same. Shortening her name to Louise Brooks, she created a screen persona of a magnitude hard to imagine today: Her slinky on-screen and off-screen wardrobe was a model for the glamorous garments that have been ubiquitous in Tinseltown ever since, and her pageboy hairstyle became all the rage. And it is this movie that she was and has ever since been identified with -- G.W. Pabst's German silent film "Pandora's Box" (also known as "Lulu," after its title character's name), about a man-eating vamp. Indeed, the scandal that ensued in response to the provocative movie nearly killed her career; she made only 10 mostly forgettable films after that, seldom receiving top billing, and retired when she was only 32 years old. The Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center marks the centenary of her birth with a screening of her signature film, introduced by film historian Peter Cowie, author of "Louise Brooks: Lulu Forever." Cowie will also appear Sun/12 at the Balboa Theater, to give a short talk and presentation preceding a surprise Louise Brooks feature. -- Mark Nichol, special to SFGate
 Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center, 1118 Fourth St., San Rafael; 7 pm; $6-$9.25; (415) 454-1222.

p.s. I am planning on making a give-away "limited edition" reproduction movie herald for the Balboa event, which will be distributed at the door. It will make a nice keepsake.

p.s.s. I am also working on a powerpoint presentation, which provided all goes according to plan, will be screened prior to the event. It will be accompanied by a special selection of Louise Brooks related music.

Louise Welsh

The other night, I attended an reading / booksigning for Louise Welsh, the author of the recently released contemporary noir, The Bullet Trick. Its a terriffic new novel set in contemporary Berlin, London and Glasgow. (The author is Scottish, and she read here in San Francisco at a pub called the Edinburgh Castle.) During her talk, she mentioned that the Berlin section of the book was a riff off of the Frank Wedekind plays, namely Lulu. Welsh also mentioned Louise Brooks, and her admiration of the actress. I spoke with her afterwords, and gave her a Louise Brooks button. Welsh is very cool - and her two earlier books, The Cutting Room and Tamberlaine is Dead - are well worth checking out.

Homage to Lulu: 100 Years of Louise Brooks

"Homage to Lulu: 100 Years of Louise Brooks"  
an exhibit at the San Francisco Public Library
November 4, 2006 through January 5, 2007

Main Branch, Fourth Floor, Steve Silver Beach Blanket Babylon Music Center

"Homage to Lulu: 100 Years of Louise Brooks" celebrates the centenary of the silent film star Louise Brooks (1906 - 1985). Now considered an icon of the Jazz Age, Brooks' popularity today rivals that of her more celebrated contemporaries. On display are dozens of vintage objects - including books, magazines, sheet music, postcards,and related ephemera - which tell the story of her life and films.

Highlights include American and French photoplay editions (the movie tie-in editions of the 1920's), an editorial comic strip explaining the scandalous circumstances behind Brooks' affair with Charlie Chaplin, Brooks' inspired novels, a jumbo-size lobby card, and a full-page newspaper advertisement for "Show Girl" - the Brooks-inspired novel which became a hit stage play and the long-running comic strip "Dixie Dugan."

This exhibit - organized by Thomas Gladysz and the San Francisco-based Louise Brooks Society - coincides with many other events taking place around the San Francisco Bay Area and the world. More info at sfpl4.sfpl.org/news/exhibitions.htm

Here are some snapshots I took of "Homage to Lulu: 100 Years of Louise Brooks" - both as it was being installed and after it opened. Hopefully, this gives a sense of the scope of the exhibit, which is currently on display at the San Francisco Public Library. The hardest thing was figuring out what to include and what to leave out. There were some things that I was eager to share, like the full-page Sunday color comic of "Dixie Dugan," and the various compact discs, 45's and long playing records (LP's) I've collected over the years which feature an image of Louise Brooks.

I would be pleased to hear from anyone who sees this exhibit. Let me know what you think. There is also a stand with a comments book. The stand also has fliers for Louise Brooks-related events in the Bay Area.

Nov 2006 events

This month - November 2006 - is shaping up to be a truly remarkable month for Louise Brooks. The world celebrates the actress, who was born on November 14, 1906 in the small town of Cherryvale, Kansas. There are screenings and film festivals taking place across the United States and Europe. There are two new books being published. There are two DVD's being released. There are two exhibitions devoted to the actress. And there are other events and happenings taking place which celebrate the life and legend of Lulu.

Thru November 21, 2006: The Verlag Filmarchiv Austria is sponsoring a multi-film tribute - "Louise Brooks - Tribute zum 100. Geburtstag" - at the Metrokino in Vienna, Austria. /// More info at http://www.filmarchiv.at/ 

Thru November 26, 2006: The Silent Theater company has extended their stage production of "Lulu" (the Wedekind play done as a silent film a la Louise Brooks in "Pandora's Box"). Performances run Thursdays through Sundays through the end of the month at the Victoria Theater in San Francisco. November will be the last month to see this play in the City by the Bay, where it has enjoyed a widely acclaimed three-month run. /// More info at http://www.victoriatheatre.org/

Thru January 5, 2007: "Homage to Lulu: 100 Years of Louise Brooks" - an exhibit sponsored by the Louise Brooks Society - is on display at the San Francisco Public Library. /// More info at http://sfpl4.sfpl.org/news/exhibitions.htm

November 5, 2006: The Three Rivers Film Festival in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania screens "Pandora's Box" (1929) at the Regent Square Theater. Pianist Philip Carli will provide live piano accompaniment, and Louise Brooks biographer Barry Paris will introduce the film.

November 5, 2006: Bristol Silents in Bristol, England will screen the silent version of "Prix de Beauté" (1930). Before hand, there will be an onstage conversation between  Paul McGann and Kevin Brownlow, who promises to show never before seen color home movie footage of Louise Brooks from the 1960s!  More info at http://www.bristolsilents.org.uk/

November 6, 2006: The seldom seen comedy, "Love 'Em and Leave 'Em" (1926) will be shown at the Museum of the City of New York. This special event is sponsored by the Silent Clowns Film Series. More info at http://www.silentclowns.com/nowshowing.html 

November 6, 2006: The G.W. Pabst film, "Diary of a Lost Girl" (1929), will be shown at Free Library of Philadelphia at 2 pm.  More info athttp://www.library.phila.gov/index.htm

November 7, 2006: Peter Cowie's new book, "Louise Brooks: Lulu Forever" is due in bookstores. Events with the author are planned in select cities across the United States. More info at http://rizzoliusa.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780847828661

November 7, 2006: "A Girl in Every Port" (1928) will be shown at the George Eastman House in Rochester, New York. Philip C. Carli will provide live piano accompaniment. /// More info at http://dryden.eastmanhouse.org/wordpress/films/a-girl-in-every-port/

November 8, 9, 10, 2006: Reportedly, the Slovenska kinoteka - a film archive located in Ljubljana, Slovenia - will celebrate the Louise Brooks centenary with a series of screenings. Further details have not been confirmed. Any Slovenian fans out there planning to attend?

Nov. 11, 2006 through February 18, 2007: "Hollywood Lost: The Power of Louise Brooks" will be on exhibit at the George Eastman House in Rochester, New York. /// More info at http://www.eastmanhouse.org/exhibits/container_56/index.php

November 11, 2006: Peter Cowie will give introductory remarks prior to the screening of "Pandora's Box" (1929) at the Smith Rafael Film Center in San Rafael, California. Afterwords, Cowie will sign copies of  "Louise Brooks: Lulu Forever." /// More info at http://cafilm.org/films/692.html

November 12, 2006: The Wichita Public Library will screen two Louise Brooks films as part of it's "Louise Brooks Centennial Birthday Bash" at the Central Library. Festivities start at 2:00 pm.  /// More info at http://events.publicbroadcasting.net/kmuw/events.eventsmain?action=showEvent&eventID=468251

November 12, 2006: Peter Cowie will give a short talk as part of "Celebrating Louise Brooks: An Evening of Rare Films" at the Balboa Theater in San Francisco, California. This event starts at 7:30 pm. Special guests, door prizes, Louise Brooks give aways and more will round out the evening. Afterwards, Cowie will sign copies of "Louise Brooks: Lulu Forever." This special event co-sponsored by The Booksmith and the Louise Brooks Society. /// More info at http://www.balboamovies.com/news/index.html#louise

November 13, 2006: Around this date, the Verlag Filmarchiv Austria will publish "Louise Brooks. Rebellin, Ikone, Legende" by Günter Krenn and Karin Moser.  /// More info at http://www.filmarchiv.at/show_content.php?sid=152

November 14, 2006: Louise Brooks was born 100 years ago on this date in Cherryvale, Kansas. To celebrate, a Louise Brooks birthday bash will take place at the Victoria Theater in San Francisco. The celebration starts around 7 pm. A special staging of "Lulu" starts around 10 pm. /// More info at http://www.victoriatheatre.org/

November 14, 2006: "The Art of Louise Brooks" will take place at the George Eastman House in Rochester, New York. Author Peter Cowie will discuss the alluring mystery and fascinating career of the Louise Brooks. This presentation will conclude with a question-and-answer session with Cowie and syndicated film critic Jack Garner. After the event, Cowie will sign copies of his new book, "Louise Brooks: Lulu Forever," which features a foreword by Garner. /// More info at http://dryden.eastmanhouse.org/wordpress/films/peter-cowie-and-jack-garner-in-person-special-lecture%e2%80%94louise-brooks-lulu-forever/    After this on-stage presentation, "Pandora's Box" (1929) will be shown a with live piano accompaniment by Philip C. Carli. /// More info at   http://dryden.eastmanhouse.org/wordpress/films/pandoras-box/

November 14, 2006: Portugal's Costa do Castelo Films plans to release "Pandora's Box" (1929) on DVD. This two-disc set will feature the original Portuguese intertitles, as well as bonus material.

November 14, 2006: "Pandora's Box" (1929) will be shown in Campbell Hall on the campus of the University of California, Santa Barbara. Michael Mortilla will provide live piano accompaniment. /// More info at http://www.artsandlectures.ucsb.edu/Details.aspx?PerfNum=523

November 14, 2006: Rumor has it that a "little cineclub" in Rome, Italy will show some movies featuring Louise Brooks. Any Italian fans out there planning to attend?

November 15, 2006: Peter Cowie will introduce "The Diary of a Lost Girl" (1929) at the Film Society at Lincoln Center in New York City. The program starts at 6:30. A booksigning will also take place. /// More info at http://www.filmlinc.com/wrt/onsale/luluforever.html
November 17, 2006: Peter Cowie will introduce "Pandora's Box" (the Munich Filmmuseum's new restoration) at The American Museum of the Moving Image in New York City. A reception and book signing will take place from 6:30 to 7:30, and the screening will begin at 7:30 pm. /// More info at http://www.movingimage.us/site/screenings/index.html

November 17 - December 16, 2006: The Filmmuseum in Munich, Germany will mount a major Louise Brooks film retrospective which will include 17 films, as well a rarely seen fragments from "The Street of Forgotten Men" (1925) and "The American Venus" (1926). /// More info athttp://www.stadtmuseum-online.de/aktuell/brooks.pdf

November 20, 2006: A new 35mm print of "Pandora's Box" (1929) will be shown in the student union at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. This free screening starts at 7 pm. /// More info at http://www.aux.uwm.edu/Union/events/theatre/calendar/Fall%2006/world_cinema_fall06.htm

November 21, 2006: "Pandora's Box" (1929) will be released on DVD in the United States by Criterion. This restored version of the film will be accompanied by considerable bonus material. /// More info at http://www.criterionco.com/asp/release.asp?id=358#

November 21, 2006: Coinciding with the ongoing exhibition (see above) at the San Francisco Public Library, Thomas Gladysz (Director of the Louise Brooks Society) will give introductory remarks prior to the screening of "Love 'Em and Leave 'Em" (1926) at the SFPL. This event, which is free and open to the public, begins at 6 pm. /// More info at http://sfpl4.sfpl.org/news/exhibitions.htm

November 28, 2006: A new 35mm print of "Beggars of Life" (1928) will be shown at the George Eastman House in Rochester, New York. Philip C. Carli will provide live piano accompaniment. /// More info at http://dryden.eastmanhouse.org/wordpress/films/new-preservation-beggars-of-life/

November 28, 2006: The National Film Theater in London will screen "Diary of a Lost Girl" (1929) with live piano accompaniment. /// More info at http://www.bfi.org.uk/education/coursesevents/schools/further.html#_Toc139948659