What is Louise Brooks' legacy? How was she thought of in the 1920's. How is she thought of today?
Over on Nitrateville.com - a bulletin board / message board / discussion group for fans of early film - there had been quite a lively discussion taking place on the topic.
The discussion started (and largely took place) in 2008; however, it was just updated the other day. Check it out at http://nitrateville.com/viewtopic.php?t=305&sid=7ef895314254216b0153293a2b1963b8
Agree? Disagree? Why not add your two cents?
That was an interesting read. I don't really know if I have two cents to throw in, which is a little disappointing. I will say that I do believe that Louise deserves the popularity that she gets, and also I found it interesting that one person on that forum said:
ReplyDelete"So she's an anomaly, and if you're going to become a true silent film fan, you have to get past her modern-ness and embrace the actresses who were popular in the period because they embodied the period, and love the movies that don't escape their period."
I might be understanding this incorrectly -- my reading comprehension can be questionable at times -- but this comes across as being a particularly stupid thing to say, in my honest opinion. I understand this as "to be a 'true silent film fan' you have to only love the actresses who were popular at the time." How completely ridiculous! I adore silent films in general and there are a few actresses that I really like, aside from Brooks, who are much more stereotypically 1920's-ish. I highly doubt that Louise being my favorite silent film star prevents me from being a "true silent film fan."
Wow. I could be wrong about what that person meant, as I said, but really.