As fans know, Louise Brooks made her first big splash in England in 1924, when she
became the first girl to dance the Charleston in London. That was at
the city's famous Cafe de Paris, then only recently opened. Brooks, a
precocious dancer and showgirl, was 17 years old at the time.
Now, more than 85 years later, the late, legendary silent film star
is set to be the toast of London once more as two of her very best films
are scheduled to be shown in the coming days.
On April 13th, the Classic Cinema Club of Ealing will screen Pandora's Box (1929) at the Ealing Town Hall. The film will be followed by a discussion.
And on April 29, Beggars of Life (1928) will screen at the Barbican center
as part of its silent film & live music series. This screening will
feature live musical accompaniment by The Dodge Brothers, with special
guest Neil Brand on the piano.
Today, Brooks is best known for her role as Lulu in the German-made Pandora's Box, G.W. Pabst's late silent masterpiece. Pandora’s Box
tells the story of Lulu, a lovely, amoral, and somewhat petulant
show-girl whose flirtations lead to devastating encounters. Lulu was
played by Brooks, an American actress especially recruited for the
iconic German role.
Close Up, an English film journal of the time with an
interest in adventuresome German cinema, noted "Louise Brooks is not
chosen because she is Louise Brooks but because, for whatever reason,
she looks likely to find it easier than anyone else might, to sink into
and become a visual expression of Lulu in Pandora’s Box."
Brooks inhabited her character thoroughly and gives a great
performance. Despite having appeared in 23 other films - some of them
also very good, Brooks' role as Lulu is the one with which she is most
identified. So much so, in fact, that it is not unusual for articles or
web pages today to refer to the actress by the name of Lulu. If you
haven't seen Pandora’s Box, don't miss this UK opportunity to see one of the great performances in film history on the big screen.
Little seen and long obscure, Beggars of Life is a film whose reputation is picking up steam.
Directed by William Wellman the year after he made Wings (the first film to win an Academy Award), Beggars of Life
is a gripping drama about a girl (played by Brooks) dressed as a boy
who flees the law after killing her abusive stepfather. On the run, she
rides the rails through a male dominated hobo underworld in which danger
is always close at hand. An American film magazine of the time, Picture Play,
described the film as "Sordid, grim and unpleasant," though added "it
is nevertheless interesting and is certainly a departure from the usual
movie."
And that it is. But what's more, this special screening is a fine
example of how invigorating the combination of a great silent movie and
contemporary live music can be. The Dodge Brothers,
an Americana-drenched roots music quartet featuring English film critic
Mark Kermode on bass and harmonica, will accompany the film. When The
Dodge Brothers accompanied Beggars of Life at the British Film Institute a years ago, they wowed a packed audience.
April will also see the release in England of a new novel inspired, in part, by Brooks early life. Laura Moriarty 's The Chaperone (Penguin)
tells the story of Brooks' 1922 journey from Wichita, Kansas to New
York City to join the Denishawn Dance Company, then America's leading
modern dance troupe. Brooks was only 15 years old, and she was
accompanied by a middle aged chaperone, whose story the novel also
tells. We at the Louise Brooks Society are looking forward to its release in the United States next month.
Pictured above is the UK cover. Thanks to the great Meredith Lawrence for alerting us to
its publication "over there."
its publication "over there."
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