Pandora's Box screens at Getty Museum in L.A.

The Getty Center in Los Angeles is currently exhibiting the work of photographer Herb Ritts (through August 26). The exhibit, "Herb Ritts L.A. Style," pivots on the notion that Ritts revolutionized fashion photography, modernized the nude, and transformed celebrities into icons.

And indeed, Ritts (1952–2002) developed a distinctive, highly stylized vision, and fashioned himself into one of the top photographers to emerge in the 1980s. 

As anyone who visits the exhibit will see, many of Ritts' photographs recall the glamour of Hollywood's golden age (all the way back to the silent era), a time when celebrities were often depicted as flawless and larger than life. Ritts' relationship with his subjects echoes that of the film director who discovers the remarkable qualities of an actor in his or her star-making role. 

Adjunct to the Ritts' exhibit, the Getty Center is screening several films which feature a singular actor in a star-making role. One of those films is The Sheik (1921) with Rudolph Valentino. Another is Pandora's Box (1929), starring Louise Brooks. In the G.W. Pabst masterpiece, Brooks created a character to whom she would always be linked - Lulu, a woman who blatantly defied accepted sexual and societal roles.

Pandora's Box, with live piano accompaniment by Michael Mortilla, is set to screen Saturday, April 28 at 7:00 p.m. at the Getty Center in Los Angeles, California. [The Sheik will be shown at 3:00 pm.] The Center is located at 1200 Getty Center Drive, approximately 12 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles. 

Reservations for this free event and further information about the screening can be found at www.getty.edu/museum/programs/performances/what_becomes_a_legend.html