UK author, film critic and friend to the Louise Brooks Society friend Pamela Hutchinson has announced that a second edition of her BFI Film Classics title, Pandora's Box, will be released next year. Though the book itself is the same, it will feature a new cover! The LBS is pleased to have a signed first edition in its collection, but plans on acquiring a new edition with the new cover. More information about the book can be found HERE.
In this compelling study, Pamela Hutchinson traces Pandora's production history and the many contexts of its creation and afterlife, revisiting and challenging many assumptions made about the film, its lead character and its star. Analyzing the film act by act, she explores the conflicted relationship between Brooks and the director G.W. Pabst, the film's historical contexts in Weimar Berlin, and its changing fortunes since its release.
Back in 2017, I wrote about the book's first release and spoke with the author. Here is an excerpt from that interview, which appeared on PopMatters:
TG: Was it challenge to write an entire book on a single film? I suppose some might wonder how much there is to say.
PH: There is far more to say about Pandora's Box than I could fit into this book! I had to edit judiciously. The book combines history and criticism, as well as talking about how the film endures. I wanted to give as full a picture as possible of how the film came to be made, from Frank Wedekind writing his plays to the careers of G.W. Pabst and his crew and actors.
Also, I walk through Pandora's Box act by act, drawing out more of the film's meaning. There were so many questions about the film that intrigued me—and I wanted to answer them all. Why does Dr Schön drop his cigarette? Why is there a menorah in Lulu's apartment? What does the letter K stand for? Then I gave over some space to talking about the film's legacy, and what the image of Louise Brooks as Lulu stands for now.
TG: The book's description states that you "revisit and challenge many assumptions made about the film, its lead character and its star." How so?
PH: Louise Brooks is the voice of Pandora's Box—she has written about the film and been interviewed about it more than anyone else involved in the production. This delights me, and I have a huge respect for her intellect, and her analysis of the film. But I wanted to dig deeper. Much of what she has said about the film has been taken as gospel, but there is often another side to the story.
I'm especially thinking about the character of Countess Geschwitz, and Alice Robert's performance. I wanted to reclaim the Countess as a passionate, heroic character. And there's a lot of criticism from elsewhere that I think confuses what Pabst is trying to do in his adaptation and he and Brooks are doing in the portrayal of Lulu. It's always good to look at an old film with fresh eyes, but still with an understanding of the circumstances in which it was made.
TG: What did you discover in writing the book that surprised you, or might surprise readers?
PH: Well, there's a credit on the film that always looked wrong to me, and I wanted to investigate that. In the end I discovered quite a lot about the man credited with editing the film—including the fact that he almost definitely had nothing to do with cutting Pandora's Box. He was a fascinating character, though, and while he didn't edit the film, he did have an important role to play in its reception. In America, at least.
TG: What does your book reveal that someone who has seen the film might not realize?
PH: Lots, I hope! For example, did you know that Pabst nearly made the film with Lili Damita as Lulu in 1926? I tried to cram as much information and informed critical thinking into the book as possible. I have covered the production history, and looked at the contribution of each actor and each key member of the crew, but I have trawled the imagery, too. It's almost impossible to tear your eyes away from Brooks when watching Pandora's Box, but if you do, Pabst is telling you the whole story in his design for the film, from the lighting, to all those ominous objects in the background.
In this compelling study, Pamela Hutchinson traces Pandora's production history and the many contexts of its creation and afterlife, revisiting and challenging many assumptions made about the film, its lead character and its star. Analyzing the film act by act, she explores the conflicted relationship between Brooks and the director G.W. Pabst, the film's historical contexts in Weimar Berlin, and its changing fortunes since its release.
Back in 2017, I wrote about the book's first release and spoke with the author. Here is an excerpt from that interview, which appeared on PopMatters:
TG: Was it challenge to write an entire book on a single film? I suppose some might wonder how much there is to say.
PH: There is far more to say about Pandora's Box than I could fit into this book! I had to edit judiciously. The book combines history and criticism, as well as talking about how the film endures. I wanted to give as full a picture as possible of how the film came to be made, from Frank Wedekind writing his plays to the careers of G.W. Pabst and his crew and actors.
Also, I walk through Pandora's Box act by act, drawing out more of the film's meaning. There were so many questions about the film that intrigued me—and I wanted to answer them all. Why does Dr Schön drop his cigarette? Why is there a menorah in Lulu's apartment? What does the letter K stand for? Then I gave over some space to talking about the film's legacy, and what the image of Louise Brooks as Lulu stands for now.
TG: The book's description states that you "revisit and challenge many assumptions made about the film, its lead character and its star." How so?
PH: Louise Brooks is the voice of Pandora's Box—she has written about the film and been interviewed about it more than anyone else involved in the production. This delights me, and I have a huge respect for her intellect, and her analysis of the film. But I wanted to dig deeper. Much of what she has said about the film has been taken as gospel, but there is often another side to the story.
I'm especially thinking about the character of Countess Geschwitz, and Alice Robert's performance. I wanted to reclaim the Countess as a passionate, heroic character. And there's a lot of criticism from elsewhere that I think confuses what Pabst is trying to do in his adaptation and he and Brooks are doing in the portrayal of Lulu. It's always good to look at an old film with fresh eyes, but still with an understanding of the circumstances in which it was made.
TG: What did you discover in writing the book that surprised you, or might surprise readers?
PH: Well, there's a credit on the film that always looked wrong to me, and I wanted to investigate that. In the end I discovered quite a lot about the man credited with editing the film—including the fact that he almost definitely had nothing to do with cutting Pandora's Box. He was a fascinating character, though, and while he didn't edit the film, he did have an important role to play in its reception. In America, at least.
TG: What does your book reveal that someone who has seen the film might not realize?
PH: Lots, I hope! For example, did you know that Pabst nearly made the film with Lili Damita as Lulu in 1926? I tried to cram as much information and informed critical thinking into the book as possible. I have covered the production history, and looked at the contribution of each actor and each key member of the crew, but I have trawled the imagery, too. It's almost impossible to tear your eyes away from Brooks when watching Pandora's Box, but if you do, Pabst is telling you the whole story in his design for the film, from the lighting, to all those ominous objects in the background.
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