Notes on the new Criterion release of Pandora's Box, starring Louise Brooks

As most Louise Brooks and silent film fans likely know, Criterion has recently released Pandora's Box on DVD and Blu-ray. That's great news. This new release is a slightly repackaged version of their 2006 release of the film, which has been out-of-print for more than a few years and today is much sought after. There are, however, a few key differences.

More information about this new release can be found on the Criterion website HERE. And for those interested, the DVD and the Blu-ray releases are also available on Amazon. BOTH ARE ON SALE NOW!

So, what's the difference? And if you have the earlier release, should you buy this new version? That all depends....

First, the differences between the 2006 and the 2024 releases in regards to the film itself:

The 2006 Criterion release features a then "New, restored high-definition digital transfer of the definitive Munich Film Museum restoration." It runs 133 minutes.

The 2024 Criterion release features a "new 2k digital restoration." It runs 141 minutes. This 2k restoration was created from three duplicate elements from the collections of the Cinematheque francaise, Gosfilmofond and Narodni filmovy archiv. Funded by Hugh Hefner, this restoration was a collaboration between the George Eastman Museum, Cinematheque francaise, Cineteca di Bologna, Narodni filmovy archiv, and the Deutsche Kinemathek - Museumfur Film und Fernsehen. The restoration supervisor was Martin Koerber. (Unless I am mistaken, this restoration is the same as appeared on the recent Eureka release of the film from the U.K. However, I am uncertain as to why that version is said to run 133 minutes while this release runs 141 minutes. Perhaps someone from Criterion could explain.)

Second, differences between the bonus material included on each release:

The 2006 Criterion release features a number of excellent bonus materials or "supplements", including 

-- Four musical scores, by Gillian Anderson, Dimitar Pentchev, Peer Raben, and Stéphan Oliva

-- "New and improved English subtitle translation"

-- Audio commentary by film scholars Thomas Elsaesser and Mary Ann Doane 

-- Louise Brooks: Looking for Lulu (1998), a documentary by Hugh Munro Neely

-- Lulu in Berlin (1971), a rare interview with actor Louise Brooks, by Richard Leacock and Susan Steinberg Woll

-- Video interviews with Leacock and Michael Pabst, director G. W. Pabst’s son

-- A thick booklet which contains an essay by critic J. Hoberman, notes on the scores, Kenneth Tynan’s 1979 “The Girl in the Black Helmet,” and an article by Louise Brooks ("Pabst and Lulu") on her relationship with the Director

-- Stills Gallery

The 2024 Criterion release features each of the above mention bonus materials EXCEPT:

-- The stills gallery is lacking from both versions (DVD and Blu-ray) of the new release

-- Also of note, the booklet accompanying the Blu-ray contains the introductory essay by Hoberman, notes on the scores, Tynan’s 1979 “The Girl in the Black Helmet,” and an article by Brooks ("Pabst and Lulu"), while the slim insert accompanying the DVD contains only Hoberman's introductory essay and the notes on the scores while dropping the Tynan and Brooks essays. I wonder why?

-- Notably, the 2024 Blu-ray release is one disc, while the DVD is a two-disc set

-- The 2024 release has a new cover by Eric Skillman, as well as an official trailer announcing this 2024 release (which, now that it has been released, is dated; see below)

-- The interior illustrations are seemingly the same, though there are fewer of them on the DVD version

-- And though it is not explicitly stated, I assume the "New and improved English subtitle translation" has been carried over from the 2006 release.

There haven't been many reviews of this new release, that I have noticed. One of them, on the Slant magazine website, is cursory. Here is another, on the YouTube channel, Let's Talk Criterion. 

With all that said, I am glad Criterion brought Pandora's Box back into print. Perhaps a few more fans will check it out. Also, as I mentioned in some of my earlier blogs on the Criterion and Eureka releases, including my Pop Matters review from earlier this year, the Hugh Hefner funded restoration (supervised by Martin Koerber) is likely the best version of Pandora's Box that we will see in our lifetime.

For more about Pandora's Box, see the newly revamped Pandora's Box filmography page on the new revamped Louise Brooks Society website.

THE LEGAL STUFF: The Louise Brooks Society™ blog is authored by Thomas Gladysz, Director of the Louise Brooks Society  (www.pandorasbox.com). Original contents copyright © 2024. Further unauthorized use prohibited. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.