California Digital Newspaper Collection

The California Digital Newspaper Collection (or CDNC) needs your help. This freely accessible database contains searchable scans of 1,442,777 newspaper issues comprising 21,623,444 pages and 53,713,870 articles. It is a great resource. If you like doing research, as I do, and are interested in Louise Brooks (who lived and worked in California) or film history (the industry has long been based in the state), local / regional history, or family history (genealogy), the closure of this valuable resource would be a great loss. All history is local.... Don't let history be forgot. 

The CDNC has, so far, received five grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities to digitize California newspapers for the National Digital Newspaper Program. Titles digitized as part of the NDNP are available on the CDNC website and at the Library of Congress Chronicling America website -- another great resource for researchers and history buffs. 

The CDNC, which faces the potential loss of state funding, has recently lost foundation and federal (NEH) funding support. It has also been subject to DOS attacks. 

If you live in California or the United States, write to your representative and tell them you support funding for this resource. If you live outside the United States, spread the word that this resource exists. Also, the CDNC is eager to know what users think of this site. Please email your comments to cbsrinfo@ucr.edu.

In my never ending quest to uncover all things Louise brooks, I have made use of this site dozens of times. During my last visit, for example, I dug through newspapers from Gold Rush San Francisco looking for and finding mentions of  Frank Wedekind's parents. Readers of this blog might recall that Wedekind, the author of the Lulu plays, had roots in the San Francisco Bay Area. His parents lived there, and Frank was conceived there, before his parents returned to Germany.  

The site has a bunch of Los Angeles and Southern California newspapers, including, most importantly, the Los Angeles Daily News. I have found a handful of significant articles and clippings in papers from Los Angeles (including a Spanish-language title) and nearby Palm Springs. Here are just a couple three examples.

Palm Springs Desert Sun

 

Los Angeles Opinion

Los Angeles Daily News

 

Show your support, and visit the California Digital Newspaper Collection  today.

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 © 2025. Further unauthorized use prohibited. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

My copy of the new Japanese version of Lulu in Hollywood just arrived!

Just before the tariffs were set to go into effect, I ordered a copy of the newest version of Louise Brooks' Lulu in Hollywood, which was published in Japan in 2023. I don't read Japanese, but as a completest, I had to have a copy! Despite the fact that shipping to the United States was as much as the cost of the book (which was ¥3,520), I am glad I ordered a copy, as being able to flip through the book was an informative pleasure. For those of you who may be curious, I purchased the book through Amazon Japan. See the link HERE.

On the left is the book itself, while the image to the right
is the book with its wrap around paper band.

This newest edition of Lulu in Hollywood was published by Kokusho Kankokai on April 10, 2023. It is a handsomely designed 340 page hardback book. Here is the publisher's description: 

完全なる幻影、夢の女……ハリウッドの反逆者……悪女の誘惑……ミューズの蠱惑……アンチスターの肖像……魔的な美、堕ちた天使……エロスの化身……

サイレント期アメリカ映画界で活躍し、グレタ・ガルボ、マレーネ・ディートリッヒと並び称され、今もハリウッド黄金時代のミューズとして多くの人々に愛されている伝説の女優、ルイズ・ブルックス（1906-1985）。〈自由な精神の権化〉たる自らの人生を軽やかに語り、40年の長きにわたって読み継がれている自伝的エッセイの傑作がついに登場（1982年刊）。
すべての男女を破滅に導く“宿命の女”ルルを演じて神話的存在となった代表作『パンドラの箱』ほか、『人生の乞食』『淪落の女の日記』などの主演映画の舞台裏、W・C・フィールズ、ハンフリー・ボガートなどのハリウッド・スターやウィリアム・ウェルマン、G・W・パプストなどの監督との交友、そして魑魅魍魎が跋扈するハリウッド・バビロンの〈天国と地獄〉を歯に衣着せぬ闊達な文章で綴る。
序文＝ウィリアム・ショーン　解説＝ロッテ・H・アイスナー、ケネス・タイナン

＊原書刊行時に寄せられた絶賛評

〈辛辣で、威勢がよく、饒舌。機知や悪口が小気味よく飛び交う。『ハリウッドのルル』でブルックスは、ともに生きた僚友たちの、彼女の鋭い目が射貫いたありのままの姿を共感こめて描いている。その前では多くの映画解説者の神秘めかした物言いはカビ臭く聞こえてしまう。ここでのルイズ・ブルックスは、香に包まれ、花の冠を戴いた清浄の女神ではなく、皮肉な警句を飛ばす生きのいい話相手であり、通俗やもったいぶった感傷癖とは正反対のところに身を置いている〉　ジェイムズ・ウォルコット「エスクワイア」

〈無駄のない奔放な文体で書かれた、時代の証言たり得るこれらのエッセイは、アメリカ映画に関する文章で私がこれまでに読んだ最高のもののひとつだ……22歳のルイズ・ブルックスは“ルル”を映画史に刻み込んだ。75歳の彼女は『ハリウッドのルル』でもうひとつの至芸を見せた〉ジョン・ラー「ニューヨーク・タイムズ・ブックレビュー」

〈深い洞察とめくるめく自在な語り口――ダイヤモンドの切れ味を持った文章は爽快で、その美しさは表現の正確さに裏打ちされている〉　「フィルム・コメント」

【目次】
序文　ウィリアム・ショーン
第１章　カンザスからニューヨークへ
第２章　『人生の乞食』のロケ撮影
第３章　マリオン・デイヴィスの姪
第４章　ハンフリーとボギー
第５章　W・C・フィールズのもうひとつの顔
第６章　リリアン・ギッシュとグレタ・ガルボ
第７章　パプストとルル
エピローグ　なぜ私は回想録を書かないか
私の見たルイズ・ブルックスーー目撃証人は語る　ロッテ・Ｈ・アイスナー
黒ヘルメットの女　ケネス・タイナン
ルイズ・ブルックス　フィルモグラフィー
訳者あとがき
索引（人名・映画題名）

The text (including captions) is entirely in Japanese except for the copyright page, which tells me this version is based on the original 1982 version published by Knopf - except that it isn't. Not quite. 

Here is what I found:

As with the original 1982 edition, the foreword is by William Shawn. The Kenneth Tynan essay, "The Girl in the Black Helmet," which served as a foreword to the expanded University of Minnesota Press edition published in the year 2000, has been moved to the back of the book alongside the Lottie Eisner piece, "A Witness Speaks," which serves as an afterword and appears in both editions. Also included in this recent Japanese edition is an eighth essay, "Why I Will Never Write My Memoirs," which had also been added to the University of Minnesota Press edition.

In effect, this Japanese edition is a sort of hybrid of the two prior American editions. Besides the addition of illustrated end papers, the selection and arrangement of images seems to be the same as the two prior American editions. The image quality is very good. The translation was done by Takaharu Miyamoto, who has translated a handful of other works of film history into Japanese including Kevin Brownlow's The Parade's Gone By.

As I don't read Japanese, I can't comment on the quality of the translation. (The book has received a rating of 4.8 out of 5, with one individual commenting, "I wonder if Louise Brooks was what they call a 'beautiful writer,' because the translation was not particularly pleasant to read. But I was very happy just to have a book with so many precious photos of Louise Brooks . As a woman myself, I almost sighed at the thought that such a beautiful person once existed.")

Nevertheless, this recent Japanese edition is a vast improvement on the prior "edition" of Lulu in Hollywood which was published in Japan by Chuokoron-Sha Inc. in 1984. It is pictured below with its wrap around paper band.

 

This earlier Japanese edition of Lulu in Hollywood is radically different in its design, its selection of text, and its selection of images. Edited by Shohei Ooka and titled Ruizu Burukkusu to “Ruru” (or Louise Brooks to “Lulu”), this edition is a 116-page, heavily illustrated, Japanese language book "about" and by the actress; it contains Brooks’ “Gish and Garbo” and “Pabst and Lulu” along with a filmography and the images contained in the original Lulu in Hollywood.

If you want to learn more about Lulu in Hollywood, be sure and check out the small grouping of pages dedicated to the book on the Louise Brooks Society website. There is a page on the book itself, an illustrated page devoted to the various international editions, and an annotated bibliography surveying the books many reviews. Each page has been updated in the last few months. Complimentary to the three LBS website pages is the books' Wikipedia page, which I authored last year following the outcry of a fan who "insisted" I create one since one did not exist. 

I wonder, how many fans would like to see an expanded edition of Lulu in Hollywood, which brings together some of Brooks' uncollected writings? Or how about an annotated edition?  Or how about an edition that does both?

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 © 2025. Further unauthorized use prohibited. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.   

Its the Old Army Game, with Louise Brooks, was released on this day in 1926

Its the Old Army Game, with Louise Brooks and W.C. Fields, was released on this day in 1926. The film is a comedy about a small town druggist (played by W.C. Fields) who gets involved with a real estate scam. Louise Brooks plays the druggist's assistant. The film was Brooks' fourth, and it reunited her with the Fields, the film's star. The two had worked together in the Ziegfeld Follies of 1925. More about the film can be found on the Louise Brooks Society website filmography page.

In its review, the Newark Star-Eagle stated, “This picture not only affords a good deal of typical Fields comedy in a suitable story frame, but also reveals the possibilities of Louise Brooks, Follies girl who is making decidedly good in the cinema. . . . All told, Fields need not regret his first Paramount production. Louise Brooks, with a touch of piquancy, a good range of registration, and the conception of restraint, is pleasing as the heroine.”

It's the Old Army Game was originally announced as starring Fields and future "It girl" Clara Bow, but she was shooting Mantrap (1926), so the female lead fell to Brooks. Exhibitor’s Herald stated, “Louise Brooks is the other important person in the picture and, as insinuated rather bluntly on the occasion of her first appearance -- in The American Venus -- she’s important. Miss Brooks isn’t like anybody else. Nor has she a distinguishing characteristic which may be singled out for purposes of identification. She’s just a very definite personality. She doesn’t do much, perhaps because there isn’t much to do but probably because she hits hardest when doing nothing, but nobody looks away when she’s on screen. If Miss Glyn should say that Miss Brooks has ‘it,’ more people would know what Miss Glyn is raving about. But in that case she would not be raving.”

The Portland Oregonian noted “Louise Brooks, the pert young woman who will be remembered for her work in The American Venus and A Social Celebrity, the latter with Adolphe Menjou, has the lead role opposite Fields. She poses a bit. An excuse was found to get her into a bathing suit too, which wasn’t a bad move, on the whole.” 

It's the Old Army Game received mostly positive reviews, though some critics noted its rather thin plot. Algonquin Round Table playwright Robert E. Sherwood (who would go on to win four Pulitzer Prizes and an Academy Award) was then writing reviews for Life magazine. His pithy critique read, “Mr. Fields has to carry the entire production on his shoulders, with some slight assistance from the sparkling Louise Brooks.” Ella H. McCormick of the Detroit Free Press countered with "Fields scored a splendid triumph in this picture. A great part of the success of the offering, however, is due to Louise Brooks, who takes the lead feminine part."

Today, It's the Old Army Game is largely remembered as a starring vehicle for Fields -- a comedic great, It is also remembered for the fact that not long after the film wrapped, Brooks married the film's director, Eddie Sutherland.

Under its American title, documented screenings of the film took place in Australia (including Tasmania), Bermuda, British Malaysia (Singapore), Canada, Ireland, Jamaica, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, Panama, and the United Kingdom (England, Isle of Wight, Northern Ireland, and Scotland). In Czechoslovakia, the film was promoted under the title The Old Army Game. In Japan, it was once promoted as It’s the Old Army.

Elsewhere, It’s the Old Army Game was shown under the title El boticario rural (Argentina); Ein moderner Glücksritter (Austria); Een Apothekersstreek (Belgium); Risos e tristezas (Brazil); El Boticario Rural (Cuba); To je starí hra armády (Czechoslovakia); Miehen ihanne (Findland); Un Conte D’Apothicaire (France); チョビ髯大将 (Japan); Laimes spekuliantai (Lithuania); Un Conte d’hapoticaire! (Luxembourg); El Boticario Rural (Mexico); Pierewaaier — Pilledraaier (The Netherlands); Ungkar og spillemann (Norway); El boticario rural (Spain); Mannen som gör vad som faller honom in (Sweden *); and El boticario rural (Uruguay).

* The film was censored in Sweden, though when released in 1930, it was deemed suitable for all audiences.

 SOME THINGS ABOUT THE FILM YOU MAY NOT KNOW:

 -- Clarence Badger was originally assigned to direct, but the film was soon turned over to Edward Sutherland, a onetime actor and Keystone Cop who began his directing career just a few years before with the help of Charlie Chaplin. The film was announced, at first, as starring W.C. Fields and future “It girl” Clara Bow, but as she was needed on the West Coast to shoot Mantrap (1926), the female lead fell to Brooks. It's the Old Army Game was the first of five Fields' films directed by Sutherland.

-- Outdoor scenes in Palm Beach, Florida were shot at El Mirasol, the estate of multi-millionaire investment banker Edward T. Stotesbury. In 1912, after having been a widower for thirty-some years, Stotesbury remarried and became the stepfather of three children including Henrietta Louise Cromwell Brooks (known simply as Louise Brooks), an American socialite and the first wife of General Douglas MacArthur. In her heyday, she was "considered one of Washington's most beautiful and attractive young women". Because of their names, the two women were sometimes confused in the press.

-- Silent film historian John Bengston has written a series of posts on his Silent Locations website looking at various scenes from the film. Each are well worth checking out. They include "W.C. Fields in Palm Beach – It’s the Old Army Game" -- "It’s The Old Army Game – W.C. Fields and Louise Brooks Bring Magazines to Life" -- "It’s The Old Army Game – W.C. Fields and Louise Brooks in Ocala Florida – Part One".

-- It’s the Old Army Game was officially released May 25, 1926. The film opened in select cities on May 22, 1926, with the earliest showings taking place in Atlanta, Georgia, Hartford, Connecticut, and Indianapolis, Indiana. The film was advertised to open a few days earlier in Palm Beach, Florida (on May 18) and elsewhere, but was delayed.

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 © 2025. Further unauthorized use prohibited. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. 

Need help translating Chinese page about Pandora's Box

I have established the fact that Pandora's Box was shown is at least a few countries in Asia, including the Dutch East Indies (modern-day Indonesia), Japan, Korea  and possibly China. When I say established I mean that I have found either a newspaper article or an advertisement stating that the film would be or had been shown at a specific theater on a specific date. A magazine story or captioned photograph in a newspaper is not enough to establish that a film was actually shown, just that it was written about. Sometimes, that has been the case. [For more on the reception of Pandora's Box in Asia, please check out this page on the LBS website.]

And so far, that's the case with China, as article or advertisements for actual screenings have yet to be located. Nevertheless, shown below is a page about Pandora's Box which appeared in a Chinese film magazine in 1930. It depicts the closing scenes of the film. Can anyone translate the text on the page? And / or tell me in general terms what it says?

 

If one didn't know otherwise, it is interesting to note that the imagery on this page suggests Pandora's Box is a film about moral failure or moral redemption. Which it is, in a way. Though that is not how the film is presented in most publications ion most other countries.

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 © 2025. Further unauthorized use prohibited. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Need help translating possible Korean article mentioning Pandora's Box

I have established the fact that Pandora's Box was shown is a few countries in Asia, including the Dutch East Indies (modern-day Indonesia), Japan, possibly China, and Korea. When I say established I mean that I have found either a newspaper article or an advertisement stating that the film would be or had been shown at a specific theater on a specific date. A magazine story or captioned photograph in a newspaper is not enough to establish that a film was actually shown, just that it was written about. Sometimes, that has been the case. [For more on the reception of Pandora's Box in Asia, please check out this page on the LBS website.]

When it comes to Korea, I found that Pandora's Box was shown in Seoul. (Thank the research gods for English-language newspapers in non-English-speaking countries -- especially Asian countries.)

According to a listing found in an English-language Seoul newspaper, The Box of Pandora (as it was sometimes titled -- adding yet another variant to searches) was shown for about a week at the Tan Sung Sa Movie Hall in mid April 1930. It was accompanied by another 10 reel film, a 1928 Ufa production titled Behind the German Front, which was also known as Behind the German Lines. This newspaper listing described The Box of Pandora as “variations taken from Frank Wedekind Lula” [sic]. And in yet another variation on the spelling of the actress’ name, it notes the film features “Louis Broox”. Admission to the 7:30 p.m. show was 1.00 yen for a reserved seat and 50 sen for “ordinary” seating.

Once I had a date to focus on, I went looking through Korean newspapers in Korean, hoping to find an ad or photograph related to the film. I might have found something, but can't be certain. That's where those who can read Korean might be able to help. Can anyone tell me if this article has anything to do with the 1929 G.W. Pabst film starring Louise Brooks? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Even just a few details would be great. Please post a comment below or email me at louisebrookssociety (at) gmailDOTcom

And for context, here is the entire newspaper page. Usually, I am able to copy and past German, French, Spanish, Polish and other non-English languages into Google translate and get a sense of what the material  is about -- but no such luck here. The clipped article above is in the lower right hand part of the page.

 

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 © 2025. Further unauthorized use prohibited. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Champagne & Caviar: Four Weimar Comedies (1931-1932)

Flicker Alley is one of the most interesting movie distributors going, as well as one of my favorite labels. Over the years, they've released a remarkable number of outstanding silent and early sound films with more to come. 

Coming in June is Champagne & Caviar: Four Weimar Comedies (1931-1932) which features a film directed by none other than actor Fritz Kortner, who played Dr. Ludwig Schön opposite Louise Brooks in Pandora's Box. I didn't know Kortner directed films, and as I find him an interesting film personality, I am interested to see Der brave Sünder (The Upright Sinner), one of the four films on this new set. Here's an image from Pandora's Box depicting the two actors. It's followed by what's been announced about this forthcoming release.

Champagne & Caviar: Four Weimar Comedies (1931-1932)

Die Privatsekretärin (The Private Secretary) / 1931
Directed by  Wilhelm Thiele / 80 minutes / 1.19:1 / Monaural / Germany

Der brave Sünder (The Upright Sinner) / 1931
Directed by Fritz Kortner / 88 minutes / 1.19:1 / Monaural / Germany

Die Koffer des Herrn O.F. (The Trunks of Mr. O.F.) / 1931
Directed by Alexis Granowsky / 78 minutes / 1.19:1 / Monaural / Germany

Ich bei Tag und du bei Nacht (I By Day, You By Night) / 1932
Directed by Ludwig Berger / 96 minutes / 1.19:1 / Monaural / Germany

2-DISC BLU-RAY EDITION

Flicker Alley is honored to present four musical comedies from the late years of the Weimar Republic, showcasing the “champagne and caviar” days of German cinema, a stark contrast to the dawn of one of history’s darkest periods.

These innovative and oft-risqué works feature some big screen stars, such as Peter Lorre, Hedy Lamarr, and Renate Müller, whose starring role in The Private Secretary was once thought partially lost after all prints of her films were ordered to be destroyed by the Nazi regime. A miraculous discovery of two surviving 16mm prints at the Library of Congress now allows us to experience Müller’s charismatic leading performance after decades of silence.

While the films themselves are wholly mirthful, they are also case studies of an exuberantly artistic era that championed self-expression and creative freedoms, before the extraordinary flame was snuffed out.

Feature Films Include:

Die Privatsekretärin (The Private Secretary) (1931) - Renate Müller plays the title role in director Wilhelm Thiele’s workplace comedy (adapted from the 1905 novel by István Szomaházy) about a young woman who goes to work in a bank office in search of a wealthy husband.

Der brave Sünder (The Upright Sinner) (1931) - Max Pallenberg stars as Leopold Pichler, a haplessly dedicated banker tasked with transporting money to Vienna, but who is unknowingly part of a larger financial scheme on the part of his boss. Directed by Fritz Kortner, The Upright Sinner is based on Alfred Polgar’s play The Embezzlers, in turn based on the novel by Valentin Kataev.

Die Koffer des Herrn O.F. (The Trunks of Mr. O.F.) (1931) - Directed by Alexis Granowsky and starring Peter Lorre (arriving on the heels of his star making turn in Fritz Lang’s M) and Hedy Lamarr, The Trunks of Mr. O.F. follows a small German town that turns itself upside down in order to impress an imagined visitor whose extravagant luggage has arrived at the local hotel.

Ich bei Tag und du bei Nacht (I By Day, You By Night) (1932) - Ludwig Berger directs the charming romance between Grete (Käthe von Nagy) and Hans (Willy Fritsch), two boarders who rent the same room, one during the day and the other at night. A likely influence on Billy Wilder’s The Apartment, I By Day, You By Night is also infused with an all-singing, all-dancing celebration of the power of cinema.

This deluxe Blu-ray edition is made possible thanks to the generous underwriting and funding from the Sunrise Foundation for Education & the Arts and the Villa Aurora / Thomas Mann House, Inc. serving as fiscal sponsor, as well as the restorations efforts of Filmmuseum München, Beauftragten der Bundesregierung für Kultur und Medien, and Friedrich-Wilhelm-Murnau-Stiftung.

Bonus Materials Include:

• Audio Commentary for The Private Secretary - By Lukas Foerster, German film critic and programmer
• Audio Commentary for The Upright Sinner - By Nadine Rossol, Professor of Modern European History at Essex University, with additional insight by Lukas Foerster
  
• Audio Commentary for The Trunks of Mr. O.F. - By Angeana Hans, Professor of German Studies and affiliated faculty in Cinema and Media Studies at Wellesley College
• Audio Commentary for I By Day, You By Night - By Christian Rogowski, Professor in Language and Literature in the Department of German at Amherst College
• Souvenir Booklet - Featuring an essay by Lukas Foerster
• Reversible Cover Artwork
• All Region Encoding (A,B,C)

 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 © 2025. Further unauthorized use prohibited. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Louise Brooks on the covers of European editions of Daniel Kehlmann's Lichtspel / The Director

Daniel Kehlmann's engrossing seventh novel, Lichtspiel, was first published in Germany in 2023. Since then, it has been published in translation in a number of countries in Europe as well as, now, the United States under the title The Director (Simon & Schuster / Summit Books). The novel centers on the later years of the Austrian-born director, G. W. Pabst. Louise Brooks, who appeared in two Pabst films, Pandora's Box (1929) and Diary of a Lost Girl (1929), appears in the novel as a significant, though secondary character.

Reviews of the American edition have appeared in a number of print and online publications including:

The New York Times -- "How to Make Art Under the Nazis (Without Losing Your Soul)" by J. Hoberman (May 6, 2025)

Los Angeles Times -- "In this novel inspired by G.W. Pabst, Leni Riefenstahl is among the bit players" by Julia M. Klein (May 4, 2025)

Washington Post -- "The Director revisits a filmmaker’s deal with the devil during WWII" by Malcolm Forbes (May 6, 2025)

Boston Globe -- "Is it possible to make great art under fascism?" by Lauren LeBlanc (May 1, 2025)

Wall Street Journal -- "The Director Review: The Mystery of G.W. Pabst" by Donna Rifkind (May 2, 2025)

Los Angeles Review of Books -- "Making Art Under Fascism" by Kai Maristad (May 6, 2025)

National Public Radio -- "A filmmaker in Nazi Germany strikes a deal with the devil in The Director" by Maureen Corrigan (May 8, 2025)

Notably, pretty much every major review and article -- including an April 30 New York Times profile of Kehlmann -- have mentioned Louise Brooks. She has also been pictured in a few pieces, and, she has appeared on the covers of two editions, one published in The Netherlands and one in Italy. Here are those two books.

Title: Lichtspel (Dutch Edition)
Publisher: Querido
Publication date: January 30, 2024

Om aan de verschrikkingen van de opkomende nazi’s te ontsnappen wijkt G.W. Pabst, een van de grootste filmregisseurs van zijn tijd, uit naar Hollywood. Daar blijkt zijn roem niets voor te stellen, en zelfs Louise Brooks en Greta Garbo, die hij groot maakte, kunnen hem niet helpen. Als hij op terugreis naar Europa zijn doodzieke moeder bezoekt in Oostenrijk, breekt de oorlog uit en gaan de grenzen dicht. Aan het naziregime valt niet langer te ontsnappen. Minister van Propaganda Goebbels heeft zijn zinnen gezet op het filmgenie en doet hem grote beloften. Terwijl Pabst nog gelooft dat hij die avances kan weerstaan en zich uitsluitend hoeft te onderwerpen aan de wetten van de kunst, zet hij al de eerste stap naar een grimmige verstrengeling.

Lichtspel, vertaald door Josephine Rijnaarts, is een grandioze roman over kunst en macht: spannend, serieus en speels.

++++++ 

Title: Il regista (Italian Edition)
Publisher: Feltrinelli Editore
Publication date: October 8, 2024

Los Angeles, anni trenta. Con l’avvento del nazismo il regista Georg Wilhelm Pabst lascia la Francia dove sta lavorando e si trasferisce negli Stati Uniti. È uno dei grandi maestri del cinema tedesco d’avanguardia, ha diretto le più importanti star del muto e portato al successo Greta Garbo rendendola immortale, ma in America è solo uno come tanti. Incapace di adattarsi ai meccanismi dello studio system, dopo aver girato un film che si rivela un fiasco, non vede più un futuro a Hollywood e abbandona il sole della California per tornare in Europa. Mentre fa visita alla madre in Austria, ormai annessa alla Germania, scoppia la guerra e ripartire diventa impossibile. Bloccato nel Terzo Reich, G.W. Pabst si confronta con la natura brutale del regime. Goebbels, il ministro della Propaganda a Berlino, vuole il genio del cinema, non accetta un no come risposta e fa grandi promesse. Anche se Pabst crede ancora che saprà resistere a queste avance, che non si sottometterà ad alcuna dittatura diversa da quella artistica, si è già cacciato in un guaio irrimediabile.

Arte e potere, bellezza e barbarie, Il regista mostra di cosa è capace la letteratura.

Ingegnoso e divertente, Il regista racconta la vita di un maestro del cinema, del suo patto con il diavolo e delle pericolose illusioni del grande schermo.

Remarkably, these two new covers are among the more than 50 published works of fiction which depict Louise Brooks on the cover. A gallery of such covers, "Louise Brooks -- Contemporary Books Covers 1 (fiction)" appears on the Louise Brooks Society website. Which one is your favorite? be sure and click on the link above and give them a look.

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 © 2025. Further unauthorized use prohibited. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

New Documentary Details Life of Director G.W. Pabst and his Wife

I recently learned of a new documentary about G.W. Pabst, the "great unknown" who directed Louise Brooks in two classic silent films, Pandora's Box (1929) and The Diary of a Lost Girl (1929). 

This near 90 minute Austrian film, directed by Angela Christlieb and titled Pandoras Vermächtnis (or Pandora's Legacy), was released in May 2024, one year ago. It is described as "A journey through the family universe of G.W. Pabst, giant of early cinema, told through the eyes of the woman who was his great love and lifelong partner: Trude Pabst. A film about dream and trauma, and about why we become who we are." The film looks interesting.

According to one German language review, "Rather than focusing solely on the filmography, the film focuses on the family." I haven't seen the documentary as of yet, but from what I can tell after looking around online the film does largely focus on Trude Pabst via the Pabst grandchildren, though Louise Brooks enters its story as does Greta Garbo and Brigitte Helm.

The description (in translation) which accompanies the trailer below reads: "Trude Pabst, the wife of the famous director Georg Wilhelm Pabst, was overshadowed by her husband during her lifetime. The documentary Pandora's Legacy reveals insights into her dreams, fears, and the family legacy passed down through generations. The story is told through a fascinating mix of personal notes, letters, and film clips. This interweaving of the various narrative layers gives the film a profound and symbolic dimension that illuminates both the relationship between Trude and G.W. Pabst and the family's traumatic and spiritual experiences."

Pandora's Legacy had its world premiere at the IFFR International Film Festival in Rotterdam. It has also been shown at the Diagonale Austrian Premiere Festival for Austrian Film in Graz, and the BAFICI in Buenos Aires, Argentina. I don't believe the film has been shown in the United States, but with all of the interest generated by Daniel Kelhmann's newly released novel about Pabst, The Director, hopefully it's just a matter of time. (See the May 5th Louise Brooks Society blog post for more on Kelhmann's novel.)

 

The film has an IMDb page, but for more information be sure and check out the director's webpage on the film which contains credits, images, and links to reviews and other material. Also of interest is this interview with the director, Angela Christlieb, on the Austrian Films website. (It's in English.)

 

A couple of sentences from the interview stand out. In answer to the question as to why and how Pandora's Box inspired her film and its title, Christlieb stated "An imaginary box is opened, and well-kept secrets come to light. I was inspired by this association. After all, the film is about a great legacy of the family, and Pandora (played by Louise Brooks) even plays an indirect role: G.W. Pabst had an affair with her, so she has a special place within the family." Christlieb also noted that "The family has even commissioned a comprehensive biography of their grandfather....." I am certainly looking forward to that book as well!

 

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 © 2025. Further unauthorized use prohibited. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

New Novel Imagines Life of Director G.W. Pabst

A number of early reviews have started showing up in the American press about a new novel imagining the life of German director G. W. Pabst. The book, titled The Director, is by the internationally acclaimed German writer Daniel Kehlmann. Not surprisingly, this just released novel includes passages referencing Louise Brooks, the American actress who made two films under Pabst's direction, Pandora's Box (1929) and Diary of a Lost Girl (1929). 

Kehlmann's book has already been praised by the likes of Jeffrey Eugenides (“An incomparably accomplished and inventive piece of fiction by one of the most intelligent novelists at work today.”), Salman Rushdie (“Daniel Kehlmann, the finest German writer of his generation, takes on the life of the eminent film director G.W. Pabst to weave a tragicomic historical fantasia that stretches from Hollywood to Nazi Germany, from Garbo to Goebbels, to show how even a great artist can make, and be unmade by, moral compromises with evil. A dazzling performance and a real page turner."), and Zadie Smith (“A wonderful book about complicity and the complicity of art. It’s also funny, and brilliant.”).

Some of the reviews and articles I've come across include those in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times and Wall Street Journal. 

I would especially recommend the New York Times piece by David Segal. It is long form and thoughtful. It notes that Kehlmann "centers his novel on the largely forgotten G.W. Pabst, an Austrian film director who gained fame in the era of silent movies and flamed out in Hollywood in the 1930s. Through an unfortunate happenstance — he’d returned to Austria to check on his ailing mother just as war broke out — Pabst was stuck when the Nazis slammed shut the borders. Eventually, he worked for the German film industry, which was overseen by the propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels.... 

[Kehlmann] dug into film archives and libraries, studying the career of one of the great auteurs of the Weimar Era. Pabst peaked early. He helped make Greta Garbo an icon with “The Joyless Street” in 1925 and four years later launched Louise Brooks in “Pandora’s Box,” which Quentin Tarantino has called one of his favorite films. To understand how the left-leaning Pabst ended up as one of the Nazis’ marquee directors, Kehlmann read deeply about Germany’s slide into autocracy."

I first blogged about this book back in 2023, when it was released in Germany under the title Lichtspiel and reviews started showing up in the German press, including the Berliner Morgenpost and elsewhere. And, as I mentioned then, these and other reviews made mention of "Die Büchse der Pandora die US-amerikanische Schauspielerin Louise Brooks." That's what caught my attention.

I haven't yet got a-hold of  the English-language American edition of Kehlmann's novel, but from what I understand from the various reviews I've encountered, the novel largely focuses on the years in which the Austrian-born Pabst, unable to leave Nazi Germany, continued making films while the Nazi regime was in power. Pabst's earlier life, including the years in which he made films with Garbo, Asta Nielsen, and Louise Brooks, is depicted in flashbacks. Kehlmann has written a novel, not a biography or work of film history. As Publisher's Weekly describes the novel, "It’s a searing look at the mechanics of complicity."

Kehlmann is a highly respected bestselling author. His works include Measuring the World, Me & Kaminski, Fame and F, and have won numerous prizes, including the Candide Prize, the Literature Prize for the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, the Doderer Prize, the Kleist Prize, the WELT Literature Prize and the Thomas Mann Prize. His novel Die Vermessung der Welt (translated into English as Measuring the World, 2006) is the best selling book in the German language since Patrick Süskind's Perfume was released in 1985.

His subsequent novels reached the number one spot on German bestseller list, and each were translated into English. Interestingly, Kehlmann collaborated with Jonathan Franzen and Paul Reitter on Franzen's 2013 book The Kraus Project, a book of translations of Karl Kraus's essays. Notably, in 1904, Kraus aided Frank Wedekind in his first ever staging in Vienna of his controversial play Pandora's Box, which was later turned in a film directed by Frank Wedekind and starring Louise Brooks.

Louise Brooks, second from left, with G.W. Pabst, far right (though he was a leftist).

Daniel Kehlmann's The Director is available wherever better books are sold, including amazon. 

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 © 2025. Further unauthorized use prohibited. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. 

Windy Riley Goes Hollywood, starring Louise Brooks, was released on this day in 1931

Windy Riley Goes Hollywood, starring Louise Brooks, was released on this day in 1931. The film is a short comedy which centers on Windy Riley, a cocky blow-hard who attempts to revamp the publicity department of a Hollywood studio. The film was Louise Brooks’ first after returning from Europe, the first to feature her actual voice (Brooks’ earlier sound films, The Canary Murder Case and Prix de Beauté, had been dubbed), and her first and only short. More about the film can be found on the Louise Brooks Society website filmography page.

The film was directed by Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, who was working under the name William B. Goodrich; a blacklist on the comedian's employment in Hollywood was still in effect. Windy Riley Goes Hollywood was promoted as a behind the scenes look at the movie capital. The film’s press sheet overstated its case when it proclaimed “One of the first pictures ever showing the interior of a sound stage and the actual operation of talking pictures. . . . The actual cameras, microphones, etc., used in picture production will be shown in some of the big scenes.”

At times, story details surrounding character Betty Grey (played by Brooks) curiously parallel Brooks’ own career. Near the beginning of the film, Grey is set to star in The Box Car Mystery, a title of which calls to mind Brooks’ role in Beggars of Life. Later, while at lunch at the Montmarte (a famous Los Angles café once frequented by Brooks and others in Hollywood), Riley boasts he was responsible for the successful advertising campaign mounted by Klux Soap. In real life, Brooks was among a handful of actress who regularly appeared in print ads for Lux Soap. And, at the end of the film, it is announced that Grey will wed the director The Box Car Mystery. A few years earlier, Brooks married Eddie Sutherland, who directed her in It’s the Old Army Game.

The film's few reviews were largely negative, and the film suffered from a lack of exhibitor interest. Consequently, few likely saw Windy Riley Goes Hollywood at the time of its release. Except for a three-month period in mid-1931 when it played in Toronto, there are few records of this short film having been shown in any large cities. What exhibition records have been found suggest the film was shown as program filler in mostly smaller markets.

 In the United States and Canada, the film was on a few occasions promoted under the title Windy Riley Goes to Hollywood, and once reviewed as Windy Riley Goes into Hollywood. Under its American title, documented screenings of the film took place in Canada, The Philippines, Sweden, and the United Kingdom (England and Scotland).

Elsewhere, Windy Riley Goes Hollywood was shown under the title The Gas Bag (United Kingdom, including England, Northern Ireland, and Scotland) and as Windy Rileyová jde Hollywood (Czechoslovakia).

 SOME THINGS ABOUT THE FILM YOU MAY NOT KNOW:

-- Windy Riley Goes Hollywood, based on an original story by Ken Kling, was adapted from Kling’s comic strip Windy Riley. The New York cartoonist started the strip about a wisecracking braggart in 1928. At the time of the film's release, the strip ran in some 170 newspapers across the country.

-- Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, depressed and still working under a pseudonym because he was under an industry blacklist, directed the film. Years later, Brooks told Kevin Brownlow, "He made no attempt to direct this picture. He sat in his chair like a man dead."

-- Dell Henderson started as an actor in 1908, and was a frequent associate of director D.W. Griffith, and less so, with producer Mack Sennett. Henderson also directed nearly 200 silent films between 1911 and 1928. In the late 1920s, he returned to acting and played important supporting roles in King Vidor's The Crowd (1928) and Show People (1928). The advent of sound stalled his career, and he was thereafter cast in small parts. In the 1930s, Henderson appeared as a comic foil for W. C. Fields, Laurel and Hardy, and The Three Stooges.

-- The group of dancers seen in Windy Riley Goes Hollywood were recruited from the chorus of George Olsen’s Culver City nightclub. Olsen was a popular bandleader and recording artist married to Ethel Shutta. Her brother Jack Shutta, a stage performer making his screen debut in the title role of Windy Riley, managed Olsen's nightclub. Along with Ethel Shutta and Louise Brooks, Olsen and his orchestra performed at the Ziegfeld Follies of 1925.

-- In 1935, the Bell and Howell Company of Chicago offered Windy Riley as a Filmosound rental subject.

-- Windy Riley Goes Hollywood was the first Louise Brooks film shown on television likely anywhere in the world. The film was shown under the title Windy Riley Goes to Hollywood on November 18, 1948 on WJZ (Channel 7) in Asbury Park, New Jersey. (LINK)

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 © 2025. Further unauthorized use prohibited. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.