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.
No comments:
Post a Comment