The more often you watch a particular film, the more things you notice which you might not have taken note of previously... the way light might come into a window, the way a character walks, the way a room is dressed.
Over the years, I have likely watched Pandora's Box (1929) some twenty times, or more. I don't really know how many times I have viewed the film, but I always try to watch it with fresh eyes. It wasn't until my twelfth viewing, some years ago, that I really noticed the jazz combo performing during the wedding reception scene. That got me to wondering who they were, until I spotted the name of the group on their drum-kit. They were Sid Kay's Fellows, a real jazz combo from the time. I went into excited research mode, and ended up writing a couple of blog posts on the group. The first of them, from April 2012, is Music in Pandora's Box: Sid Kay's Fellows. A follow up post from October of that same year is More on Sid Kay's Fellows. Check 'em out.
Another thing I noticed in the film and began to wonder about is the wood relief sculpture of a praying man hanging on the wall of Lulu's room - the same room where her husband is killed. I wondered who made it? Was it just a piece of random set dressing (unlikely, as Pabst was a meticulous film maker), or was it a piece of art from the time? Here are a few screen grabs depicting the art in question.
I couldn't find any references to the sculpture in the literature about the film. I did some internet searches, and looked at some art books, and nearly gave up until I came across the work of a German expressionist artist and writer named Ernest Barlach. According to his Wikipedia entry, his "literary and artistic work would fall between the categories of twentieth-century Realism and Expressionism" The same could be said for G.W. Pabst.
I don't know that the piece in Pandora's Box is by Barlach, but it sure does look like his work. I also did a Google search under the name "Ernst Barlach" and filtered the results for images. I am leaning in his direction. Are there any art historians or Ernst Barlach experts who could weigh in on this mystery? Is there a catalog raisonne of his work?
... And speaking of artwork seen in Pandora's Box, I wonder what ever happened to this painting of Brooks as a harlequin? Does anyone know? Does anyone know who painted it? This painting looks like something that was commissioned for the film, whereas the praying man figure looks like a pre-existing work of art.
More about Pandora's Box can be found on the Louise Brooks Society website on its Pandora's Box (filmography page).
THE LEGAL STUFF: The Louise Brooks Society™ blog is authored by Thomas Gladysz, Director of the Louise Brooks Society (www.pandorasbox.com). Original content copyright © 2026. Further unauthorized use prohibited. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
