On this day in 1926

In his review of The American Venus, the critic of the New York World declared "I do believe that Louise Brooks, who appears as Miss Bayport, is better looking than any of the other brunettes now acting in films."

Eureka - Hélène Caron

I found it! And at long last, a minor Louise Brooks mystery has been solved . . . . In the early sound film Prix de Beauté, Louise Brooks is seen singing "Je n'ai qu'un amour, c'est toi," a charming chanson of love and jealousy. As she did not speak French, Brooks' dialogue is dubbed. And the song she is seen singing at the end of the film is actually sung by someone else. There has been some speculation as to whom that performer might be. The film itself does not credit anyone. And, in his detailed biography, Barry Paris does not state who sings. Some have suggested Edith Piaf. Now, I am 99% sure that Hélène Caron is the singer who performs "Je n'ai qu'un amour, c'est toi" in Prix de Beauté.

In December of last year, while searching the internet, I came upon a compact disc of French music from the Thirties. I ordered a copy from Europe, and it arrived today. The disc contains "Je n'ai qu'un amour, c'est toi" by Hélène Caron, and it is a match for the version found in Prix de Beauté. Additionally, the linear notes state the song is from the film (as well as indicates that this recording was released on the Parlaphone label). "Je n'ai qu'un amour, c'est toi" is a truely charming song. And, as this is one of three versions I have found recordings of, a perhaps popular song in France in 1930. I plan on adding this newly discovered recording to RadioLulu sometime soon.

I did a Google search on Hélène Caron, but turned up nothing. Does anyone know anything about her? Did she ever record anything else?

Pandora's Box (Unrated)

More and more articles about LB. This  brief review appears in today's edition of the Christian Science Monitor.

Pandora's Box (Unrated)

Director: Georg Wilhelm Pabst. With Louise Brooks, Fritz Kortner. (100 min.)

2006 is the centennial of actress Louise Brooks, and to honor it, her greatest film, "Pandora's Box," is being released in a new 35-mm print in New York's Film Forum before being taken around the country. Brooks was a silent-era starlet of minor stature before appearing, improbably but unforgettably, in two Pabst classics in 1929. In "Pandora" she plays Lulu, the blithe vixen with a boyish bob haircut who drives men to their doom. Brooks's erotic appeal combined clean-cut wholesomeness (she was raised in Kansas) with a devastating sensuality. Happy 100th! Grade: A
- P.R.

If anyone else spots any other articles, please let me know. There is most likely going to be a flurry of material coming out of New York City.

More Pandora's Box articles

Pandora's Box is showing at Film Forum in New York City, and articles are popping up everywhere in the local media. Here are two more of note: "Loving Lulu: A Silent, sexy Louise Brooks at her best" by Armond White (from New York Press) and "Pandora's Box" by Jurgen Fauth & Mark Dermansky (from About.com). I would love to hear from anyone who attends a screening!

New York Times: Then & Now

Today, the New York Times ran an article on Pandora's Box, which is starting a two-week run at the Film Forum in New York City. The new article, titled "Louise Brooks, a 'Pandora' who Transcended Categories," can be found here. That article links to the newspaper's original 1929 review of the film, titled "A Disconnected Melodrama." That old article can be found here. Ah what a difference three quarters of a century make!

Early environmental editorial cartoon

Female Trouble: The bewitching Louise Brooks

The Village Voice has an article by J. Hoberman on Louise Brooks and Pandora's Box, which is about to open a two week run in NYC. It mostly reiterates earlier material on the film and the actress, but it is interesting as a kind of "state of the art" review. The article can be found here.

Summer events

June 16 - June 29, 2006: A new 35mm print of Pandora's Box screens at FilmForum in New York City.  (more info)

June 19, 2006: Louise Brooks: Looking for Lulu will be screened on Turner Classic Movies (TCM). Check local listing for exact times. 

July 7 - July 9, 2006: A new 35mm print of Pandora's Box will be shown at Brattle Theatre in Cambridge, Massachusetts.  (more info)

July 12 - July 18, 2006: A new 35mm print of Pandora's Box will be shown at CineStudio in Hartford, Conneticut.  (more info)

July 15, 2006: A new 35mm print of Pandora's Box will be shown at the historic Castro Theater, as part of the annual San Francisco Silent Film Festival. Thomas Gladysz, director of the LBS, and artist/filmmaker and one time Wichita, Kansas resident Bruce Conner will introduce the film.  (more info)

August 2006: The Silent Theater company of Chicago will probably stage their version of Lulu in New York City as part of the city-wide Fringe Festival. Details to come.

August 30, 2006: As part of their Silent Film Series, the Colorado Chautauqua Association will screen Diary of a Lost Girl in the Boulder, Colorado.