A cinephilac blog about an actress, silent film, and the Jazz Age, with occasional posts
about related books, music, art, and history written by Thomas Gladysz. Visit the
Louise Brooks Society™ at www.pandorasbox.com
Sunday, October 28, 2007
by Hobe
This blog is authored by Thomas Gladysz, Director of the Louise Brooks Society™. Launched in 1995, the Louise Brooks Society is a pioneering website and online archive devoted to the legendary silent film star. The Louise Brooks Society operates with the consent of the Estate of Louise Brooks (Louise Brooks Heirs, LC), and have its permission to use the name and likeness of the actress. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. CONTACT: louisebrookssociety (at) gmail.com
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Jeanine Basinger event
For those in the San Francisco Bay Area: Tomorrow night, I will be hosting film historian Jeanine Basinger for a talk and booksigning to mark the publication of The Star Machine, her new book on the golden age of movies. Basinger will also show some film clips during her talk. I hope some of you can make it to this special event, which will take place at The Booksmith (1644 Haight Street) in San Francisco. Start time is 7 pm
In her new book, Basinger offers a look into the "star machine," examining how, at the height of the studio system, the studios worked to manufacture star actors and actresses. With revelatory insights and asides, Basinger shows us how the machine worked when it worked, how it failed when it didn't, and how irrelevant it could sometimes be.
Jeanine Basinger is the chair of film studies at Wesleyan University and the founder and curator of its cinema archives. She has written nine other books on film, including A Woman's View: How Hollywood Spoke to Women 1930-1960; as well as Silent Stars, winner of the William K. Everson Award for Film History; and American Cinema: 100 Years of Filmmaking, the companion book for a ten-part PBS series.
In her new book, Basinger offers a look into the "star machine," examining how, at the height of the studio system, the studios worked to manufacture star actors and actresses. With revelatory insights and asides, Basinger shows us how the machine worked when it worked, how it failed when it didn't, and how irrelevant it could sometimes be.
Jeanine Basinger is the chair of film studies at Wesleyan University and the founder and curator of its cinema archives. She has written nine other books on film, including A Woman's View: How Hollywood Spoke to Women 1930-1960; as well as Silent Stars, winner of the William K. Everson Award for Film History; and American Cinema: 100 Years of Filmmaking, the companion book for a ten-part PBS series.
This blog is authored by Thomas Gladysz, Director of the Louise Brooks Society™. Launched in 1995, the Louise Brooks Society is a pioneering website and online archive devoted to the legendary silent film star. The Louise Brooks Society operates with the consent of the Estate of Louise Brooks (Louise Brooks Heirs, LC), and have its permission to use the name and likeness of the actress. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. CONTACT: louisebrookssociety (at) gmail.com
Friday, October 19, 2007
A rather good article
There is a rather good article about Louise Brooks in the current issue of StopSmiling magazine. (Issue # 32 is devoted to "Hollywood Lost and Found.") The piece, by John Davidson, is titled "The Cult of Personality: Louise Brooks."
Poking around the magazine's website, I came across an earlier review by José Teodoro of the Criterion release of Pandora's Box on DVD.
Poking around the magazine's website, I came across an earlier review by José Teodoro of the Criterion release of Pandora's Box on DVD.
This blog is authored by Thomas Gladysz, Director of the Louise Brooks Society™. Launched in 1995, the Louise Brooks Society is a pioneering website and online archive devoted to the legendary silent film star. The Louise Brooks Society operates with the consent of the Estate of Louise Brooks (Louise Brooks Heirs, LC), and have its permission to use the name and likeness of the actress. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. CONTACT: louisebrookssociety (at) gmail.com
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Lulu at BAM in Brooklyn
The Brooklyn Eagle reports that Pandora's Box will be shown at BAM on November 13th. According to the article,
I was fortunate enough to have visited BAM this past May, when I attended an advance screening of the about to be released Paul Auster film, The Inner Life of Martin Frost. Auster and his daughter, Sophie, who appears in the film, were in attendance. As an Brooks' fan knows, Auster wrote and directed the "Lulu-Pandora's Box-Louise Brooks inspired" film, Lulu on the Bridge.
More information about the theatrical presentation of Lulu can be found on this BAM webpage.
This screening of the classic German silent film is in conjunction with the U.S. premiere of German director Michael Thalheimer’s production of Frank Wedekind’s “Lulu” during BAM’s 25th Next Wave Festival. The film will feature live musical accompaniment by Dublin-based ensemble 3epkano [“three”-epkano] as they perform a new original score. This special event is supported by the Goethe-Institut New York and Culture Ireland.This screening, featuring a "new print," takes place one day before what would have been Louise Brooks' 101st birthday. And, in a way, it is a kind of artistic homecoming for the actress. Before she got into the movies, Brooks danced at BAM (then known as the Brooklyn Academy of Music) as a member of the Denishawn Dance Company. Brooks danced there on October 22, 1923 and April 5, 1924.
Known for synthesizing classical and experimental sounds, 3epkano has built a reputation over the past three years for their original scores for silent films, which they have performed at festivals and venues throughout Ireland.
I was fortunate enough to have visited BAM this past May, when I attended an advance screening of the about to be released Paul Auster film, The Inner Life of Martin Frost. Auster and his daughter, Sophie, who appears in the film, were in attendance. As an Brooks' fan knows, Auster wrote and directed the "Lulu-Pandora's Box-Louise Brooks inspired" film, Lulu on the Bridge.
More information about the theatrical presentation of Lulu can be found on this BAM webpage.
This blog is authored by Thomas Gladysz, Director of the Louise Brooks Society™. Launched in 1995, the Louise Brooks Society is a pioneering website and online archive devoted to the legendary silent film star. The Louise Brooks Society operates with the consent of the Estate of Louise Brooks (Louise Brooks Heirs, LC), and have its permission to use the name and likeness of the actress. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. CONTACT: louisebrookssociety (at) gmail.com
Monday, October 8, 2007
Silent Movies: The Birth of Film and the Triumph of Movie Culture
Over the weekend, I saw an early copy of Silent Movies: The Birth of Film and the Triumph of Movie Culture, by Peter Kobel. Wow! The book looks great - it will certainly be THE silent film book to get this year. It is gorgeous - full of black and white and color illustrations, many of them little seen and new to my eyes. There is also a two page spread on Louise Brooks in this new book.
The book features a preface by Martin Scorcese and a foreword by Kevin Brownlow. Here is the publisher's description: "A gorgeous, lavish history of silent movies - with more than 400 amazing images - captures the birth of film and icons like Chaplin, Garbo, Clara Bow, and Valentino.Drawing on the extraordinary collection of The Library of Congress, one of the greatest repositories for silent film and memorabilia, Peter Kobel has created the definitive visual history of silent film.From its birth in the 1890s, with the earliest narrative shorts, through the brilliant full-length features of the 1920s, SILENT MOVIES captures the greatest directors and actors and their immortal films. SILENT MOVIES also looks at the technology of early film, the use of color photography, and the restoration work being spearheaded by some of Hollywood's most important directors, such as Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola. Richly illustrated from the Library of Congress's extensive collection of posters, paper prints, film stills, and memorabilia-most of which have never been in print - SILENT MOVIES is an important work of history that will also be a sought-after gift book for all lovers of film."
This blog is authored by Thomas Gladysz, Director of the Louise Brooks Society™. Launched in 1995, the Louise Brooks Society is a pioneering website and online archive devoted to the legendary silent film star. The Louise Brooks Society operates with the consent of the Estate of Louise Brooks (Louise Brooks Heirs, LC), and have its permission to use the name and likeness of the actress. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. CONTACT: louisebrookssociety (at) gmail.com
Friday, October 5, 2007
Louise Brooks & Charlie Chaplin
This news photo is currently for sale on eBay. Its a great image of Louise Brooks. (She is holding a portable record player.) What's even more interesting is the caption on the back.
This blog is authored by Thomas Gladysz, Director of the Louise Brooks Society™. Launched in 1995, the Louise Brooks Society is a pioneering website and online archive devoted to the legendary silent film star. The Louise Brooks Society operates with the consent of the Estate of Louise Brooks (Louise Brooks Heirs, LC), and have its permission to use the name and likeness of the actress. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. CONTACT: louisebrookssociety (at) gmail.com
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Another Google Map
I have finished compiling another Google map. Though it is still something of a work in progress, I have placed the date, venue and city for each of the stops on the 1923-1924 Denishawn tour, which included Louise Brooks. This newly created map can be found at here.
As I had mentioned in an earlier blog, I have also created a map for the 1922-1923 Denishawn tour, and a map of my Louise Brooks research (featuring the libraries and archives I've visited, as well as the top 12 lending institutions). I have also started a Louise Brooks Gazetteer - which will include locations where the actress lived and worked (excluding the Denishawn performances). This latter map far from complete. Please check them out and let me know what you think. . . . has anyone who reads this blog ever worked with Yahoo maps?
As I had mentioned in an earlier blog, I have also created a map for the 1922-1923 Denishawn tour, and a map of my Louise Brooks research (featuring the libraries and archives I've visited, as well as the top 12 lending institutions). I have also started a Louise Brooks Gazetteer - which will include locations where the actress lived and worked (excluding the Denishawn performances). This latter map far from complete. Please check them out and let me know what you think. . . . has anyone who reads this blog ever worked with Yahoo maps?
This blog is authored by Thomas Gladysz, Director of the Louise Brooks Society™. Launched in 1995, the Louise Brooks Society is a pioneering website and online archive devoted to the legendary silent film star. The Louise Brooks Society operates with the consent of the Estate of Louise Brooks (Louise Brooks Heirs, LC), and have its permission to use the name and likeness of the actress. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. CONTACT: louisebrookssociety (at) gmail.com
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Sues with Doug and other finds
I visited the library this week. A few inter-library loans arrived. I looked at the Hagerstown Morning Herald (Maryland), in which I found an article and review relating to the Denishawn performance there in 1923. I also looked at some microfilm reels of theEvening Bulletin (Providence, Rhode Island) and Hartford Times (Connecticut). And in each of these later two papers I found a few film reviews and film advertisements dating from the late 1920's. I've added citations to the appropriate bibliographies.
While scrolling through microfilm, I came across this clipping from 1923, It caught my eye, as it featured actress Evelyn Brent, who co-starred with Louise Brooks in Love Em and Leave Em (1926). I thought it quite interesting.
While scrolling through microfilm, I came across this clipping from 1923, It caught my eye, as it featured actress Evelyn Brent, who co-starred with Louise Brooks in Love Em and Leave Em (1926). I thought it quite interesting.
A few books which I requested also arrived. I had ordered each because of my interest in Denishawn, an in particular Louise Brooks' involvement with the pioneering modern dance troupe. The books were The Story of Louis Horst and the American Dance by Ernestine Stodelle, You call me Louis, not Mr Horst by Dorothy Madden, and Doris Humphrey, A Centennial Issue edited by Naomi Mindlin. Each of the subjects of these books were involved with Denishawn during Brooks' tenure. I brought the books home, and plan to peruse them over the next couple of weeks.
In other research related news: I was pleased to learn that the Irish Times have placed their archives on-line. This weekend, I plan to purchase a 24-hour subscription and see what Louise Brooks-related material I can find in this Irish newspaper.
In other research related news: I was pleased to learn that the Irish Times have placed their archives on-line. This weekend, I plan to purchase a 24-hour subscription and see what Louise Brooks-related material I can find in this Irish newspaper.
This blog is authored by Thomas Gladysz, Director of the Louise Brooks Society™. Launched in 1995, the Louise Brooks Society is a pioneering website and online archive devoted to the legendary silent film star. The Louise Brooks Society operates with the consent of the Estate of Louise Brooks (Louise Brooks Heirs, LC), and have its permission to use the name and likeness of the actress. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. CONTACT: louisebrookssociety (at) gmail.com
Friday, September 14, 2007
Sound for silents
From the September 14th issue of the English newspaper, the Bristol Gazette
Sound for silents
By Emily Thwaite
Sound for silents
By Emily Thwaite
A WORLD premiere performance of a newly commissioned score from composer Paul Lewis can be heard at the Colston Hall, Bristol tomorrow.
It will be accompanying one of the greatest films from the silent era, Pandora's Box.
Adapted from the controversial plays of Frank Wedekind, Pandora's Box stars the legendary Louise Brooks as young temptress Lulu. Unleashing unruly desires, Lulu wreaks havoc on the lives of wealthy newspaper editor Dr Schon, his handsome but hapless son Alwa, and the desperately lovelorn Countess Geschwitz (cinema's first unequivocal lesbian).
The music will be conducted by the composer and performed by the Royal Ballet Sinfonia.
The evening will be hosted by actor Paul McGann, a patron of Bristol Silents and a devoted fan of Louise Brooks.
I would love to hear from anyone who attends this special screening.It will be accompanying one of the greatest films from the silent era, Pandora's Box.
Adapted from the controversial plays of Frank Wedekind, Pandora's Box stars the legendary Louise Brooks as young temptress Lulu. Unleashing unruly desires, Lulu wreaks havoc on the lives of wealthy newspaper editor Dr Schon, his handsome but hapless son Alwa, and the desperately lovelorn Countess Geschwitz (cinema's first unequivocal lesbian).
The music will be conducted by the composer and performed by the Royal Ballet Sinfonia.
The evening will be hosted by actor Paul McGann, a patron of Bristol Silents and a devoted fan of Louise Brooks.
This blog is authored by Thomas Gladysz, Director of the Louise Brooks Society™. Launched in 1995, the Louise Brooks Society is a pioneering website and online archive devoted to the legendary silent film star. The Louise Brooks Society operates with the consent of the Estate of Louise Brooks (Louise Brooks Heirs, LC), and have its permission to use the name and likeness of the actress. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. CONTACT: louisebrookssociety (at) gmail.com
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