Monday, August 31, 2009

Lulu in the Philippines

The Philippine Daily Inquirer ran an insightful, and somewhat lengthy article about a recent production of Lulu (the Frank Wedekind play) on their website. And of course, Louise Brooks plays a significant role in the article's analysis of the play and the Philippine production. Check it out here.

The article by Gibbs Cadiz, "Femme too fatale in Dulaang UP’s Lulu," notes "The Lulu plays, with their fervid glorification of a woman's sexual rapaciousness and the devastation it wreaks on the world around her, has served as an Ur-text in the evolution of the iconic femme fatale in popular culture -- from Marlene Dietrich's Lola-Lola in The Blue Angel to Barbara Stanwyck's Double Indemnity (notice the hommage in names?), from Hitchcock's gallery of deadly blondes to the Botticelli-tressed Glenn Close as the terrifying Alex Forrest in Fatal Attraction."

Cadiz adds, "They all owe a debt to Lulu more specifically to her now-celebrated cinematic embodiment, the Lulu of American actress Louise Brooks in German director G.W. Pabst's Pandora's Box."

Cadiz continues, and remains focused on Brooks: "While seemingly unmoored from motivational underpinnings, Lulu's anarchic, iconoclastic nature did have a purpose: It was the shattering blast of modernity Wedekind had lobbed at fin-de-siècle Germany, with its smothering rubric of social, economic and psychosexual conventions -- the real aim of his subversive dramaturgy."

"Pabst reportedly auditioned numerous women, including Dietrich, before settling on Brooks for his Lulu. The smoldering Dietrich (25 at that time to Brooks’ 21) was rejected because, as Pabst explained, her overripe sexuality, her all-too-seductive look threatened to turn Pandora’s Box into a 'burlesque.'"

"Pabst wanted an actress who combined allure and innocence, sensuality and grace. When he found Brooks, he photographed her exactly as Wedekind had conjured Lulu: an ethereal presence, seemingly separate from the common humanity around her, her stunning face -- that otherworldly gaze -- and lithe figure always more luminous, the light more alive in her presence."

While I don't think the author gets it completely right, there are some interesting points made in the article. Check out the Philippine perspective.

Two silent films not on DVD that should be

On Friday, I wrote an article on examiner.com titled "Six silent films not on DVD that should be." Please check it out.

Of course, two of my six suggestions were Louise Brooks' films. And of course, I want to see every one of her films on DVD. (Surprisingly, the W.C. Fields comedy, It's the Old Army Game (1926), is not on DVD - though just about every other Fields films is. The same goes for A Girl in Every Port (1928), directed by Howard Hawks. And then there is Love Em and Leave Em (1926), which is a good little film.)

However, I truly believe the two I suggested in my article, Beggars of Life, and The Street of Forgotten Men, deserve to be on DVD because they are especially fine films.

If you like silent film but are not necessarily a Brooks' fan, you will like these films.

I would enjoy hearing suggestions - either in the comments section following this blog, or in the comments section after the examiner.com article - of films you believe also belong on DVD.

As more and more films get released on DVD, it's time to get the word out for those films silent film fans really want to see.

Monday, August 24, 2009

A significant find

The other day, I was scrolling through newspaper microfilm when I happened to notice a petite portrait of Louise Brooks. It wasn't something I was looking for, but there it was. It caught my eye. I suppose I've become trained to notice Brooks' image wherever it appears.

What I came across surprised me. It was something I had not seen before or even known about. And, as far as Louise Brooks and film history is concerned, I think it may be a significant find.

What I came across was an item in a column by Louella Parsons. The clipping is dated February 1, 1929. At the time, Hollywood studios were undergoing the transition from silent films to talkies. Also undergoing great change were the careers of many actors and actresses. Some, with weak voices or heavy accents, failed to make the transition to talking pictures.

According to the clipping I came across, Louise Brooks sent a telegram to the famous, nationally syndicated columnist Louella Parsons asking her to help put out the word that her voice was not bad, and that the reason her voice was dubbed in the then just released Canary Murder Case was that she was simply unavailable to do the job. (The film, released in 1929, was originally shot as a silent in 1928 and was adapted as a sound film.)

The column reads, "Louise Brooks sends a wire to this desk begging me to say that the reason Famous Players-Lasky used a voice substitute was because she could not leave New York when The Canary Murder Case was being synchronized. 'Please,' asks Louise, 'deny that they used a substitute because my voice was bad. I was tied up in New York and could not come to the coast. That is the real reason.' We are big minded and are not going to get Louise in bad if we can help it. So please heed the contents of her telegram."

What revelatory about this brief piece is that 1) it shows Brooks' awareness and concern over the poor notices her voice was receiving in early reviews of The Canary Murder Case, and 2) it supports Brook's long held contention (debated by some film historians) that some studios knowingly wrecked the careers of actors - often using the "bad voice" gambit - during this turbulent period in the industry's history.

Apparently, Brooks' considered herself a victim of studio sabotage as far back as 1929. What's also interesting is that Brooks is here attempting to make her case in the court of public opinion. That's unusual. I don't think she ever did anything as proactive again - or at least until she turned to writing about film in the 1950's and 1960's.


What do you think? Barry Paris does not mention this item in his outstanding 1989 biography.

Interestingly, in her own review of The Canary Murder Case which ran on February 8th, Parson commented "He was handicapped by no less a person than Louise Brooks, who plays the Canary. You are conscious that the words spoken do not actually emanate from the mouth of Miss Brooks and you feel that as much of her part as possible has been cut. She is unbelievably bad in a role that should have been well suited to her. Only long shots are permitted of her and even these are far from convincing when she speaks."

Brooks' part in The Canary Murder Case marked her last important role in an American silent film. With her career in turmoil, Brooks worked in Europe. (There, she made what many consider to be her three best films. Each was a silent film.) When Brooks eventually returned to work in America in 1931, newspapers and magazines usually referred to an attempted "comeback." All that was available to the once popular actress were supporting roles in largely B-movies.

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Louise Brooks

A somewhat serious, though nice portrait of Louise Brooks, by George P. Hommel (circa 1928)

Inglourious Basterds

According to an article on MSNBC.com, Pandora's Box director G.W. Pabst is mentioned in the new Quentin Tarantino film, Inglourious Basterds. I'm not sure if Louise Brooks - the star of Pandora's Box - get's a shout out or not.

According to the article, characters in the film (who include French Resistance cinephiles) talk about the movies while dropping the names of various films and historical figures. It doesn't quite make sense to me, but like any Tarantino movie, I guess you have to see it to understand it. Here is what the article says about Pabst.
  • G.W. Pabst: Famous German Expressionist director, mostly known for “Pandora’s Box,” starring Louise Brooks. Another filmmaker referenced in “Basterds” by its cast of movie-mad characters who talk and talk and talk about films when they’re not plotting each other’s demise, the Nazis weren’t fans of his Weimar era “decadence.”
Has anyone see Inglourious Basterds? And if so, what gives ?

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Lulu - Peyote Beaded Bracelet

This nifty Peyote Beaded Bracelet, currently for sale on Itsy, was featured today on the local NBC website here in the San Francisco Bay Area. The bracelet features an image of Louise Brooks. Maria C. Baca, the nbcbayarea.com correspondent, wrote "We're impressed with anyone who does anything remotely crafty, but you have to agree that this bracelet is ridiculously awesome. Local jewelry maker Roia O'Brien strung together hundreds of beads to create this photographic-like image of flapper Louise Brooks ($468)."

O'Brien's Itsy description reads, "Handmade Art Deco style copper clasps adorn this beautiful beaded bracelet. The image of Louise Brooks, the original flapper is beaded using a peyote stitch. All the shading is created with various colored seed beads placed in just the right position to create an almost photographic effect. A copper lobster clasp and handmade chain, embellished with pale mint swarovski crystals and vintage charms secure Louise to your wrist at whatever length will fit you best."


I think it is kinda cool, and well done. If I were a girl and had an extra $468.00, I would snap it up (pun intended).

Shout out

I gave a shout out to Louise Brooks in my new article on the recently released Bardeleys the Magnificent DVD at http://www.examiner.com/x-7605-SF-Silent-Movie-Examiner~y2009m8d11-Bardeleys-the-Magnificent-is-that Please do check it out.
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