Louise Brooks in Italy: "Le stelle brillano a New York" di Laura Moriarty

As readers of this blog know, Louise Brooks is something of a cult figure in Italy (as she is in France, and Germany too). The latest instance of the spotlight being shown on the actress is the newly released Italian-language edition of Laura Moriarty's bestselling, Louise Brooks-inspired novel, The Chaperone. For the Italian edition published by Piemme, the novel has been given a new title, Le stelle brillano a New York (or Stars Shine in New York).

As with the American edition, the Italian edition features a lovely images of the actress on the cover. Here is the publisher supplied description of book and the the author.

"È impossibile non essere stregati dalla bellissima ragazza che sta salendo sul treno per New York. Sarà anche per quello sguardo, così sfrontato in una quindicenne. O per il suo cortissimo caschetto di capelli neri, così moderno per il 1922 e quella piccola città del Kansas. È irrequieta, si vede. Ha fretta di partire, respirare l’energia della lontana metropoli pulsante di vita, entrare nella compagnia di danza più prestigiosa del momento. Ma neppure lei, per quanto ostinata e ambiziosa, s’immagina che di lì a pochi anni sarà una stella del cinema muto e il suo nome – Louise Brooks – avrà fatto il giro del mondo. Con grande disappunto, viaggia però accompagnata. A farle da chaperon è una rispettabile vicina di casa, Cora Carlisle. Trentasei anni, moglie e madre modello, ligia alle convenzioni, Cora non sa ancora cosa l’aspetti con la ribelle e anticonformista Louise. Ma sa che quel viaggio è un’occasione unica per allontanarsi dal suo matrimonio apparentemente perfetto e intraprendere una ricerca troppo a lungo rimandata. Perché la verità sul suo passato è a New York.Mentre cerca di domare lo spirito libero di Louise sotto le luci sfavillanti di Broadway, dove si respira l’euforia di quegli anni ruggenti, Cora inizierà tuttavia a mettere in discussione i limiti che ha sempre imposto alla propria esistenza. E addentrandosi nella sua ricerca segreta scoprirà un nuovo lato di sé, imparando ad accettare tutte le donne che è stata e quelle che può ancora essere. Finché anche lei, come Louise, muoverà i primi passi verso i suoi sogni, in quell’estate indimenticabile in cui entrambe prenderanno finalmente in mano il proprio destino."

"Laura Moriarty insegna scrittura creativa all’Università del Kansas. Grande bestseller negli Stati Uniti, Le stelle brillano a New York diventerà un film interpretato da Elizabeth McGovern, star della fortunatissima serie tv Downton Abbey. Per maggiori informazioni: www.lauramoriarty.net"

Titolo: Le stelle brillano a New York
Titolo originale: The chaperone
Autore: Laura Moriarty
Traduttore: Margherita Crepax (the translator is the niece of Guido Crepax, author of Valentina)
Editore: Piemme
Collana: Narrativa
Pagine: 462

Louise Brooks as Mary Pickford - a rare image

Here is a seldom seen image of Louise Brooks, made up like Mary Pickford. This image is from a series.

Video: Louise Brooks Tribute / Telepathe - 'So Fine'

Another Louise Brooks tribute video found on YouTube. Nicely done, except the image of the nude kneeling before a statue of Buddha is not Louise Brooks. The song is "So Fine" by Telepathe, an electronic pop duo from Brooklyn.

Beggars of Life twice today

Beggars of Life (1928), the sensational William Wellman directed film starring silent screen legend Louise Brooks, will be shown twice on October 6th.

The first screening takes place on the Bournemouth Pier in Bournemouth, England. The film will be accompanied by the renown Dodge Brothers musical group. Beggars of Life will also be shown in Italy as part of the Pordenone Silent Film Festival's "Canon Revisited" series. Günter Buchwald will provide live musical accompaniment for this latter screening.

Directed by multiple Oscar winner William Wellman, Beggars of Life (1928) tells the story of a girl who goes on the run after killing her abusive stepfather. She dresses as a boy, and together with another young vagabond, they hop freight trains, confront a group of hobos, and steal a car in their attempt to escape the police and reach Canada. The film stars future Oscar winner Wallace Beery as rail-riding hobo Oklahoma Red, Louise Brooks as Nancy, the girl on the run, and Richard Arlen as her vagabond companion.

Many consider Beggars of Life Brooks' best American film. An American film magazine of the time, Picture Play, described it as "Sordid, grim and unpleasant," though added, "it is nevertheless interesting and is certainly a departure from the usual movie."

Both the Bournemouth and Pordenone screenings should prove to be examples of an invigorating combination of a great silent movie and dynamic live music - no matter how different that music may be.

The Dodge Brothers, an Americana-drenched quartet featuring the English film critic and BBC commentator Mark Kermode, will set the musical mood in Bournemouth . When The Dodge Brothers accompanied Beggars of Life at the British Film Institute, the Bradford International Film Festival, at Barbican, and elsewhere across England at prior outings, they each time wowed an appreciative audience.

The Dodge Brothers are "renowned for playing the hell out of classic Americana." Described as ‘wonderful stuff’ by UK Radio 2 presenter Bob Harris, they play an exuberant hybrid of country blue, rockabilly, jugband and skiffle. With the fifth Dodge Brother Neil Brand, expert silent pianist and composer, the musicians bring the jug band/ skiffle style to accompany Welman's classic film. The other Dodge Brothers are musicians Aly Hirji, Mike Hammond, and Alex Hammond.

Following their accompaniment of Beggars of Life, the Dodge Brothers will perform a show at the Pier Theatre. More information at http://artsbournemouth.org.uk/events/the-dodge-brothers/

The Pordenone screening promises to be just as special. As devotees know, the Pordenone festival, sponsored by the Le Giornate del Cinema Muto, is widely regarded as the leading silent film festival in the world. It draws film scholars, film buffs, archivists, musicians and viewers from all over the world.

Befitting its stature, the Festival issues a substantial bi-lingual catalog documenting each of the many films screened at the annual event. Follow this link to read or download the pdf of the festival program/catalog. It contains a few image of the actress, as well as an essay on Beggars of Life by the Academy Award winning film historian evin Brownlow. In writing about the film, Brownlow recalls his own friendship with Brooks and Wellman. The Pordenone catalog is in both Italian and English.

Günter Buchwald, the musician accompanying Beggars of Life, is one of the pioneers of the renaissance of silent film music and one of the most experienced practitioners in the world. He has accompanied silent films for over 25 years with a repertoire of more than 2000 titles. He is director of the Silent Movie Music Company and conducts the Freiburg Filmharmonic Orchestra, which he founded in 1992. His wide experience in music from Baroque to Jazz allows him a huge stylistic variety in musical improvisation. Since 1984 he has appeared regularly at film festivals from Berlin to Zurigo (among others).

More information about Pordenone and Le Giornate del Cinema Muto may be found at http://www.cinetecadelfriuli.org/gcm/giornate/questa_edizione/introduction.html The introduction states, "William Wellman’s Beggars of Life, with the magnificent Louise Brooks, will be shown as a dedicated serata, with ensemble musical accompaniment."

More news: Beggars of Life with Louise Brooks in England and Italy

Beggars of Life (1928), the sensational William Wellman directed film starring Louise Brooks, will be shown twice in October.

The first screening takes place on Sunday, October 6th on the Bournemouth Pier in Bournemouth, England. The film will be accompanied by the Dodge Brothers musical group. Here are the details for what promises to be a fantastic event.

The Dodge Brothers play live at the Pier Theatre on Sunday October 6, preceded by a live performance to the classic silent movie, Beggars of Life; combined ticket + Fish and chip dinner only £20. More information at http://artsbournemouth.org.uk/events/the-dodge-brothers/

The Dodge Brothers are "renowned for playing the hell out of classic Americana." Described as ‘wonderful stuff’ by UK Radio 2 presenter Bob Harris, they play an exuberant hybrid of country blue, rockabilly, jugband and skiffle. With the fifth Dodge Brother Neil Brand, expert silent pianist and composer, the musicians bring the jug band/ skiffle style to accompany William Welman's classic film, starring the enigmatic, cross-dressing Louise Brooks. The Dodge Brothers are Mike Hammond, Mark Kermode, Aly Hirji and Alex Hammond.

5pm Film  £8 // 8pm Gig £10
Combined ticket film+gig+fish & chips £20 (Fish and chips to be served in Key West next to the Pier Theatre). To book:  The Dodge Brothers Live on the Pier

As was mentioned in an earlier blog, Beggars of Life will also be shown in Italy as part of the Pordenone Silent Film Festival. Beggars of Life will be shown as part of the Festival's "Canon Revisited" series on Sunday, October 6th at 8:30 pm. Günter Buchwald will provide live musical accompaniment.

Follow THIS LINK to read or download  the program/catalog for the festival. It contains three rather nice image of the actress, as well as an essay on the film by Kevin Brownlow. The Academy Award winning film historian's text, as well as the entire catalog, are in both Italian and English.

Pandora's Box with Louise Brooks screens in Barcelona

Pandora's Box, the sensational 1929 G.W. Pabst directed film starring Louise Brooks, will be shown three times in Barcelona, Spain as part of the "Cinema of the Weimar" series being screened throughout the month of October at the FilmoTeca de Cataluyna. The film will be shown on October 4th, October 6th, and October 9th. More information in Catalonian may be found at THIS LINK.

Die Büchse der Pandora / La capsa de Pandora
 

Cicle: El cinema de Weimar: somnis i malsons

"Die Büchse der Pandora" porta el subtítol "Variacions sobre el tema de la Lulu", ja que adaptava aquesta famosa obra literària de Frank Wedekind. El film va permetre a l’actriu americana Louise Brooks crear un prototipus de dona amoral i moderna que acaba devorada per les pròpies apetències sexuals, amb una gran càrrega eròtica i sensual, i perfectament vigent avui dia. Acompanyament musical a càrrec del mestre Josep Maria Baldomà.

Apta per a tots els públics 

Dv, 04/10/2013 - 18:30 h.

Sala Laya

Dg, 06/10/2013 - 21:15 h.

Sala Chomón

Dc, 09/10/2013 - 20:00 h.

Sala Chomón

Direcció: Georg Wilhelm Pabst

Interpretació: Louise Brooks, Fritz Kortner, Franz Lederer, Carl Goetz, Alice Roberts, Krafft-Raschig

Producció: Alemanya

Any: 1928-1929

Idioma original: Muda, amb rètols en català

Versió: S/D

Durada: 141'

Format: 35 mm

 

Louise Brooks referenced in National Geographic

Louise Brooks scholar Tim Moore found this: "October’s National Geographic magazine – "Special 125th Anniversary Edition: The Power of Photography" – concludes with a color image of the couple who gave Louise Brooks the opportunity to leave Wichita for bigger and better things when she was 15. The caption implies she was a student of theirs in Los Angeles, but it was New York and New Hampshire." It's a beautiful image. 

Cool Pic of the Day: Louise Brooks

Louise Brooks, pictured here in the late 1920s