Louise Brooks article on Huffington Post

I've posted a new article about Louise Brooks to the Huffington Post. It covers all the latest goings on. Read the article HERE. The slide show embedded in the article contains a very rare photograph of Louise Brooks that is also incredibly sexy. You must see to believe.

The contemporary film critic David Thomson once described Louise Brooks as "One of the most mysterious and potent figures in the history of the cinema . . .."

Earlier, the French critic Ado Kyrou said "Louise Brooks is the only woman who had the ability to transfigure no matter what film into a masterpiece. . . . Louise is the perfect apparition, the dream woman, the being without whom the cinema would be a poor thing. She is much more than a myth, she is a magical presence, a real phantom, the magnetism of the cinema."

His words were echoed by the German critic Lotte Eisner, who described Brooks as "An actress who needed no directing, but could move across the screen causing the work of art to be born by her mere presence."

Barry Paris to introduce Louise Brooks film Beggars of Life in Pittsburgh, PA

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette movie critic and Louise Brooks biographer Barry Paris will introduce a screening of the sensational William Wellman directed film Beggars of Life (1928) at The Hollywood Theater (1449 Potomac Avenue) in Pittsburgh, PA. This special event, part of the theater's Silents, Please! silent film series, takes place on November 10th.

Live musical accompaniment will be provided by Daryl Fleming & the Public Domain, who have performed with and scored silent films in the region and abroad.More information and ticket availability at http://www.showclix.com/event/BeggarsOfLife.

Louise Brooks Film Series in Prague, Czech Republic

The films of Louise Brooks will be the subject of a series at the Kino Ponrepo starting November 14, the actress' birthday!

For those not familiar, the Ponrepo is the cinema of the National Film Archive in Prague, Czech Republic. The November 14th event marks the first of five screenings of five different Brooks films shown over the course of a month.

The Louise Brooks series follows a similar month long tribute to Clara Bow at the Kino Ponrepo. The Louise Brooks series was organized by the George Eastman House. 

The five films to be shown are Pandora's Box / Pandořina skříňka (screened on November 14th), Diary of a Lost Girl / Deník ztracené (screened on November 21st), A Girl in Every Port / Všude jiné děvče (screened on November 26th), Beggars of Life / Žebráci života (screened on December 3rd), and The Canary Murder Case / Případ zavražděného kanárka (screened on December 10th).

From the Kino Ponrepo website, here is the descriptive notes in Czech. The website also has an English language interface.

Louise Brooksová
14.11.2013 | 10.12.2013
Po říjnové Claře Bow představujeme další hvězdu přelomu němé a zvukové éry

Louise Brooksová – ve své době jedna z řady efemérních krásek stříbrného plátna, dnes kinematografická ikona nejvyšší autority. Bytostí byla jedinečnou, spontánní, provokativní a zcela bez pudu (společenské) sebezáchovy. Důsledky opakovaného vzdoru vůči studiu Paramount ji učinily páriou Hollywoodu.

Natočila pouhých šestnáct němých a sedm zvukových filmů, většina z nich na jakoukoli výjimečnost aspirovat nemohla. A k tomu navíc podstatná část z těch předzvukových titulů zůstává mimo dosah objektivního zhodnocení, protože stále přetrvává v kategorii ztracených. Nicméně Brooksová inspirativně zasáhla do mnoha dalších uměleckých děl, a to nejen coby typ moderní ženy obdařené nadčasovou krásou. Popkultura od amerických komiksů přes filmy Godarda, Caraxe či Tarantina až po repertoár novovlnných kapel OMD a  Siouxsie and the Banches je plná odkazů na její filmové postavy, soukromý život či neotřelou vizáž.

Za tento významový přesah až k současnosti vděčí Brooksová, pro niž rok 1938 znamenal naprostý konec dohasínající filmové kariéry, zejména dvěma hrdinkám z filmů vedených režií George W. Pabsta a vlastně také pařížské retrospektivě z počátku 50. let minulého století. Jak s Lulu z Pandořiny skřínky, tak s Tymian z Deníku ztracené bytostně splynula v živoucí postavy symbolických rozměrů stvořené z autorské fikce, režisérské jasnozřivosti a především vlastní osobnostní autenticity. Tvůrčí vklad Brooksové byl ovšem ryze intuitivní, vědomé pouto s těmito postavami ji přinesla teprve až sebereflexe pozdního věku zanesená do autobiografické knihy Lulu v Hollywoodu.

Retrospektivu pořádáme ve spolupráci s George Eastman House – významnou americkou archivní institucí, která od 50. let soustavně pečuje o hereččin odkaz.

Filmy:
Deník ztracené, Pandořina skříňka , Případ zavražděného kanárka , Všude jiné děvče , Žebráci života

Happy Halloween from the Louise Brooks Society

Happy Halloween from the Louise Brooks Society . . . .

Pandora's Box rock the house in Kentucky

Musician Ben Model, who accompanied Pandora's Box last night in Huntington, Kentucky tweeted following the event: "Wow, never had Pandora's Box rock a house like it did tonight. I may have finally found the key to playing for it, for me."

We wish we were there. Were you? If so, leave a comment in the comments field and tell us all about it!

Check out Ben Model's website at www.silentfilmmusic.com/

Pandora's Box with Louise Brooks and Ben Model in Kentucky

Pandora's Box will be shown TONIGHT in Huntington, Kentucky at 7:30 pm with live musical accompaniment by the great Ben Model. Here below are the details from the host venue, the Cinema Arts Center. (Follow the link to purchase tickets or for more information.)

Louise Brooks stars in G.W. Pabst’s stunning film of Frank Wedekind’s classic about the fiery showgirl Lulu, whose explosive sexuality has a devastating effect on everyone. (Germany, 1929, 131 min., B&W, Director:  G. W. Pabst Cast: Louise Brooks, Fritz Kortner,  Francis Lederer)

Live Organ Accompaniment by Ben Model
Members $9 • Public $14

One of the masters of early German cinema, G. W. Pabst (The Threepenny Opera) had an innate talent for discovering actresses (including Greta Garbo). And perhaps none of his female stars shone brighter than Kansas native and onetime Ziegfeld girl Louise Brooks, whose legendary persona was defined by Pabst’s lurid, controversial melodrama Pandora’s Box.

Based on the Lulu Plays by Frank Wedekind, whose Spring Awakening has just been adapted into a hit Broadway musical, the film follows the downward spiral of the fiery, brash, yet innocent showgirl Lulu, whose sexual vivacity has a devastating effect on everyone she comes in contact with. Daring and stylish, Pandora’s Box is one of silent cinema’s great masterworks and a testament to Brooks’s dazzling individuality.

Ben Model is one of the USA’s leading silent film accompanists, and has been playing piano and organ for silents at the Museum of Modern Art in New York for the past 27 years. Ben co-curated MoMA’s “Cruel and Unusual Comedy” series and  Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle retrospective, and also curated Shout!Factory’s new “Ernie Kovacs Collection” DVD box set. A five-time recipient of the Meet The Composer grant, Ben is a regular accompanist at classic film festivals around the U.S.A. and in Norway, and performs at universities, museums, and historic theaters. Ben is the producer and co-founder of The Silent Clowns Film Series, now in its 14th season in NYC. Ben’s recorded scores can be heard on numerous DVD releases from Kino Video and others. Ben’s composed ensemble scores for films by Chaplin, Keaton and Lloyd are performed around the U.S. every year by orchestras and by

Homage to Lulu: Lou Reed has died

Rock musician, former Velvet Underground singer, and poet Lou Reed has died. Follow this link for an excellent, extended obit. In 2011, Reed had collaborated with Metallica on a concept album called Lulu. It is an obtuse homage to the Lulu archetype, and Louise Brooks - notice the bobbed hair worn by the Venus-like mannequin. All-in-all, fans had a hard time relating toits  dissonant lyrics and music. The album was praised by some, but mostly panned.

Lulu was inspired by German expressionist writer Frank Wedekind's plays Earth Spirit and Pandora's Box, which tell a story of a young abused dancer's life and relationships and are now collectively known as the "Lulu Plays." Since their publication in the early 1900's, the plays have been the inspiration for the Louise Brooks silent film (Pandora's Box, 1929), an opera, and countless other creative endeavors.

Originally the lyrics and musical landscape were sketched out by Lou for a theatrical production in Berlin, but after coming together with the Metallica for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame concerts in New York in 2009, each knew they wanted to make more music together. Lou was inspired enough by that performance to ask the band to join him in taking his theatrical Lulu piece to the next level.
In early May of 2011, they camped out recording at HQ studios in Northern California (not far from where Frank Wedekind was conceived), and complete ten songs. A deluxe packaging of the Lulu CD is pictured below.

 

Louise Brooks fan Mike Doughty (ex Soul Coughing) on tour

Mike Doughty and his band of musical samurai are touring the United States playing the best of Soul Coughing, including their tribute to Louise Brooks, "St. Louise Is Listening." Get tickets and more info: https://www.facebook.com/mikedoughty/events

The above is from Mike Doughty's album of reimagined Soul Coughing songs, "Circles Super Bon Bon...". Available Now at http://georiot.co/21yW

M. DOUGHTY ON TOUR
ALL SONGS FROM RUBY VROOM, EL OSO, IRRESISTIBLE BLISS

Oct 16 2013 -- Teaneck, NJ http://tktwb.tw/11RRuF2
Oct 17 2013 -- Philadelphia, PA http://bit.ly/1ckbJ51
Oct 18 2013 -- Burlington, VT http://bit.ly/14drmBl
Oct 19 2013 -- Boston, MA http://bit.ly/17CCAl3
Oct 20 2013 -- Portland, ME http://bit.ly/1bigUP4
Oct 22 2013 -- Cleveland, OH http://tktwb.tw/13MaiXE
Oct 23 2013 -- Detroit, MI http://bit.ly/13Uhe1k
Oct 24 2013 -- Chicago, IL http://bit.ly/19gYqkC
Oct 25 2013 -- Minneapolis, MN http://bit.ly/16FdXHo
Oct 26 2013 -- St. Louis, MO http://bit.ly/16Fe1Xx
Oct 27 2013 -- Milwaukee, WI http://bit.ly/17cLZkm
Oct 29 2013 -- Boulder, CO http://bit.ly/16Fe6u9
Oct 30 2013 -- Salt Lake City, UT http://bit.ly/13UhtJM
Nov 1 2013 -- Vancouver, BC http://tktwb.tw/19gYyAE
Nov 2 2013 -- Seattle, WA http://bit.ly/1cR2J5d
Nov 3 2013 -- Portland, OR http://bit.ly/1cR2M0W
Nov 5 2013 -- Santa Cruz, CA http://tktwb.tw/16A7GL2
Nov 6 2013 -- San Francisco, CA http://bit.ly/1cR2QOa
Nov 8 2013 -- Los Angeles, CA http://bit.ly/19gYGQT
Nov 9 2013 -- Santa Ana, CA http://bit.ly/16FekS6
Nov 10 2013 -- Phoenix, AZ http://bit.ly/13p2XK6
Nov 12 2013 -- Dallas, TX http://bit.ly/1exVa1n
Nov 13 2013 -- Austin, TX http://bit.ly/1bihpIT
Nov 14 2013 -- Houston, TX http://bit.ly/19gYQrr
Nov 15 2013 -- New Orleans, LA http://tktwb.tw/14t6yds
Nov 16 2013 -- Tampa, FL http://tktwb.tw/198nAyy
Nov 17 2013 -- Orlando, FL http://ticketf.ly/13p33RT
Nov 19 2013 -- Nashville, TN http://bit.ly/14Ct5Y1
Nov 20 2013 -- Atlanta, GA http://bit.ly/19gYXmO
Nov 21 2013 -- Carrboro, NC http://bit.ly/17cMlY7
Nov 22 2013 -- Washington DC http://ticketf.ly/14GIVdh
Nov 23 2013 -- New York, NY http://bit.ly/19SwrXU

Here is video of Mike and his musicians rehearsing "True Dreams of Wichita."

Get the album:
iTunes: http://georiot.co/21yW
Amazon: http://georiot.co/3uUN
Direct: http://merchdirect.com/mikedoughty
From a local record store: http://recordstoreday.com/Item/900508...

Video: Louise Brooks in Pandora's Box (clip)

Pandora's Box will be shown in Huntington, Kentucky on Tuesday, October 29th at 7:30 pm with live musical accompaniment by Ben Model. Here are the details from the host venue, the Cinema Arts Center. (Follow the link to purchase tickets or for more information.)