Kylie Minogue as Louise Brooks

Found online: Singer Kylie Minogue as Louise Brooks as "The Canary" from The Canary Murder Case . . . . can anyone say when this portrait of Kylie was taken? I haven't been able to find much online.

And here is another image, Kylie Minogue adorned with feathers, continueing the Canary theme.

Pandora's Box with Louise Brooks on TCM July 27

Turner Classic Movies will air Pandora's Box on Sunday, July 27th at 12:15 ET.

The TCM website reads: "G.W. Pabst's film that catapulted Louise Brooks to international acclaim and made her 'the' icon of the Jazz Age tells the tragic story of Lulu, the hedonistic dancer and prostitute. Based on the plays of F. Wedekind."

Visit the TCM page to watch movie clips and learn more.

New book - Pola Negri: Hollywood's First Femme Fatale

Recently released by the University Press of Kentucky is Pola Negri: Hollywood's First Femme Fatale, by Mariusz Kotowski. This 320 page book is, I believe, the first English language biography of Polish-born silent film superstar. I am about half-way through it, and am enjoying it well enough. I hope to write a fuller eeview at a later time. [BTW: A few vintage recordings by Pola Negri can be heard on RadioLulu.]

From the publisher: "Pola Negri (1897–1987) rose from an impoverished childhood in Warsaw, Poland, to become one of early Hollywood’s greatest stars. After tuberculosis ended her career as a ballerina in 1912, she turned to acting and worked under legendary directors Max Reinhardt and Ernst Lubitsch in Germany. Negri preceded Lubitsch to Hollywood, where she quickly became a fan favorite thanks to her beauty, talent, and diva personality. Known for her alluring sexuality and biting artistic edge, she starred in more than sixty films and defined the image of the cinematic femme fatale.

Author Mariusz Kotowski brings the screen siren’s story to English-speaking audiences for the first time in this fascinating biography. At the height of her fame, Negri often portrayed exotic and mysterious temptresses, headlining in such successes as The Spanish Dancer (1923) and Forbidden Paradise (1924), before returning to Europe in the 1930s. The devastating effects of World War II soon drove her back to the United States, where she starred in Hi Diddle Diddle (1943) and pursued her vaudeville career before retiring from the entertainment industry.

Kotowski also illuminates Negri’s dramatic personal life, detailing her numerous love affairs—including her engagement to Charlie Chaplin and her romance with Rudolph Valentino—as well as her multiple marriages. This long-overdue biography not only paints a detailed portrait of one classic Hollywood’s most intriguing stars and the film industry’s original Jezebel, but also explores the link between Hollywood and European cinema during the interwar years."

-----

By and large, this is a full account of the Negri legend. It’s all here—from the jewels, the husbands, and the misadventures in Nazi Germany to the trumped-up feuds, the adoring fans, and the pet cheetah that, allegedly, was Negri’s companion at home, on the streets, and inside the studios. Kotowski tells the story with finesse. -- Leonard J. Leff, author of Hemingway and His Conspirators

"This is a very special book written on a very special movie star--the kind they don't make any more, and actually, the kind they never did make except for her. Mariusz Kotowski has done a fantastic job of bringing to life the full story, both on and off screen, of a wonderfully talented, colorful, and fascinating woman. His dedication to Negri's career deserves everyone's respect. Pola Negri deserves attention, and this book brings it in just the right way. Highly recommended."-- Jeanine Basinger, author of I Do and I Don't: A History of Marriage in the Movies

Every picture postcard tells a story....

Every picture postcard tells a story.... For example, this French postcard was used in the former Kingdom of Yugoslavia in 1931. The stamp, from 1926, depicts King Alexander I, also known as Alexander the Unifier, who was a prince regent of the Kingdom of Serbia and later King of Yugoslavia from 1921–34.

Did Ronald Colman have a thing for Louise Brooks?

"Louise Brooks' eyes are marvelous. They are large and dark brown in color. They fascinate me." So, supposedly, stated Ronald Colman in the November, 1929 issue of Screen Secrets in an article by Bob Moak entitled "Ronald Colman's Dream Girl." What a couple they would have made. For more on this dashing actor, see www.ronaldcolman.com/

Desperately Seeking Marie Prevost

I like to listen to music while blogging, crawling the web, or working on the LBS website. Today, I listened to Basher: The Best of Nick Lowe. I hadn't listened to it in long time. This Nick Lowe CD contains such great songs as "Cracking Up" and "Cruel to Be Kind" - as well as "Marie Provost." 

The song is about Marie Prevost (Nick Lowe misspells her name). It's lyrics read in part: "Marie Provost was a movie queen / mysterious angel of the silent screen / And run like the wind the nation's young men steamed / When Marie crossed the silent screen." 

It should be noted that Lowe's lyrics inaccurately recount the circumstances around Prevost's premature death, as gleamed from Kenneth Anger's flawed Hollywood Babylon. Don't know why this English pop musician wrote a song about a forgotten movie star, but he did. . . .

Marie Prevost was a Canadian-born film actress. Prevost began her career during the silent film era, and came to fame as a member of Mack Sennett's Bathing Beauties. By all accounts, she was a fine comedic and dramatic actress. During her twenty-year career, she made approximately 120 silent and talking pictures.

 . . . . Speaking of Marie Prevost, there is a new book out on the actress, Desperately Seeking Marie Prevost (BearManor), by Richard Kirby. I recently finished reading it. This slim (104 page), poorly written book takes a look at the life and work of a beautiful, talented and ill-fated actress who was one of Hollywood's biggest stars in the 1920s. Its unfortunate, because Prevost deserves better.

Exploring the Library of Congress photo collections

             

The Library of Congress has an extraordinary collection of images available on-line through its Prints and Photographs division. This database is searchable by keyword, and some of the images are available in high-resolution scans. A search for "Louise Brooks" only turned up one (rather unusual) result. Nevertheless, fans of silent film, theater, dance, etc.... will certainly find other fascinating and seldom seen images. There are thousands of scans available from more than four dozen collections. Try searching under keywords or names such as "actress," "Ziegfeld," "Ruth St. Denis," "Rudolph Valentino," "Charlie Chaplin," etc....

                                  

Suicide or Lulu and Me in a World Made for Two

Presented here is the trailer for the feature film Suicide or Lulu and Me in a World Made for Two - a black comedy science fiction story about obsession, madness and what one man will do to attain perceived happiness. The film stars Adeline Thery, Christian Carroll and Brian Shoop. The cinematography was done by Alexander Drecun. The trailer is set to the music of Margaret Leng Tan.

From the filmmakers: "Loosely inspired by the Argentinean sci-fi novella, 'The Invention of Morel', by Adolfo Boy Casares, this is the story of a young loner named Jorge who has created two inventions: Pandora's Camera, which can duplicate and preserve reality, and a pair of glasses that can inject memories into the viewer's mind."

"Using the camera, Jorge attempts to capture and preserve a perfect moment of happiness between him and his lover in Paris. The story is told through the eyes of Louise, Jorge's lover, as she begins to question the true nature of their relationship and reality. Ultimately it is a film about obsession, in the guise of a sci-fi black comedy. The boyish 'american in paris pursuing his sweet amour' mood at the film's outset is thrown on its head as the movie's big surprise takes you on a dark journey indeed!"

Suicide or Lulu and Me in a World Made for Two was written, directed, edited, scored and produced by Christian Carroll, who also plays the inventor Jorge, it is a work of imagination shot in a black and white Nouvelle Vague style with nods to the silent movies of Louise Brooks. More info at www.suicidethefilm.com/

Come on - let's do this! Nominate the Louise Brooks' film Beggars of Life for the National Film Registry

The United States Congress established the National Film Registry in 1988. Along with mandating the continuing implementation of a plan to save America's film heritage, the law authorizes the Librarian of Congress to select up to 25 films each year for inclusion in the Registry. The 625 films chosen to date illustrate the vibrant diversity of American film-making.

HDNet Movies Presents: A Look Inside the National Film Registry - Documentary
from HDNet Movies on Vimeo.

The Library of Congress is currently seeking nominations from the public - meaning you! Public nominations play a key role when the Librarian of Congress and Film Board are considering their selections. To be eligible for the Registry, a film must be at least 10 years old and be “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” Recommendations are due in September. New selections are usually announced at the end of December.

Attention Louise Brooks fans. Attention silent film fans. Attention William Wellman fans. Attention Jim Tully fans. The  Louise Brooks Society thinks its time a Louise Brooks film be added to the list. The LBS suggests you recommend these Louise Brooks films. Each are worthy of inclusion in the registry:

Beggars of Life (1928)



The Street of Forgotten Men (1925)


The Show Off (1926)


A Girl in Every Port (1928)



Looking for other films to nominate? Check here for hundreds of titles not yet selected to the National Film Registry. Please include the date of the film nominated, and number your recommendations. And if you would, tell how you learned of the Registry. Please forward your recommendations via email to dross@loc.gov  Email is preferred; to submit via postal mail, send your nominations to:

National Film Registry
Library of Congress
Packard Campus for Audio Visual Conservation
19053 Mt. Pony Road
Culpeper, VA 22701
Attn: Donna Ross