Sunday, August 9, 2015

Louise Brooks Society on GoodReads


Are you part of the smart set? Do you enjoy reading and love Louise Brooks and the Jazz Age? Do you have an interest in the silent film era, pre-code Hollywood, or all that was going on in Berlin and Paris between the wars? How about F. Scott Fitzgerald, flapper fashion, or femme fatales? Are you on GoodReads?

The Louise Brooks Society has its own GoodReads account, and would like to connect with you.  Check out the LBS on GoodReads at https://www.goodreads.com/Louise_Brooks_Society

There, you can see what other related books the LBS is reading (Ziegfeld and His Follies: A Biography of Broadway's Greatest Producer by Cynthia and Sara Brideson ), has read (Wild Bill Wellman: Hollywood Rebel by William Wellman Jr. ), or wants to read (The First King of Hollywood: The Life of Douglas Fairbanks by Tracey Goessel).

And if you go through the LBS book shelves, you might also pick up a recommendation or two, such as Idols of Perversity: Fantasies of Feminine Evil in Fin-de-Siècle Culture by Bram Dijkstra, or Dark Lover: The Life and Death of Rudolph Valentino by Emily W. Leider, or Jazz Age Beauties: The Lost Collection of Ziegfeld Photographer Alfred Cheney Johnston, by Robert Hudovernik. There is a lot to check out.



And while you are on GoodReads, don't forget to add these key titles to your your own GoodReads bookshelf -- and give them a rating too!

Louise Brooks, by Barry Paris

Lulu in Hollywood, by Louise Brooks

Louise Brooks: Portrait of an Anti Star, by Rolland Jaccard

Louise Brooks: Lulu Forever, by Peter Cowie

Dear Stinkpot: Letters from Louise Brooks, by Jan Wahl

The Diary of a Lost Girl (Louise Brooks edition), by Thomas Gladysz

The Parade's Gone By, by Kevin Brownlow

Saturday, August 8, 2015

Thirtieth anniversary of the passing of Louise Brooks

Today marks the thirtieth anniversary of the passing of Louise Brooks, who died on August 8th, 1985. Her death was reported on in newspapers all over the world. Here is a link to the New York Times obituary. And here is an Australian clipping.


Thursday, August 6, 2015

Louise Brooks in China, part 2

Here are a few more items I found while scouring a couple of English-language newspapers from China for any and all Louise Brooks material. As mentioned in the prior post, the actress and her films received a good deal of coverage. Witness these couple of clippings, the first for The City Gone Wild (1927), and the second and third for A Girl in Every Port (1928).




Wednesday, August 5, 2015

Louise Brooks in China, part 1

I recently had the chance to look through a couple of English-language Chinese newspapers in search of mention of Louise Brooks and her films. I am pleased to report I found a lot of articles, reviews, captioned photographs and advertisements. Here is just one of the many items I found, Brooks on the front page of the China News in October, 1928.


Brooks and her films were well represented in China, with most films enjoying repeated screenings. In fact, I found material on the exhibition of the following films. (The dates in parenthesis represent the month of the film's American release / followed by the month of the film's showing in China):

Street of Forgotten Men  (8-25 / 7-27, 4-28)
The American Venus (1-26 / 4-27, 11-27, 4-28)
A Social Celebrity (3-26 / 9-28, 6-29, 10-29, 9-30)
It's the Old Army Game (5-26 / 12-27, 1-28, 6-28)
The Show Off (8-26 / 1-28, 7-28)
Love Em and Leave Em (12-26 / 7-28, 8-28, 11-28, 8-29)
Just Another Blonde (12-26 / 10-27, 11-27)
Evening Clothes (3-27 / 8-28, 2-29, 3-29)
Now We're in the Air  (10-27 / 4-29, 4-30)
The City Gone Wild  (11-27 / 3-29, 6-30)
A Girl in Every Port  (2-28 / 5-28, 6-28, 12-28, 1-29)
Beggars of Life (9-28 / 8-29, 9-29, 10-29)
Canary Murder Case (2-29 / 9-29, 10-29, 7-30)
It Pays to Advertise (2-31 / 4-31, 6-31)
When You're in Love (2-37 / 8-37) 
King of Gamblers (5-37 / 10-37)

The Love Goddesses (12-66) documentary

I found a couple of mentions of Rolled Stockings, but never any instances of the film showing in China. Both Now We're in the Air and A Girl in Every Port received a lot of coverage, and proved popular, as did Canary Murder Case. Check out this full page advertisement from November, 1927 for The American Venus.

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Louise Brooks a la Valentina news stand in Rome

Gianluca Chiovelli sent this snapshot of a news stand in Rome which features an image of Valentina, the Italian comix character based on Louise Brooks.


Monday, August 3, 2015

Jean Paul Gaultier designed scarf said to depict Louise Brooks

A Jean Paul Gaultier designed scarf (dimensions 63 X 81 cm) for sale on eBay is said to depict Louise Brooks, but IMHO, it does not. Perhaps there is vague resemblance, but to me, that don't look like her. What do you think?


Saturday, August 1, 2015

Louise Brooks film Diary of a Lost Girl coming on Blu-ray

I am pleased to let everyone know that KINO will be releasing the 1929 Louise Brooks film, Diary of a Lost Girl, on Blu-ray in the Fall. And that this new release will feature audio commentary by yours truly, Thomas Gladysz. 

Below is a sneak peak at the cover art. The print on the Blu-ray is the Murnau Stiftung restoration (the best we are likely to ever get). My commentary will reveal a number of previously unknown bits about the cast and film - like the fact that the actor who plays the elder Count Osdorff was a friend of James Joyce and had a role in the original stage production of Pandora's Box alongside author Frank Wedekind! And then there is the Cabinet of Doctor Caligari connection....

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