A cinephilac blog about an actress, silent film, and the Jazz Age, with occasional posts about related books, music, art, and history written by Thomas Gladysz. Visit the Louise Brooks Society™ at www.pandorasbox.com
It's the Old Army Game, the delightful 1926 comedy starring W.C. Fields and Louise Brooks, has been announced for release on DVD / Blu-ray by Kino Lorber.
The film was directed by A. Edward Sutherland, who was known as Eddie Sutherland. Brooks and Sutherland met during the making of the film (which was in production during February 1926). They were married in June, 1926 and divorced a couple of years a later.
From Kino: "It’s the Old Army Game (1926) is an uproarious
silent comedy in which the inimitable W.C. Fields finds it impossible to
get some sleep. It was the fourth film in which Fields appeared, but
the first over which he had some control, as it was adapted from his own
stage play. Co-starring Louise Brooks (also in her fourth feature), and
directed with verve by A. Edward Sutherland, It’s the Old Army Game is a
non-stop comedy of errors. Fields plays Elmer Prettywillie, a druggist
kept awake by clamorous garbage collectors, a nosy woman seeking a
2-cent stamp, bogus land deals, and phony fortunes."
DVD Extras Include:
Mastered in 2K from 35mm film elements preserved by The Library of Congress
Audio commentary by film historian James L. Neibaur, author of THE W.C. FIELDS FILMS
New score by Ben Model
It’s the Old Army Game was originally announced as starring Fields and future “It girl” Clara Bow, but as she was shooting Mantrap (1926), the female lead fell to Brooks. Clarence Badger was originally assigned to directed the film.
The film features the popular stage
actress Blanche Ring (1871 – 1961) in one of her few film appearances.
Ring was Eddie Sutherland’s aunt. Ring’s sister was Frances Ring, who
was married to Thomas Meighan, a popular stage and film actor who
appeared with Brooks in The City Gone Wild (1927). Blanche Ring was married four times, the last time being to
Charles Winninger, a popular character actor who appeared in God’s Gift to Women (1931) with Brooks.
Outdoor scenes in Palm Beach, Florida were shot at El Mirasol,
the estate of multi-millionaire investment banker Edward T. Stotesbury.
In 1912, after having been a widower for thirty-some years, Stotesbury
remarried and became the stepfather of three children including
Henrietta Louise Cromwell Brooks (known simply as Louise Brooks), an
American socialite and the first wife of the war hero General Douglas MacArthur. In
her heyday, she was “considered one of Washington’s most beautiful and
attractive young women”. Because of their names, the two women were
sometimes confused in the press.
It’s the Old Army Game received mostly positive reviews, though
some critics noted its rather thin plot. Algonquin Round Table
playwright Robert E. Sherwood (who would go on to win four Pulitzer
Prizes and an Academy Award) was then writing reviews for Life
magazine. His pithy critique read, “Mr. Fields has to carry the entire
production on his shoulders, with some slight assistance from the
sparkling Louise Brooks.”
I don't know what it's about (except that it is a novel), or if it has much of anything to do with our Miss Brooks, but there is a new book out in Italy called Louise Brooks non è di queste parti (Louise Brooks is not from these parts). It is authored by Luca Spagnoletti, and was issued by ilmiolibro self publishing. The book is 140 pages, and is available as an e-book and on amazon Italy and at the store Feltrinelli.
Here is an image of the front and back covers.
And here is a page from the publisher, with a description of the book very roughly translated into English:
A veteran, after World War II, looking for his ex-girlfriend, Zoe Lennie. But where is Zoe now, and above all who is she really? The rebellious and apathetic that the mother encouraged to conform, in New England in the early forties or the one that, wandering in a country that is changing face, makes existential questions that nobody seems to be able to - and want to - respond? The author tells us, without pretense, of this oscillating traveler and his "strange" friends, between realism and madness. With her sad look, her jaunty haircut, which makes her look so much like a diva of silent cinema, Zoe will accompany us in her resignation, until she sees that there is a present with which to cohabit, beyond the consolation of the memories and time that often betrays. A novel without concessions, ostentatiously out of fashion: that's why it's already a classic. By Luca Spagnoletti my book has published the collections of poems Lulù of the overhangs and Biancaneve at the Excelsior.
On May 18, the Yorkshire Silent Film Festival in Scarborough, England will screen the now classic 1928 Louise Brooks' film, Beggars of Life. More information about this event can be found HERE.
The Festival describes the film thus: "In this rarely-seen Hollywood classic, the great Louise Brooks stars as a train-hopping hobo who disguises herself as a boy and goes on the run. With dramatic American landscapes, a lyrical love story, and a daring, desperate final scene atop a speeding train, this is classic silent film entertainment."
Want to learn more about the film? Last Spring saw the release of my new book, Beggars of Life: A Companion to the 1928 Film, and this past Summer saw the release of a new DVD / Blu-ray of the film from Kino Lorber. If you haven't secured your
own copy of either the book or the DVD / Blu-ray, why not do so today? The book is also available on amazon.com in the UK at this link.
Louise Brooks adorns the cover of a new edition of The Photoplay by Hugo Münsterberg, as published by Duke Classics. First published more than 100 years ago, this early work of film theory is in the public domain and has been reprinted and reissued many times (and sometimes under slightly different titles) over the years. This is one of the latest editions. (Other notable actresses have also appeared on the cover of earlier editions.)
"In 1916, an eminent psychologist recorded his impressions of the
fledgling film industry. His penetrating and prescient observations
foretold the most modern developments of the cinematic art, and his
classic survey, The Photoplay: A Psychological Study, remains a text of enduring relevance to movie historians as well as students of film and psychology.
Ranging
from considerations of the viewer's perception of on-screen depth and
motion to examinations of the cinema's distinguishing and unique
characteristics as an art form, this study arrives at strikingly modern
conclusions about movies and their psychological values."
Volker Kutscher’s bestselling work of crime fiction, Babylon Berlin, has just been published in the United States by Picador. The book was an instant hit in Germany. Part of a mutli-book series, it was awarded the Berlin Krimi-Fuchs
Crime Writers Prize in 2011, and has sold more than one million copies
worldwide.
Its American cover (seen here) is nearly identical to the English edition: both feature an image of the iconic Louise Brooks.
This book is the basis for the popular European TV series Babylon Berlin produced by Sky TV which has just debuted yesterday in the United States on Netflix (with subtitles). Vogue magazine calls it "the most bingeable new drama since The Crown."
National Public Radio ran a good piece on the show, "Germany's 'Babylon Berlin' Crime Series Is Like 'Cabaret' On Cocaine," which concludes "Babylon Berlin captures the dark glamour of a briefly
exhilarating time between the wars. And for today's Berliners — faced
with the city's steady, sterile gentrification — the show offers a
welcome dose of escapism." Listen to the NPR piece below:
According to the publisher, "Babylon Berlin
is the first book in the international-bestselling series from Volker
Kutscher that centers on Detective Gereon Rath caught up in a web of
drugs, sex, political intrigue, and murder in Berlin as Germany teeters
on the edge of Nazism."
And according to the sometimes reliable Kirkus Reviews, the books has been "been wildly popular in Germany ... an
excellent police procedural that cleverly captures the dark and
dangerous period of the Weimar Republic before it slides into the
ultimate evil of Nazism." Likewise, Publishers Weekly stated, "James Ellroy fans will welcome Kutscher’s first novel and series
launch, a fast-paced blend of murder and corruption sent in 1929 Berlin.
Kutscher keeps the surprises coming and doesn't flinch at making his
lead morally compromised." The Sunday Times (London) concurred, stating the book “Conjures up the dangerous decadence of the Weimar years, with blood on
the Berlin streets and the Nazis lurking menacingly in the wings.”
Writer Paul French, who I had the pleasure of meeting a few years back when he was touring for Midnight in Peking, has written a piece on LitHub titled, "How a German Detective Series Becomes an International Hit." It sums up the phenomenon that the books and TV series has become in Europe and as it might become in America (a laPhilip Kerr, Joseph Kanon and Alan Furst). Give it a read.
So, you may ask, what has all this got to do with Louise Brooks? Very little, I am afraid, except that the story begins in 1929 and the actress - an icon of Weimar German cinema through her roles in two 1929 G.W. Pabst films, Pandora's Box and Diary of a Lost Girl - adorns the cover of this bestselling book and no doubt helped propel at least a few sales. Eugene R. Richee's iconic portrait of Brooks also lends a bit of atmosphere. And, as Paul French explains in his LitHub piece, the American publisher knew they had a good thing keeping the Brooks cover, published in Scotland by Sandstone. "It’s also a
tribute to Davidson’s clever marketing that Morrison has opted to stick
with the cover Sandstone commissioned from Brighton-based designer Mark
Swann. It’s a cover redolent of the period and the contents and has
proved to be a great favorite of bookshop window decorators the length
and breadth of the British Isles."
Below is a musical video derived from the television series which gives a sense of what this stylish show has to offer.
The Media History Digital Library, a 'swonderful site if there ever was one (and one which I have spent hours and hours going through) celebrates the anniversary of the release of Pandora's Box (1929), the classic G.W. Pabst directed film starring Louise Brooks. The film debuted in Berlin. Here is what their Facebook page said said:
"Today
marks the anniversary of the release of G.W. Pabst's Pandora's Box
(1929). Even though the film starred American actress Louise Brooks, it
did not have a mainstream release in the United States, but the British
journal Close-Up did a full spread on the film: http://archive.org/stream/closeup04macp#page/n31/mode/2up"
Be sure and flip through the pages linked to for more pictures and articles. Close-Up had a great deal of interest and a good deal of affection for Brooks (though they would never admit the latter).
I'll be keeping this special day and special film and special actress in my thoughts.....
The German Program in the Department of Modern Languages is proud to present: "Spotlighting Louise Brooks: From the Kansas Prairie to the German Silver Screen" on Saturday, February 24th, from 10a-4p.
This event is free, open to all, and appropriate for all ages. It will take place on the K-State campus in Justin Hall, room 109. Free parking is available in the lot behind the building.
Throughout the day, participants will examine the unique role Louise Brooks, a silent film star and native Kansan, had in shaping ideas about women’s roles in society through her work in silent film, particularly in Weimar Germany in the 1920s and 1930s.
Please contact Nichole Neuman (nneuman@ksu.edu) with any questions.
Principal funding for this program is provided by the Kansas Humanities
Council, a nonprofit cultural organization connecting communities with
history, traditions, and ideas to strengthen civic life. Additional
funding provided by DOW Center for Multicultural and Community Studies
at K-State Libraries.
Event schedule:
10:00-10:45: Welcome and presentation of silent student films
11:00-1:30: Diary of a Lost Girl (GW Pabst, 1929) with live accompaniment by Matthew De Gennaro and a reception with light hors d'oeuvres to follow
1:30-2:15: Moderated panel 2:30-4:00: Talk and Q+A session with Dr. Richard McCormick (University of Minnesota)
-----
Want to learn more about Louise Brooks and Diary of a Lost Girl? Check out this 2010 Louise Brooks Society publication, the "Louise Brooks edition" of The Diary of a Lost Girl, available wherever fine books are sold. Not long after this book was published, noted UK scholar Elizabeth Boa (University of
Nottingham) said "It was such a pleasure to come upon your well documented and
beautifully presented edition. "
A 35mm print of Pandora's Box will be shown at HOME in Manchester, England on January 28. That's today! This special event will feature live music by Stephen Horne and an introduction by Pamela Hutchinson, author of the terrific new book on the film from BFI Film Classics. More information HERE.
The film will be introduced by Pamela Hutchinson, freelance writer and author of the BFI Film Classics volume on Pandora’s Box and will feature live accompaniment from Stephen Horne, silent film musician and composer.
Film details
One of the masters of early German cinema, G. W. Pabst 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.
Sensationally modern, 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.
The sensational 1929 Louise Brooks film, Diary of a Lost Girl, will be shown in Munich, Germany at the Munich Film Museum on Friday, January 26th. That's today! The information below can be found on the Suddeutsche Zeitung website.
Filmtipp des Tages Tagebuch der Unterdrückung
Missbraucht und geschwängert von einem Angestellten des Vaters, abgeschoben in ein Erziehungsheim, geflohen und untergekommen in einem Bordell. Georg Wilhelm Pabst verfilmte mit "Tagebuch einer Verlorenen" einen Roman von Margarete Böhme. Ein Angriff auf bürgerliche Moralheuchelei, der dann auch bis zur Unkenntlichkeit zensiert wurde und erst vor wenigen Jahren rekonstruiert werden konnte. Zum zweiten Mal nach der "Büchse der Pandora" drehte Pabst mit Louise Brooks in der Rolle der Thymian. Deren Schauspielkunst von unverstellter Natürlichkeit nutzt er, um ihr als Kontrast die militärisch rhythmisierten Unterdrückungsmethoden des Erziehungsheims gegenüberzustellen. Die Gewalt, erst ausgehend vom Vergewaltiger des jungen Mädchens, erweist sich schnell als institutionalisiert. Tagebuch einer Verlorenen, D 1929, Regie: G. W. Pabst, Freitag, 26. Januar, 18.30 Uhr, Live-Musik: Sabrina Zimmermann & Mark Pogolski, Filmmuseum, Sankt-Jakobs-Platz 1
or
Movie Tip of the Day Journal of Oppression
Abused and impregnated by an employee of the father, deported to an education center, fled and found in a brothel. Georg Wilhelm Pabst filmed a novel by Margarete Böhme with "Diary of a Lost". An attack on bourgeois moral hypocrisy, which was then censored beyond recognition and could only be reconstructed a few years ago. For the second time after the "Pandora's Box" Pabst shot with Louise Brooks in the role of thyme. He uses her acting art of undisguised naturalness to juxtapose her with the militarily rhythmic oppression methods of the education center. The violence, first starting from the rapist of the young girl, quickly turns out to be institutionalized.
Diary of a Lost , D 1929 , directed by GW Pabst, Friday, 26 . January, 6.30 pm, live music: Sabrina Zimmermann & Mark Pogolski, Filmmuseum, Sankt-Jakobs-Platz 1
---------------------------------
Want to learn more? Check out this 2010 Louise Brooks Society publication, the "Louise Brooks edition" of The Diary of a Lost Girl, available wherever fine books are sold.
John Kobal's classic pictorial, Hollywood Glamor Portraits: 145 Photos of Stars, 1926-1949, was first published in 1976 by Dover Publications, the same publisher that issued Marshall Deutelbaum's Image on the Art and Evolution of the Film: Photographs and Articles from the Magazine of the International Museum of Photography (1979), another important early title in the emergence of Brooks' reputation. (Dover also published Tom Tierney's Movie Star Vamps and Scamps Paper Dolls (2003), a book I recently wrote about.)
Kobal's book was issued while Louise Brooks was still alive; notably, this popular, nearly once ubiquitous work, was one of the earliest books to feature the actress on the cover. I still have my old second-hand copy, purchased sometime, if I recall correctly, in the mid-1990s.
I just noticed that Kobal's book has been reissued with a new, slightly different, cover (The new cover is pictured above. The original cover is pictured left.) The book features 145 full-page black-and-white photos of well known actors and actors dating from from 1926 to
1949 — including Clark Gable, Jean Harlow, Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Hedy
Lamarr, Marlene Dietrich, Robert Montgomery, Marlon Brando, Veronica
Lake and others — 94 stars in all including Louise Brooks.
John Kobal (born Ivan Kobaly, 1940 – 1991) was an Austrian-born, British based, film and phot historian historian responsible for The Kobal Collection, a commercial photograph library related to the film industry. According to Wikipedia, "Kobal had a short-lived career as an actor in early 1960s London. He was an inveterate collector: magazines, postcards, pictures, any movie memorabilia. It was a chance encounter with Marlene Dietrich in Canada in the 1950s that led Kobal to develop his affection for the Golden Age of Hollywood. He used his contacts from a BBC appointment in New York from 1964 to acquire Hollywood related photographs, eventually numbering about 4,500 images dating from the end of the silent era to about 1960. The material was then considered of little value."
Kobal was also the author of 30 books, and was responsible for organising the first exhibition of Hollywood related photographs at London's Victoria and Albert Museum in 1974. The critic John Russell Taylor has described Kobal's contribution to film studies as "unique"
Kobal and Brooks were friendly. They exchanged letters, and Kobal interviewed Brooks at length. That exceptional interview, which detailed many little known incidents in Brooks' life, appeared in Kobal's People Will Talk (1986). It is essential reading. The actress' name appears on the cover of the original hardback editions, and an image of Brooks appears on the cover of this paperback edition.
The riveting 1928 silent film, Beggars of Life, starring Louise Brooks, will be shown at the Cinema Arts Centre on Wednesday, January 24th at 7:30 pm. Part of the "Anything But Silent" series, this Long Island screening will feature live musical accompaniment by the one-and-only Ben Model. More information about this event can be found HERE.
--- Organized by Cinema Arts Centre, a 501(c)3 organization
and Long Island's only not-for-profit independent movie theater,
offering the most compelling American and international films today, as
well as many unique programs.
Louise Brooks’ best American film was made shortly before she left for
Germany and found everlasting fame in Pandora’s Box. Brooks plays a
young woman who flees her cruel stepfather and, dressed in boy’s
clothing, rides the rails with hobos. Based on the memoirs of
rough-and-tumble writer Jim Tully, which describes his hardscrabble
existence on the rails during the recession years of the 1890s and
1900s, this long-thought-lost silent classic features an unforgettable
turn by Wallace Beery as the hobo Oklahoma Red and dazzling location
photography set aboard speeding trains. Director William Wellman was in
top form for the movie, basking in praise for his work on the
Oscar-winning Wings (1927), although Louise Brooks felt he pushed her to
take unnecessary risks–especially during a stunt in which she was
nearly sucked under a train’s wheels. Nonetheless, Brooks lauded the
director for “how hard he studied his script and prepared for his day’s
work, how he always did his best, [and] how sure and fast he worked.”
The new restoration of Beggars of Life is a triumphant resurrection for a
classic of the silent era. (USA, 1928, 100 min., NR, English| Dir.
William A. Wellman)
Want to learn more about the film? Last Spring saw the release of my new book, Beggars of Life: A Companion to the 1928 Film, and this past Summer saw the release of a new DVD / Blu-ray of the film from Kino Lorber. If you haven't secured your
own copy of either the book or the DVD / Blu-ray, why not do so today?
As devotees of Louise Brooks may know, the Italian cartoonist / illustrator / graphic novelist Guido Crepax (1933 - 2003) had a thing for Louise Brooks. In fact, his most famous creation, Valentina, was inspired by the actress, with whom Crepax corresponded. Valentina first appeared in 1968, and there followed a long running series of comic strips and books.
Flash forward to the present. From the Crepax estate comes these new Valentina products, presented here for your consideration and amusement. The bed set comes in many variations, a few of which are shown here.
Beggars of Life will be shown in Tromsø, Norway later today. This event, sponsored by the Tromsø International Film Festival, is part of the festival's "Special Screenings" series. More information about this event with LIVE music by the Dodge Brothers & Neil Brand can be found HERE.
Nancy
(Louise Brooks) kills her abusive stepfather and tries to flee from the
law and leave the country. Dressed as a man and accompanied by a
vagabond named Jim (Richard Arlen), Nancy heads for Canada. Together
they face the harsh reality and struggles of hobo life. Things get
dangerous when they encounter a group of ragged and violent drifters led
by Oklahoma Red (Wallace Beery). In a high-speed runaway drama cutting
through the American continent in freight trains and stolen cars, with
romantic as well as threatening undertones, three of the great stars of
the silent film era give some of their best performances.
BEGGARS OF LIFE is an intense and entertaining story about oppressed
and desperate people on a dangerous journey through the dark underworld
of pre-depression America. All aspects of his rollercoaster of a story
are enhanced by the live soundtrack, composed and performed by
skiffle/bluegrass combo The Dodge Brothers, together with silent film
pianist Neil Brand.
THE DODGE BROTHERS W/NEIL BRAND
The Dodge Brothers are renowned for playing the hell out of classic
Americana with their exuberant hybrid of country blues, rockabilly,
jugband and skiffle. Firmly rooted in these traditions, The Dodge
Brothers bring to them a freshness that has feet stomping and hands
clapping wherever they go, now also Tromsø.
Neither brothers nor from Dodge City, the band consists of Mike Hammond
(lead guitar, lead vocals, banjo), Mark Kermode (bass, harmonica,
vocals), Aly Hirji (rhythm guitar, mandolin, vocals) and Alex Hammond
(washboard, snare drum, percussion). Cinematic landscapes come to life
when this potent musical brew joins forces with virtuous silent film
pianist Neil Brand, AKA The Fifth Dodge Brother, a previous guest at
Silent Film Days in Tromsø. These musicians and this film can only be
described as a match made in heaven. More at Dodgebrothers.co.uk
Want to learn more about the film? Last Spring saw the release of my new book, Beggars of Life: A Companion to the 1928 Film (which mentions the Dodge Brothers), and this past Summer saw the release of a new DVD / Blu-ray of the film from Kino Lorber. If you haven't secured your
own copy of either the book or the DVD / Blu-ray, why not do so today?
Now We're in the Air, the once lost comedy starring Louise Brooks, is set to screen at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City on January 19 as part of "To Save and Project: The 15th MoMA International Festival of Film Preservation."
Now We're in the Air (1927) will be shown along with The World and the Woman (1916), starring Jeanne Eagels. The two films will be introduced by screenwriter and film historian David Stenn, and will feature live musical accompaniment by Donald Sosin. More information can be found HERE.
The MoMA page reads:
Now We’re in the Air (excerpt). 1927. USA.
Directed by Frank R. Strayer. Screenplay by Thomas J. Geraghty. With
Wallace Beery, Raymond Hatton, Louise Brooks. 35mm. 23 min.
Louise Brooks makes a brief but memorable appearance as a carnival
performer in this newly discovered fragment of a World War I aviation
comedy. Restored by The Library of Congress in collaboration with the
San Francisco Silent Film Festival.
The World and the Woman. 1916. USA.
Directed by Eugene Moore. Screenplay by Philip Longeran, William C. de
Mille. With Jeanne Eagels, Boyd Marshall, Thomas A. Curran. 35mm. 74
min.
Broadway legend Jeanne Eagels stars as a prostitute who discovers she
has faith-healing gifts in a rare silent feature from the New
York–based Thanhouser Film Corp. Restored by the George Eastman Museum.
A write-up of the series in Film Journal International stated "David Stenn introduces a fragment of Now We're in the Air (Jan.
19), a 1927 service comedy starring future superstar Wallace Beery and
Raymond Hatton as two sad sacks who end up in an aerial unit during
World War I. Some 20 minutes of footage were recovered from a
deteriorated nitrate print found in a Czech archive. It's mostly
excruciatingly broad comedy of the Dumb and Dumber school, but it does offer a few minutes of young circus performer Louise Brooks in a black tutu."
Those who attend this special screening will be interested to know that I have just recently authored a book on the Brooks' film. I also helped with the preservation of
this once-lost work, and wrote this illustrated book detailing the
history of the movie and its discovery in Prague by film preservationist Robert
Byrne; also considered in the book is the surprising impact this otherwise little
known film has had on Brooks’ life and career.
And amazon.com review said this about the book: “The
absolute final word on the film from the world’s foremost expert on
Louise Brooks. Thoroughly researched and expertly written, oh, and did I
mention lavishly illustrated? If you love silent film and if you love
Louise Brooks (and who doesn’t) you really should pick up a copy for
your library.”
Recently, I added a new treasure to my collection of Louise Brooks related autographed books.
Over the years, I have collected all manner of items -- including vintage autographed copies of books which were turned into Brooks' films to autographed copies of books about the actress to a book which once belonged to Brooks and which is annotated in her hand.
Among the vintage titles I have are Colleen Moore's copy of Beggars of Life, bearing her decorative bookplate and inscribed to the bobbed actress by author Jim Tully. (I also have a copy of Beggars of Life which was owned by Ralph Bierce, the son of writer Ambrose Bierce.) I have an autographed hardback copy of The Show-Off (the play) signed by Pulitzer Prize winning dramatist George Kelly and inscribed to one of the cast members of the acclaimed stage play. I have as well an autographed copy of J.P. McEvoy's Hollywood Girl, the sequel to Show Girl, which was inspired by Brooks.
I have autographed 1st edition copies of a number of more recent titles, the Barry Paris biography, Rolland Jaccard's Louise Brooks: Portrait of an Anti-Star, Peter Cowie's Louise Brooks: Lulu Forever, Jan Wahl's Dear Stinkpot: Letters from Louise Brooks; Kevin Brownlow's The Parade's Gone By and a handful of other titles.
My most recent acquisition may not be as glamorous as some of the above mentioned books, but I treasure it none the less. The book is Movie Star Vamps and Scamps Paper Dolls by the late Tom Tierney, the noted American paper doll artist. This 2003 Dover book is signed by Tierny.
According to his Wikipedia page, "Tierney ... had a Paper Doll Shop for many years on Main
Street in downtown Smithville after leaving New York. His shop was
downstairs while Mr. Tierney, known as Tom about town, lived in his
upstairs apartment. He autographed all of his many Paper Doll Books
which he sold until his death. His relatives kept the store open in
memory of him until his supply of Vintage style paper ornaments and
books sold out." My copy must have come from his shop, as it is additionally stickered with his defunct web address.
There was a time when if you went into a bookstore you stood a good chance of coming across a selection of Tierney's paper doll books. According to his New York Times obit, "From
the mid-1970s until his death, Mr. Tierney reigned as 'the undisputed
king' of the international paper-doll world, as The New York Times wrote
in 1999 — a milieu that comprises thousands of collectors in the United
States alone. Over the years, he created more than 400 paper-dolls
books, most issued by Dover Publications. His Dover titles have sold four million copies, according to the company."
As a former bookseller, I had long been aware of Tierney's books, and was likewise disappointed that he had never took on Louise Brooks as a subject. Tierney created Garbo, Joan Crawford, Rita Hayworth, Veronica Lake and Lana Turner dolls, but never Brooks! Prior to the publication of Movie Star Vamps and Scamps Paper Dolls, I emailed Tierney suggesting he consider Brooks, and asked that he consider doing an entire book of dolls devoted to the actress.
Movie Star Vamps and Scamps Paper Dolls was released in 2003. And while it isn't devoted in its entirety to Brooks, she is featured on the cover. (Brooks is one of 12 femmes fatales from the silent era through the 1930s depicted in costumes from
their most popular films -- also included is Gloria Swanson, Marlene
Dietrich, Jean Harlow, Mae West, Theda Bara, Mae Murray, Nita Naldi,
Barbara LaMarr, Pola Negri, Clara Bow, and Myrna Loy.) I purchased a copyback then. And just recently, while perusing eBay, I came across an autographed copy and realized I had to have it. Here is a scan of the Brooks page (which is next to Clara Bow - not shown).
Weimar Germany seems to be trending..... I just came across a rather good article in Tablet magazine about the avant-garde performer Valeska Gert. "The Forgotten World of the Badass Valeska Gert," by Elyssa Goodman, looks at the influence of the "incomparable ‘dance performance artist’ who inspired entertainers from German Expressionism through to 1980s punk."
I've been fascinated by this strange artist ever since I saw her in the 1929 Louise Brooks film, The Diary of a Lost Girl. Despite Brooks' presence, Gert dominates the few scenes she is in. As Goodman notes,
"Gert began performing all over Europe, at Brecht’s cabaret The Red
Revue, in Paris, in London, and elsewhere. She also moved her parody
into a new medium, performing in film alongside a very young Greta Garbo
in the 1925 film Joyless Street; in G.W. Pabst’s 1929 film Diary of a Lost Girl also starring American cinema sensation Louise Brooks; in the first film version of Brecht’s The Threepenny Opera
as Mrs. Peachum in 1931, and many others. Gert knew how to manipulate
her face and her body to dominate a stage in her solo performances, and
the same happens even when she’s on screen with multiple people, as in
this scene from Diary of a Lost Girl: Her face twists, her eyes expand, her mouth bends and even if she’s not saying anything, you simply can’t look away."
I encourage everyone to check out Goodman's article HERE. It is a good read. Back in 2010, I also wrote a piece on Gert which you may also want to check out, "The Remarkable Life of Valeska Gert." It ran on Huffington Post.
"It was the age of drag balls, Metropolis, and Josephine Baker. Of scientific breakthroughs, literary verve, and the political chaos of the Weimar Republic. After the best-selling Hollywood in the 30s and Jazz: New York in the Roaring Twenties, illustrator Robert Nippoldt teams up with author Boris Pofalla to evoke the fast-moving, freewheeling metropolis that was Berlin in the 1920s.
Like a cinematographic city tour through time, Berlin of the Roaring Twenties takes in the urban scale and the intricate details of this transformative decade, from sweeping street panoramas, bejeweled with new electric lights, to the foxtrot and tango steps tapped out on dance floors across the town. With characteristic graphic mastery of light, shadow, and expression, as well as a silver-printing sheen, Nippoldt intersperses portraits with cityscapes, revealing the changing scenery and dynamic hubs of this burgeoning and rapidly industrializing capital, as well as the extraordinary protagonists that made up its hotbed scene of art, science, and ideas.
With an eager eye on the eccentrics and outlaws that made up this heady age as much as the established “greats,” Nippoldt includes rich profiles not only of the likes of Lotte Reiniger, Christopher Isherwood, Albert Einstein, Kurt Weill, Marlene Dietrich, and George Grosz, but also for “the woman with ten brains” Thea Alba, “Einstein of Sex” Magnus Hirschfeld, and the city’s notorious criminal Adolf Leib. So, too, does the book contain special features for some of the most prominent cultural and political phenomena of the time, whether the most iconic film characters or the frenzied chaos of the Weimar cabinet.
Beyond the people and the places, the book captures above all the incomparable and ineffable spirit of time and place, of an epoch suspended between two world wars and a country caught between joie-de-vivre daring and the darkness of encroaching National Socialism. Before the night falls, Nippoldt shows it all to us: the bright lights and the backstage whispers, the looming factories and the theoretical physics, the roar of the sports hall and the hush of the theater, the songs of the Comedian Harmonists, the satire of George Grosz, and the gender-bending icon of Marlene Dietrich, lighting up a cigarette in top hat, tuxedo, and come-to-bed eyes."
Check out this video introduction to the book:
Or, check out this Taschen podcast about the new book:
But wait, there's more.... Just out on DVD from Kino Lorber is Rudiger Suchsland's documentary film From Caligari to Hitler. From Kino: "In the relevatory documentary From Caligari to Hitler filmmaker Rüdiger
Suchsland explores the connections between the expressionist silent
cinema of Germany and the subsequent rise of Nazism. The film
illustrates Siegfried Kracauer's 1947 thesis that Nazism is anticipated
in many themes found throughout Weimar cinema of the 1920s, whiles
situating Kracauer in the philosophy and histories of the time. Looking
at landmark films like Dr. Mabuse, the Gambler, Metropolis, The Golem,
and many others, Suchsland brilliantly tracks the concept of the
charmismatic villain bewitching the people." (Reminds me of someone today.) From Caligari to Hitler got a ★★★ review on Video Librarian: "In fact, one of the documentary's major virtues is that it not only
covers noted filmmakers such as Lang, F.W. Murnau, and Ernst Lubitsch
but also serves as an introduction to movies in many different genres by
other directors who are virtually forgotten today."
Of course, Louise Brooks made two of her greatest films in the Weimar era, the G.W. Pabst directed Pandora's Box (1929) and The Diary of a Lost Girl (1929). The English film critic Pamela Hutchinson has written a newly released book,Pandora's Box, published by BFI Film Classics. I just got a copy last week, and read it promptly. It is really, really good - displaying graceful prose and lively thinking. If you haven't already done so, check it out.
Here are a few Louise Brooks related announcements: Pandora's Box, the sensational 1929 film starring Louise Brooks,
is set to screen in Chicago, Illinois on April 3, 2018. The movie will
be accompanied by Jay Warren, Chicago's foremost
pipe organ expert, on the classically restored 3/16 Marr Colton / Geneva
Arcada organ.
The film will be shown at the Arcada Theatre,
105 E. Main St. in St. Charles, as part of its continuing "Silent Film
Night" series featuring silent film classics.
More information about
the event can be found HERE.
===========================
Recently, I wrote a new page on the Louise Brooks Society website (www.pandorasbox.com) which I invite everyone to read and explore.
The page, under the "Dancer & Show Girl" menu, is sub-menued "Denishawn" (and titled "Louise Brooks and Denishawn"); it pertains to the period in Brooks' life when she was a member of the Denishawn Dance Company.
There is some new information there, as well as some pictures which I think will please.
===========================
And here is some news we've been waiting for.....
Kino Lorber is bringing A. Edward Sutherland's It's the Old Army Game
starring W.C. Fields, Louise Brooks, Blanche Ring, William Gaxton, and
Mary Foy to Blu-ray on March 13. The disc will feature a new 2k master
Supplements will include:
- Audio commentary by film historian James L. Neibaur, author of The W.C. Fields Films - New score by Ben Model
Plot Synopsis: Elmer Prettywillie, the village druggist, is awakened
by a woman who needs a 2-cent stamp in the middle of the night. Seeking
again a state of somnolence, Prettywillie must contend with the
clamorous collectors of garbage, and with those of his own castle who
have caught forty winks and then some. The letter-carrying lady, in
trying to post her missive, manages to summon the city's fire department
to the pharmacy where, unable to find a fire, they sit and sip sodas
while Prettywillie panders to their every want. When they leave, a bit
of a blaze does erupt, but Prettywillie is forced to his own resources.
Meanwhile, George Parker is smitten with Elmer's buxom assistant and
uses the storefront to promote a bogus land deal. The Prettywillie
fortune is thus inflated, enabling the purchase of a flivver, but Elmer
ends up wrecking a Florida estate and finally the flivver, foiling the
schemers and delighting the denizens of the town, whose jubilation Elmer
takes for an acute case of distemper. He jails himself for safekeeping.
Also starring Louise Brooks, Blanche Ring, William Gaxton, and Mary
Foy.
Likewise, the label will also release Gregory La Cava's Running Wild
starring W.C. Fields, Marie Shotwell, Mary Brian, Claude Buchanan, and
Frederick Burton on March 13 as well. The disc will feature a new 2k
master Supplements will include:
- Audio commentary by film historian James L. Neibaur, author of The W.C. Fields Films - New score by Donald Sosin
The Austin Film Society in Austin, Texas is screening the "newly restored" 1928 Louise Brooks film, Beggars of Life on Friday January 5th, Saturday, January 6th, and Monday, January 8th. Here is the bit from the society website. More information can be found HERE.
Newly Restored BEGGARS OF LIFE
Directed by William Wellman
USA, 1928, 1h 40min, DCP, Silent with musical score
In this silent film from director William Wellman, Louise Brooks plays a girl on the run who disguises herself as a boy, teams up with a young man (Richard Arlen) and tries to stay one step ahead of trouble.
— Tickets: austinfilm.org/screening/beggars-of-life/
Last year was a great year for Beggars of Life. This past Spring saw the release of my new book, Beggars of Life: A Companion to the 1928 Film, and this past Summer saw the release of a new DVD / Blu-ray of the film from Kino Lorber. Each received great reviews! If you haven't secured your
own copy of either the book or the DVD / Blu-ray, why not do so today?
The riveting 1928 silent film, Beggars of Life, starring Louise Brooks, will be shown at the Cinema Arts Centre on Wednesday, January 24th at 7:30 pm. Part of the "Anything But Silent" series, this Long Island screening will feature live musical accompaniment by the one-and-only Ben Model. More information about this event can be found HERE.
--- Organized by Cinema Arts Centre, a 501(c)3 organization
and Long Island's only not-for-profit independent movie theater,
offering the most compelling American and international films today, as
well as many unique programs.
Louise Brooks’ best American film was made shortly before she left for
Germany and found everlasting fame in Pandora’s Box. Brooks plays a
young woman who flees her cruel stepfather and, dressed in boy’s
clothing, rides the rails with hobos. Based on the memoirs of
rough-and-tumble writer Jim Tully, which describes his hardscrabble
existence on the rails during the recession years of the 1890s and
1900s, this long-thought-lost silent classic features an unforgettable
turn by Wallace Beery as the hobo Oklahoma Red and dazzling location
photography set aboard speeding trains. Director William Wellman was in
top form for the movie, basking in praise for his work on the
Oscar-winning Wings (1927), although Louise Brooks felt he pushed her to
take unnecessary risks–especially during a stunt in which she was
nearly sucked under a train’s wheels. Nonetheless, Brooks lauded the
director for “how hard he studied his script and prepared for his day’s
work, how he always did his best, [and] how sure and fast he worked.”
The new restoration of Beggars of Life is a triumphant resurrection for a
classic of the silent era. (USA, 1928, 100 min., NR, English| Dir.
William A. Wellman)
Want to learn more about the film? Last Spring saw the release of my new book, Beggars of Life: A Companion to the 1928 Film, and this past Summer saw the release of a new DVD / Blu-ray of the film from Kino Lorber. If you haven't secured your
own copy of either the book or the DVD / Blu-ray, why not do so today?
