Anthony Bourdain and Louise Brooks

Anthony Bourdain had a thing for Louise Brooks. Over the years, he evoked her name time and again.

In the introduction to My Last Supper: 50 Great Chefs and Their Final Meals (2007), Bourdain was asked who he wished his dining companions might be at his last meal. His answer was telling. "Given that I'm ostensibly facing imminent death, I'd probably prefer being alone.  But assuming heroic sangfroid, an eclectic bunch of dinner companions from times present and past might keep the conversation interesting: Graham Greene, Kim Philby, Ava Gardner, Louise Brooks, Orson Welles, Iggy Pop, Martin Scorsese, Gabrielle Hamilton, Nick Tosches, Muhammad Ali, and Carole Lombard."

That mention caught my attention, and when I met Bourdain -- ever so briefly in 2008 -- I asked him about his interest in Brooks. He smiled, and asked "Wasn't she beautiful?"

The celebrated chef, author, television personality and travel documentarian -- who took his own life on June 8th -- was well known for his love of popular music. Less known was his love of world cinema and classic films, and Louise Brooks. In 2017, Bourdain was asked to name a few of his favorite films from the Criterion Collection. And among those he chose were works by John Huston, Orson Welles, and Stanley Kubrick. Another of Bourdain's picks was the only silent film to make his list, Pandora's Box (1929). Bourdain's brief comment on this pick amplifies his interest in the star of that classic silent film: "Two words. Louise Brooks. Never has a more beautiful, intelligent, quirky, sexy, uniquely commanding character graced the screen."

The "last supper" or "ideal dinner" question was one that Bourdain was asked with some regularity. And though his answer might vary, one name always was always present, Louise Brooks. Back in 2006, Washington Post readers put questions to the celebrated chef.

Rockville, Md.: Looking back at all the places you've traveled and meals you've had, what would be your dream menu and who would you invite?

Anthony Bourdain: I would eat at the St. John restaurant in London. An all offal meal prepared by Fergus Henderson. Attending would be a young Ava Gardner, Louise Brooks, Kim Philby, Orson Welles, Richard Helms, Iggy Pop, Graham Greene and Martin Scorsese.

In 2008, www.seriouseats.com wrote. "When asked by the New York Post's Page Six this weekend what his food fantasy would be, Anthony Bourdain replied: 'Chef Marco Pierre White and Keith Richards would be throwing something on the barbie in a backyard in Red Hook.' Attendees would include, among others, silent film actress Louise Brooks (allowed to speak, presumably) along with Orson Welles and the "CIA director of counterintelligence."

In 2013,  Andrew Zimmern interviewed Bourdain for Delta Sky magazine. Bourdain named a few of his ideal dinner companions: "Orson Welles is there, for sure. Ava Gardner, Louise Brooks, Iggy, Marco Pierre White, my wife, she’s funny. Daniel Boulud, Éric Ripert, that would be fun. Nigella, Bill Murray, Christopher Walken and Lidia Bastianich, because they’re old friends. That would be a mother****ing dinner party right there. It would be an interesting and outrageous bunch."

In 2014, Modern Luxury magazine asked Bourdain which six iconic figures would be at his dream dinner party? His answer, "Orson Welles; actress Louise Brooks; British intelligence officer Kim Philby, who was actually a KGB spy; Ava Gardner; Iggy Pop; and movie director John Houston."

In 2016, Bourdain went on Reddit to answer questions, where he was asked if you could have dinner with any three people, alive or dead, who would they be? His answer, "Louise Brooks, Orson Welles, and James Angleton the former head of capital intelligence for the CIA. There's a couple of questions I'd like to ask him. They're all dead unfortunately. "

In 2015, Bourdain visited my former place of employ, the Arion Press. He was there to check out the press -- one of the last letterpress printers in the United States, but also to check out the Arion Press edition of the Lulu plays (the basis for Pandora's Box), as illustrated by artist William Kentridge. It was a book I suggested Arion publish, having known of the artist's interest in Louise Brooks as well as press' desire to work with Kentridge. It seemed a good fit. The result was one of the landmark letterpress editions of the early 21st century.

In a list of notable American memoirists, two names sit near one another under the letter B, Anthony Bourdain and Louise Brooks. Today, I think, they are likely sitting near one another in legend.

Capitolfest set to take place August 10, 11, 12

This year's Capitolfest set to take place August 10, 11, 12 in Rome, New York. This year's tribute star is Ronald Colman, who, if you believe the 1930 issue of Girl's Cinema shown below, had a thing for Louise Brooks, or at least her eyes. In describing his "dream girl," Colman says she must have Louise Brooks' brown eyes. At a later date, on August 1st, this article and the entirety of Colman's thoughts on Brooks and other actress' will be revealed. Meanwhile, for more information on Capitolfest, go to this link HERE.

A Celebration of Louise, Lulu, LouLou, and Lolita in sheet music

A thematic musical follow-up to my previous post, this being a celebration of Louise, Lulu, LouLou, and Lolita in sheet music. First up, every little breeze seems to whisper the 1929 classic "Louise" - Music: Richard A. Whiting / Lyrics: Leo Robin; Albert Willemetz & Charles-Louis Pothier.

Next is "Louisa" - Music: Ursmar V. O. / Lyrics: Marcel Antoine.

From 1911, "Lulu" - Music: Charles de Bucovich / Lyrics: Janor & F. L. Bénech.

And here is, from 1927, "Lulu" - Music: Philippe Parès & Georges Van Parys / Lyrics: Serge Veber.

And from 1914, "Lulu-Fado" - Music: Nicolino Milano / Lyrics: Nihil.

From 1919, "Loulou" - Music: Eugène Rosi / Lyrics: Eugène Joullot.

"Loulou restons chez nous" - Music: Charles Borel-Clerc  / Lyrics: Félix Mortreuil.

And from the 1931 revue A l'eau de Divonne, "Lou-Lou! Cou-Cou! (Lou-Lou)" - Music: Frank Stip /
Lyrics: André Mauprey; Fernand Rouvray; Karl Brüll & Rudolf Eisner.

And let's not forget lovely "Lolita" (Zigeuner, du hast mein Herz gestohlen) - Music: Austin Egen & Franz Grothe / Lyrics: Max-Blot & Jean Cis

We will end this thematic celebration a turn, from 1919, to the side with "Pandora" - Music: Ernest Tompa / Lyrics: Nihil

And from 1930, "Pandora" - Music: Torsten Paban / Lyrics: Rolf Gander

More on the music in the 1930 Louise Brooks film, Prix de beaute

At the end of my last post, I mentioned that I spoken with musician Stephen Horne at the recently concluded San Francisco Silent Film Festival. We spoke about Prix de beaute. Stephen and I have a mutual desire to see the silent version of that film released someday, and we chatted about the prospects. Some regard the silent version superior to the more familiar sound version. Stephen, it should be noted, has accompanied the silent version a number of times.

I also mentioned to Stephen that I had recently acquired two more vintage 78 rpm recordings of the theme song to Prix de beaute. These new acquisitions brings my total to nearly a dozen different vintage recording from the film, each by different vocalists. Here are those two additional recordings, which I was lucky enough to purchase in their original papers sleeves. Both came from France.

This first recording, performed by the classical vocalist and one time actress "Mlle Ristori" (Gabrielle Ristori), is a cover version of "Je N'ai qu'un amour ... C'est toi," the film's familiar haunting theme song. There were a number of such recordings issued, mostly in France, but also one in Germany. Another recording, of Ristori singing an operetta, can be heard HERE.

The recording below, by the also little known French singer Helene Caron, is, I believe, the version of "Je N'ai qu'un amout ... C'est toi" which is heard in the film. Sample it HERE.

As Stephen Horne and others have noted, sound, music, and images of sound devices (loud speakers) and musical devices (phonographs) play an important part in Prix de beaute. Remember, this film -- one of the very first French talkies, was issued as the European film industry was transitioning from silent to sound films.

What follows are some excerpts from an interview I did with Stephen in 2013, when he accompanied the silent version of Prix de beaute at the 2013 San Francisco Silent Film Festival.

TG: What were your impressions of the film ?

SH: I did watch the sound version before the silent screenings that I accompanied. Normally I wouldn’t consider this necessary, but on this occasion it was invaluable. I’m not sure that this restoration is truly the original silent version - I suspect that this doesn’t actually survive intact and what we have is a recreation, using the sound version as a starting point and working backwards, so to speak. I think that both versions have their problems - they’re imperfect gems - but for me the silent version works much better. And there are certain sequences that are sublime.

TG: Were there any special challenges in composing the score for a silent film that is today best known as a sound film?

SH: I think it’s simplest to assume that the audience hasn’t seen the sound version. Obviously several people will have done, but the event should ideally stand on its own terms, as a silent film / live music event. However, there are some challenges that this silent version presents, particularly all the images that specifically reference sound effects: the repeated close-ups of loudspeakers, etc. One has to make a decision about whether to acknowledge them musically, or ‘play through’ them instead.

TG: Music, song and sound are integral to certain passages in the film, especially the film’s climatic ending. Did that prove a challenge?

SH: Unless you’re playing an instrument that can produce comparable sound ‘effects’, I think it’s best to approach these things in a slightly abstract way. In the tango song scene I’ve chosen to focus on a couple of specific elements within the scene - rather than trying to create an impression of vocalizing, for instance. However, the song in the final scene is inescapably important, so I think that I have come up with a rather clever solution to the problem. But you’ll have to wait to find out what that will be!

TG: Were you able to integrate the two songs used in the sound version into your score? If so, how?

SH: See above! But again, I’m largely gearing the performance to people who are coming to this film without having seen the sound version. The songs are not generally known now, so while it’s important that I play a tango when they’re dancing / singing a tango, I don’t think that it has to be the one sung in the sound version. But just wait until the climax...

Louise Brooks at the 2018 San Francisco Silent Film Festival

I'm back from the recently concluded San Francisco Silent Film Festival. (Read my PopMatters preview of the event on HERE.) I saw some good films, signed copies of my books, and chatted with friends both old and new. I had a good time, despite the fact that no Louise Brooks films were shown this year. However, to the discerning film buff, the actress did have a certain "presence" at the event.

In fact, Brooks was pictured on page eleven of the Festival program, amidst an essay by Nina Fiore titled "Silent but not Silenced: Outsiders Outcasts of Silent Cinema." The image of Brooks is a still from Diary of a Lost Girl, the sensational 1929 German film directed by G.W. Pabst. But what's more, two of the stars of that film were starred in two of the other films shown at this year's event.

One of those stars is Fritz Rasp, who played the ever so creepy pharmacist Meinart in Diary of a Lost Girl. He was featured as the just-as-creepy butterfly collector Stapleton in Der Hund von Baskerville (1929). Based on the famous Sherlock Holmes story by Arthur Conan Doyle, this was the last silent Holmes story filmed in Europe. It was also the film Rasp made before Diary. Rasp as Stapleton is pictured left - Rasp as Meinart is pictured right.

The other Diary cast member featured in a film at the Festival is Andrews Engelmann, who played the also creepy director of the reform school for girls. His large bald head defined him in that film. At the Festival, he was seen as André von Engelman, a German U-boat commander in Mare Nostrum (1926). And again, his large bald head defined him.

Both of these actors were recognizable to me (and how interesting it was to see them in something else besides Diary), as well as to Ira Resnick, a fellow Louise Brooks devotee and collector and the author of the must have coffee table book, Starstruck. I have known Ira for a few years now, since 2010, when he first came to the Festival. Here is a snapshot of Ira and I, who stopped by to chat during my book signing.

During my book signing, I had the distinct privilege of signing alongside Academy Award honoree Kevin Brownlow, the author of The Parade's Gone By and the film historian who knew Brooks as well as anyone in her later years. Brownlow is legend to those who love silent film, and not surprisingly, he outsold me ten to one. Nevertheless, it was a pleasure to see Kevin again. He has been helpful to me, and generous in sharing his material and memories of Brooks.

And that's not all. I spotted Louise Brooks fan art for sale at the merchandise table, and spoke with musician Stephen Horne about Prix de Beaute. We have a mutual desire to see the silent version of that film released, and we chatted about the prospects. Stephen has accompanied the silent version a number of times, and he told me about an usual UK screening where the theater brought in a female vocalist to sing the film's lyrical theme song. Perhaps one day....

New and old UK reviews of the 1929 Louise Brooks film Pandora's Box - now showing across the UK

The British Film Institute (BFI) is giving Pandora’s Box (1929) a theatrical re-release in England. That's a big deal for any classic film, let alone a silent film. Notably, but not surprisingly to the many fans of Louise Brooks, this old film is generating a lot of new buzz....

Pamela Hutchinson wrote a must-read piece on the BFI website titled "How the Lulu bob became cinema’s most imitated haircut." And Peter Bradshaw wrote a piece in the Guardian newspaper, "Pandora's Box review – intensely erotic silent-era classic," which called the film a "Weimar danse macabre."  Meanwhile, Mark Kermode, one of England's best known film critics, had this to say.

Pandora’s Box, directed by G.W. Pabst, will open at the BFI Southbank and select cinemas UK-wide starting June 1. Among the cities where the film will be shown are London, Leicester, Aberdeen, Glasgow, Dublin, and Belfast. Click through to the linked pages to see a schedule of screenings.

Today, Pandora’s Box is considered a masterpiece of the silent era and a landmark work in the history of world cinema. Its reputation is due largely to the riveting, red hot performance given by its star, Louise Brooks, in the role of Lulu. It wasn't always so.

In fact, the film received poor to middling reviews when it premiered in Berlin in February, 1929 -- as it did when it debuted in New York City in December, 1929. It also received somewhat tepid reviews when it was first shown in London in 1930, despite the fact that one of England leading film journals, Close-Up, had built-up expectations around the film. In April, 1929 the Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer ran this bit.

Despite Close-Up's enthusiasm, the English trade journal, Kinematograph Weekly, expressed a certain critical reserve, stating that the picture "can hardly be expected to appeal to the average audience."

In April, 1930, when the film was shown in London, the Guardian critic noted how badly it was cut. Later, when the film was shown in August, 1930 at the Gaiety theater, Tottenham Court-road, the London Observer similarly commented, calling the censored film a "piece of work nervous and intelligent in conception, and photographically emotional, but presented, at least to the British public, in a chaotic form which reduces it from an entertainment to a study."

(I believe the critic "C.A. L." is Caroline Alice (C. A.) Lejeune. She appreciated Pabst's work, and in her 1931 book, Cinema, she noted " . . . no director on two continents has found so much personality in Louise Brooks.") References to Pandora's Box continued to surface in British publications in the 1930s, largely in reference to G.W. Pabst. The film was not forgotten, but also not that well regarded. The years passed.... Though the film was still in shambles, it was revived in London in 1957.

It would take decades for film historians and preservationists to restore it to its more-or-less original form. The many screenings taking place in England in June give contemporary viewers the chance to see the film as close to its original state as we may ever get.

BFI presents Louise Brooks in Pandora's Box in UK

The British Film Institute (BFI) is giving Pandora’s Box (1929) a theatrical re-release in June. The version that will be shown is a 2K DCP of the 1997 Munich Film Museum restoration.

Pandora’s Box, which was directed by G.W. Pabst and stars the one-and-only Louise Brooks as Lulu, will open at BFI Southbank and “selected cinemas UK-wide” on June 1. Among the cities where the film will be shown are London, Leicester, Aberdeen, Glasgow, Dublin, and Belfast. The DCP comes with a score by Peer Raben, who has worked with Rainer Werner Fassbinder.

June

From 1 June
BFI Southbank
Barbican
Filmhouse Edinburgh
QFT Belfast
7 June
Stoke Film Theatre
From 8 June
IFI Dublin
Phoenix, Leicester
Belmont, Aberdeen
From 15 June
Glasgow Film Theatre
From 16 June
Mareel Shetlands Arts
From 23 June
Hippodrome Bo’ness
24 June
Palace Cinema Broadstairs
30 June
Penarth Pier Pavillion

July

From 1 July
Triskel Arts Cork
8 July
Rich Mix, London
From 15 July
Cine Lumiere
From 17 July
Artrix Bromsgrove

August

4 August
The Poly, Falmouth, Cornwall
5 August
Regent Street Cinema, London


Pandora’s Box is considered a classic, a masterpiece of the silent era and a landmark work in the history of world cinema. Its reputation is due largely to the riveting, red hot performance given by its star, Louise Brooks, in the role of Lulu.

Few can match Brooks’ intensity and erotic allure. Pauline Kael called her Lulu “The archetype of the voracious destructive women.” Brooks is that, and more. In fact, she’s stunning—and those who see the film for the first time often say they can’t take their eyes off the actress.

In his acclaimed 1989 biography of Brooks, Barry Paris wrote: “A case can be made that Pandora’s Box was the last of the silent films—not literally, but aesthetically. On the threshold of its premature death, the medium in Pandora achieved near perfection in form and content.”

If you want to learn more about Pandora's Box, be sure and check out the recently released book by Pamela Hutchinson. Pictured below, it is highly recommended by the Louise Brooks Society.

 

Pamela Hutchinson's Pandora's Box (BFI Film Classics) is available on amazon (UK and USA).  It is, no doubt, also available at better bookstores including the bookshop at BFI Southbank.

It’s that “near perfection in form and content”—dark and riveting, that draws audiences time and again. Here is the newly prepared BFI trailer for the film.

Pandora’s Box is also, as the trailer states (quoting yours truly in the Huffington Post), "one of the great masterpieces of the silent era."

Louise Brooks stars in Pandora's Box in Belfast June 1 - 7

Iconic silent film star Louise Brooks adorns the cover of QFT's June program. That's because Brooks' best known film, Pandora's Box, will be shown at the Queen's Film Theater for a week starting June 1. More information about this special event can be found HERE.

From the QFT:  "One of the greatest silent films, G.W. Pabst’s Pandora’s Box is renowned for its sensational storyline, sparkling Weimar-period setting and the legendary lead performance of its iconic star Louise Brooks.

Following the rise and fall of Lulu (Louise Brooks), a spirited but innocent showgirl, whose sheer sexual magnetism wreaks havoc on the lives of men and women alike, Pandora’s Box was controversial – it features one of the first screen appearances of a lesbian character – and unsuccessful in its day, and then underappreciated for decades. It was only after recognition of Louise Brooks began to grow from the late 1950s, when she was championed by admirers like Henri Langlois, co-founder of the Cinémathèque Francaise, that the film was looked at anew. It now stands as an incredibly modern movie, and few stars of any era dazzle as brightly as Louise Brooks. Her beautiful features, trademark sharply cut, shiny black bobbed hair and extraordinarily charismatic onscreen presence, turned a silent movie actress into a timeless icon of both cinema and style.

Previously only shown on the big screen in the UK on 35mm, with cinemas having to hire a pianist or musicians to perform a live score, this new digital version features an orchestral score by the German composer Peer Raben, known for his work with Rainer Werner Fassbinder."

The 5th Silent Film Festival in Thailand starts tomorrow.

The 5th Silent Film Festival in Thailand starts tomorrow, and runs May 24 through May 31 at the Scala and Lido Theaters. Here is some further information. (How thrilling it is to see silent film appreciated all around the world. This Festival has screened a Louise Brooks films in the past.)

 

กำหนดการเทศกาลภาพยนตร์เงียบ ประเทศไทย ครั้งที่ 5
The 5th Silent Film Festival in Thailand’s Schedule

*Accompanied by บรรเลงดนตรีประกอบโดย Maud Nelissen
** Accompanied by บรรเลงดนตรีประกอบโดย Richard Siedhoff

โรงภาพยนตร์สกาลา / Scala Theater
Thursday 24 May
19.30 The Passion of Joan of Arc (France / 1928 / 81 min)*

โรงภาพยนตร์ลิโด / Lido Theater
Friday 25 May
18.30 Dutch Types (France / 1915 / 4 min)*
The Secret of Delft (Netherlands / 1917 / 70 min)*

20.00 Journey into the Night (Germany / 1921 / 81 min)**

Saturday 26 May
12.00 45 Minutes from Hollywood (USA / 1926 / 22 min)**
Sherlock JR. (USA / 1924 / 45 min)**

14.30 The House on Trubnaya (Soviet Union / 1928 / 64 min)*

17.00 สนทนากับนักดนตรีประกอบหนังเงียบ Talk with Musicians

19.00 The Devious Path (Germany / 1928 / 107 min)**

Sunday 27 May
12.00 Foolish Wives (USA / 1922 / 101 min)*

14.30 Dutch Types (France / 1915 / 4 min) *
The Secret of Delft (Netherlands / 1917 / 70 min)*

17.00 The Grey Automobile (Mexico / 1919 / 223 min)**

Monday 28 May
18.30 The Goddess (China / 1934 / 85 min)*

20.00 The Devious Path (Germany / 1928 / 107 min)**

Tuesday 29 May
18.30 The House on Trubnaya (Soviet Union / 1928 / 64 min)*

20.00 Journey into the Night (Germany / 1921 / 81 min)**

Wednesday 30 May
18.30 The Passion of Joan of Arc (France / 1928 / 81 min)**

20.00 The Goddess (China / 1934 / 85 min)*

Thursday 31 May
18.30 Foolish Wives (USA / 1922 / 101 min)*

20.30 45 Minutes from Hollywood (USA / 1926 / 22 min)**
Sherlock JR. (USA / 1924 / 45 min)**

ภาพยนตร์ทุกเรื่องมีคำบรรยายภาษาไทยและอังกฤษ
Film Screenings with Thai and English Intertitles

บัตรราคา 120 บาท ยกเว้น The Grey Automobile ราคา 200 บาท
Ticket is 120 baht except The Grey Automobile is 200 baht