Two Louise Brooks films to screen in Berlin this weekend

Two Louise Brooks films will be shown in Germany this coming weekend at the New Babylon Berlin GmbH (located at Rosa-Luxembourg-Str. 30, 10178 in Berlin, Germany).

Pandora's Box will be shown twice on Friday, with live musical accompaniment. More information can be found HERE.

 D 1929. R: Georg Wilhelm Pabst mit Louise Brooks, Fritz Kortner, Franz Lederer, 110 Min

Fr, 30.8. 19:15 Live an der Orgel Anna Vavilkina, Eintritt Frei / gratis!
FR 6.09. 17:15 Live an der Orgel Fedor Stroganov, Eintritt gratis!

Das junge, attraktive Showgirl Lulu ist die Geliebte des prominenten Chefredakteurs Schön. Seiner sozialen Stellung entsprechend, möchte er eine Frau aus seinen Kreisen heiraten und sich von Lulu trennen. Durch einen Skandal platzt die Hochzeit. Schön heiratet stattdessen Lulu, stirbt aber schon in der Hochzeitsnacht durch eine Kugel. Lulu wird wegen Mordes angeklagt, entkommt aber aus dem Gerichtssaal und setzt ihre Affäre mit dem Sohn des Verstorbenen fort. Ihre Flucht vor der Polizei führt sie ins Ausland. Damit beginnt Lulus eigentliche Odyssee… Freie Adaption des gleichnamigen Theaterstücks von Frank Wedekind und seines Bühnendramas „Erdgeist“ mit Louise Brooks als Lulu. Einer der ersten Filme, die lesbische Liebe bzw. Bisexualität offen zeigten.

D 1929. R: Georg Wilhelm Pabst with Louise Brooks, Fritz Kortner, Franz Lederer, 110 min

Fri, 30.8. 19:15 Live at the organ Anna Vavilkina, Admission Free / Free!
FR 6.09. 17:15 Live at the organ Fedor Stroganov, admission free!

The young, attractive showgirl Lulu is the mistress of the prominent editor-in-chief Schön. According to his social position, he wants to marry a woman from his circles and to separate from Lulu. Due to a scandal, the wedding is bursting. Schön marries Lulu instead, but dies on the wedding night by a bullet. Lulu is charged with murder, but escapes from the courtroom and continues her affair with the son of the deceased. Her escape from the police leads her abroad. This is the beginning of Lulus' actual odyssey ... Free adaptation of the eponymous play by Frank Wedekind and his stage drama "Erdgeist" with Louise Brooks as Lulu. One of the first films to show lesbian love or bisexuality.

Diary of a Lost Girl will be shown twice on Saturday, also with live musical accompaniment. More information can be found HERE.

D 1929. R: Georg Wilhelm Pabst mit Louise Brooks, Fritz Rasp, Valeska Gert, 104 Min

Sa, 31.08. 20:00 Live am Klavier Ekkehard Wölk, Eintritt gratis!
Sa, 07.09. 20:15 An der Orgel Live Fedor Stroganov, Eintritt gratis!

Die junge Apothekerstocher Thymian wird vom Angestellten ihres Vaters verführt und wird nach der Geburt ihres Kindes in ein Heim gesteckt, wo sie unter der Strenge der sadistischen Erzieher zu leiden hat. Sie flüchtet und landet im Bordell einer Großstadt.

D 1929. R: Georg Wilhelm Pabst with Louise Brooks, Fritz Rasp, Valeska Gert, 104 min

Sat, 31.08. 20:00 live on the piano Ekkehard Wölk, admission free!
Sat, 07.09. 20:15 At the organ live Fedor Stroganov, admission free!

The young apothecary Thymian is seduced by the employee of her father and is put after the birth of her child in a home, where she has to suffer from the severity of the sadistic educators. She flees and ends up in the brothel of a big city.

Diary of a Lost Girl screens at Oslo Silent Film Festival on August 24

The sensational 1929 Louise Brooks film, Diary of a Lost Girl, will be screened at the Oslo Silent Film Festival on August 24. More information about this screening can be found HERE.

The Oslo Silent Film Festival, which runs August 22 through August 25, will also be showing Metropolis, A Cottage on Dartmoor and other notable silent films starring the likes of Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin. More information about the festival can be found HERE.

According to the website for the Norwegian film festival: "Man skal lete lenge i filmhistorien for å finne en skuespiller med like mye kameratekke som Louise Brooks. Likefullt slet hun i Hollywood. I 1927 sa hun opp en gullkantet kontrakt med Paramount for å reise til Berlin hvor hun skulle spille i G.W. Pabst’ Pandoras eske. I denne og deres andre film sammen, Diary of a Lost Girl, finner man denne sjeldne, nesten magiske kjemien som kan oppstå mellom skuespiller og regissør. Brooks spiller Thymian Henning, som i likhet med karakteren Lulu i Pandoras eske er en ung, vakker kvinne med en problematisk moral. Hun havner på en rehabiliteringsanstalt drevet med militær disiplin, og kommer snart i opposisjon til bestyrelsen. Hun rømmer – og ender opp som prostituert i et bordell.

Ikke overraskende fikk verdens sensurmyndigheter en real håndfull da de fikk Diary of a Lost Girl i fanget. Den ble stort sett sønderklippet i alle land den ble tillatt oppsatt, og fikk kritikker deretter. Når den da i tillegg var særdeles uheldig med timingen – den hadde premiere i oktober 1929, en liten måned før den første lydfilmen The Jazz Singer fikk sin første oppsetning i Berlin – ble den raskt en glemt film og blant de som druknet i lydfilmens suksess. Ikke før på 1960-tallet ble den og Pandoras eske gjenoppdaget, da filmene ble restaurert i henhold til Pabst egen, usensurerte versjon, og fikk en verdig oppreisning. Begge filmene regnes i dag blant den sene stumfilmperiodens genuine mesterverk.

For Louise Brooks gikk ikke karrieren like godt. Etter oppholdet i Berlin dro hun til Paris, før hun returnerte til Hollywood i et forsøk på å gjenoppta karrieren. Stemmen hennes ble ikke funnet god nok, og etter å ha spilt i flere samlebånds-westernfilmer fikk hun nok, og la skuespillerkarrieren på hyllen. Hun flyttet til New York, før hun på 1950-tallet igjen gjorde seg bemerket i filmens tjeneste da hun flyttet til Rochester, der det enorme filmarkivet til George Eastman House ligger, og begynte å utgi grundige og velskrevne artikler om den filmindustrien hun hadde vært en del av på 1920-tallet."

 Which roughly translates as...

"One has to look long in the history of film to find an actor with as much coverage as Louise Brooks. No matter how much she struggled in Hollywood. In 1927, she terminated a gold-lined contract with Paramount to travel to Berlin where she would play in G.W. Pabst's Pandora's Box. In this and their other film together, Diary of a Lost Girl, one finds this rare, almost magical chemistry that can arise between actor and director. Brooks plays Thymian Henning, who, like the character Lulu in Pandora's Box, is a young, beautiful woman with a problematic morality. She ends up in a rehabilitation facility powered by military discipline, and will soon be in opposition to the board. She escapes - and ends up as a prostitute in a brothel.

Not surprisingly, the censors of the world got a real handful when they got Diary of a Lost Girl in their lap. It was largely cut in all the countries it was allowed to set up, and received criticism thereafter. In addition, when it was particularly unlucky with the timing - it premiered in October 1929, a month before the first sound movie The Jazz Singer got its first set in Berlin - it quickly became a forgotten movie and among those who drowned in the success of the sound film. It was not until the 1960s that it and Pandora's Box were rediscovered, when the films were restored according to Pabst's own, uncensored version, and received a worthy restoration. Both films are today considered among the late silent period genuine masterpieces.

For Louise Brooks, her career did not go so well. After her stay in Berlin, she left for Paris, before returning to Hollywood in an attempt to resume her career. Her voice wasn't found well enough, and after starring in several comic book western movies, she had enough, leaving her acting career on the shelf. She moved to New York before reappearing in the film in the 1950s when she moved to Rochester, where George Eastman House's huge movie archive began, and began publishing thorough and well-written articles about the film industry she had been a part of the 1920s."

Louise Brooks presentation at the 92nd Rudolph Valentino Memorial service

On Friday August 23, I will be speaking about Louise Brooks and Rudolph Valentino at the 92nd Rudolph Valentino Memorial service at the historic Hollywood Forever Cemetery (6000 Santa Monica Blvd) in Hollywood, California. I hope those who live in Southern California can make it to this special event. If you can't make it, or live outside the greater Los Angeles area, please note that this event will be broadcast live over Facebook.

During my brief, ten minute presentation, I plan to share some extremely rare material on the subject of Brooks and Valentino - including audio material few if anyone alive has heard. If you are a fan of either Brooks or Valentino (or Gloria Swanson), you won't want to miss it!

At this annual event, fans from all corners of the globe come together to mark the passing of a true talent and film legend. The Valentino Memorial, held each year on August 23rd (beginning at 12:10 p.m., the time of Valentino's death in 1926), is the longest running annual event in Hollywood, pre-dating the Academy Awards. The event is free and open to the public. Arrive early as seats go quickly. For more on this historic event, check out these articles by Allen Ellenberger. And here is a LINK to a Facebook page previewing the memorial from two years ago.

I wish to thank the event's current organizer and master of ceremonies, Tracy Terhune, for inviting me to speak at the event. Not only is Tracy an authority on the life and films of Valentino, but he is also the author of a book on the remarkable history of the memorial, Valentino Forever: The History of the Valentino Memorial Services. It is a fascinating read. I should also add that Tracy is the grandson of Max Terhune, one of the stars of the Three Mesquiteers series of Westerns which included Overland Stage Raiders (1938), Louise Brooks' final film!

Louise Brooks inspired THE CHAPERONE debuts on PBS Masterpiece Prime August 10

While there is still no word on when The Chaperone will show on PBS, word comes that PBS Distribution will begin streaming the Louise Brooks inspired bio-pic on the PBS Masterpiece Prime Video Channel starting August 10.

Based on Laura Moriarty’s bestselling novel of the same name (which we recommend you read), the film reunites the writer (Julian Fellowes), director (Michael Engler) and star (Elizabeth McGovern) of Downton Abbey for an immersive and emotional period piece.

The movie tells the story of the teenage Louise Brooks (Haley Lu Richardson plays the future silent film star), who as a 15-year-old student in Wichita, Kansas earns an opportunity to study with the Denishawn dance troupe in New York; Brooks is accompanied by a local society matron (McGovern) who has her hands full dealing with the precocious teen.

The movie also stars Campbell Scott, Géza Röhrig, Miranda Otto, Robert Fairchild and Blythe Danner. In our humble opinion, Haley Lu Richardson is absolutely terrific in the role of Brooks and deserves an Oscar nomination as Best Supporting Actress.

The subscription rate for PBS Masterpiece is $5.99 per month with an Amazon Prime or Prime Video subscription. The Chaperone will also be streaming in PBS Passport, a digital member benefit available through local stations.

Louise Brooks died on this day in 1985

Louise Brooks died on this day in 1985. Her passing made news around the United States and the world. The most extensive coverage came from the Democrat and Chronicle in Rochester, New York, where Brooks had lived since the late 1950s. There, her death was front page news. LBS friend Jack Garner contributed many articles.

 
Wire service articles appeared in just about every newspaper in the United States, Canada, Australia  and elsewhere the following day. Here are two examples of note.

Obituaries and articles also appeared in Europe, where Brooks' passing was major news. There were even front page articles in newspapers in France, where the actress was a beloved figure. A half-page of articles devoted to Brooks and her film career were printed in the Italian newspaper shown below. As in France, Brooks was also a beloved figure in Italy.

The end.

Louise Brooks and Now We're in the Air in Australia

My previous post wrote up the forthcoming Louise Brooks retrospective at the Melbourne Cinémathèque in Melbourne, Australia (October 23 through November 6). Though I won't be able to be there in person, the Louise Brooks Society will be there "in spirit" in the form of the credits which roll following Now We're in the Air (1927).

"Enduring Modernity: The Transcontinental Career of Louise Brooks" features seven Louise Brooks films, including the recently found surviving fragment of Now We're in the Air. The Louise Brooks Society had a hand in the preservation of the 1927 film, and are so credited in the credits of the preserved fragment.

The Melbourne Cinémathèque screening of Now We're in the Air marks the first time the film has been shown in Australia in nearly 90 years. In fact, as my forthcoming book, Around the World with Louise Brooks documents, one of the last known screenings of the film anywhere in the world took place in southern Australia in the small town of Balaklava in 1932 -- five years after its American release and well into the sound era.

This newspaper advertisement appeared on the front page of April 14, 1932 edition of the Wooroora Producer, a newspaper based in Balaklava and circulating through Port Wakefield, Bowmans, Long Plains, Avon, Erith, Whitwarta, Mount Templeton, Everard Central, Nantawrra, Hamley Bridge, Mallala Stockyard Creek, Barabba, Alma, Owen, Halbury, Hoyleton and other nearby communities in South Australia. It documents what is in all likelihood the last recorded screenings of Now We’re in the Air. This ad is unusual in that it is dated April 16th, informing locals two days in advance of this small community’s once-a-week screening – in this instance two five year old silent films.

It is probably not coincidental that both films being advertised were released by Paramount. Distant from just about everywhere, Balaklava was likely at the end of the distribution line. Nevertheless, as far as I know, this April 16th screening represented the debut of the film in this part of the world. [Similarly, the last documented screening of another of Louise Brooks' 1927 films, the now lost The City Gone Wild, took place in Darwin, Australia in September, 1931.]

The venue, the Balaklava Institute, was the local town hall. The building opened in 1881, and still stands. Here is what it looks like today.

In researching Around the World with Louise Brook, I've found that Louise Brooks' films were popular in Australia. They showed all over the country, including the island state of Tasmania, in towns and cities both large and small.

If you want to learn more about Now We're in the Air, I would recommend the only book on the film, my 2017 book Now We're in the Air. This companion to the once "lost" 1927 Louise Brooks' film tells the story of the film’s making, its reception, and its discovery by film preservationist Robert Byrne. Also considered is the surprising impact this otherwise little known film had on Brooks’ life and career. The book also features two rare fictionalizations of the movie story, more than 75 little seen images, detailed credits, trivia, and a foreword by Byrne. The book is available on Amazon in many countries, including Australia.