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
In my ongoing research, I come across all sorts of material which is a
little odd or unusual, and sometimes entertaining. Here is something I
found a few days ago. The two images come from a Japanese film magazine and date from late 1929. Can anyone translate the text? I realize the images are a little rough, but this is the best quality available of these incredibly rare finds.
I am assuming that Brooks, and Pabst and Brooks, posed especially for these pictures in order to send a message to their Japanese fans. At least that is the way it looks to me. Brooks is even smiling in the right hand images, as if it were all a joke. The source of these images, and their context, will be revealed at a later date.
Might the chalkboards spell out their names? Or something else?
In my ongoing research, I come across all sorts of material which is a little odd or unusual, and sometimes entertaining. Here is something I found about a week ago ago. It is a bunch of reviews of a bunch of films, including A Social Celebrity, starring Adolphe Menjou and Louise Brooks. This piece is special because it appeared in a student publication, the UniversityHatchet, from George Washington University. A Social Celebrity is the last film reviewed. Apparently, Joe D. Walstrom liked Brooks. He said, "The girl, Louise Brooks, is a dazzling creature recently of the Follies. She's a brunette, and will make some people think twice before they accept the maxim of Anita Loos that Gentlemen Prefer Nordics."
In my ongoing research, I come across all sorts of material which is a little odd or unusual, and sometimes entertaining. Here is something I found a few days ago. It is the first clipping I have found / have been able to find from the Philippines! The article, "Una estrella olvidada," talks about Louise Brooks as a forgotten star. Interestingly, the article mentions both Pandora's Box and Prix de Beaute. The article dates from May, 1932. The publication, Voz Espanola, is from Manila.
In my ongoing research, I come across all sorts of material which is a little odd or unusual, and sometimes entertaining. Here is something I found a few days ago. It is a mention of Louise Brooks and Pandora's Box in a 1943 Nazi publication, Kladderadatsch, filled with anti-Jewish and anti-American propaganda. The best I can tell, Pandora's Box is referenced in the service of a joke.
See the short piece below titled "Der Jagdfilm." It reads:
"Lange bevor man beschloss, Wedekinds Buchse der Pandora mit Louise Brooks zu drehen, kam ein Schriftsteller zu einem Munchner Filmproduzenten und sagte: 'Herr Direktor, ich habe eine ausgezeichnete Idee. Konnte man nicht mal Die Buchse der Pandora verfilmen?'
Der grosse Filmmann sah ihn an, wiegte den Kopf him und her, dann meinte er: Buchse der Pandora? Garnicht schlecht. Jagdfilme gehen bei uns in Baiern immer!"
If anyone can offer a translation or interpretation of this piece, it would appreciated.
I also found a couple of Charlie Chaplin cartoons in this issue of Kladderadatsch. Here is one of them. It is an anti-Chaplin cartoon, with the punchline being "Charlie Chaplin cannot sit idly by as his double go off to war."
Here is the other, a two page spread. I am not sure what it is about, but it seems anti-Semitic. (Chaplin, who was anti-Nazi, was said to be Jewish by Nazi propagandists.)
In my ongoing research, I come across all sorts of material which is a little odd or unusual, and sometimes entertaining. Here is something I found a few days ago. It is a humorous piece from the April, 1928 issue of Amateur Movie Maker. Louise Brooks figures as part of a running joke from the pen of Creighton Peet. The piece, a kind of column, is title "Film Flam." If this bit of humorous daydreaming seems a little New Yorker, you have good sense. Peet contributed to the New Yorker in the 30's, 40s, and 50's.
In my ongoing research, I come across all sorts of material which is a little odd or unusual, and sometimes entertaining. Here is something I found two days ago. It is a rare 1931 issue of Inside Facts of the Stage and Screen, which touted itself as the "Only Theatrical Newspaper on the Pacific Coast." I am pretty familiar with the various film publications of the time, and have even gone through regional trade publications like Weekly Film Review out of Atlanta, George and Detroit Saturday Night out of the Motor City, BUT, had never heard of this one!
This particular issue ran a review of the 1931 William Wellman film, The Public Enemy, which lists Louise Brooks among the "fem members" appearing in the film. She didn't, of course. Inside Facts of the Stage and Screen wasn't the only publication to make this mistake. It was a mistaken credit that lingered for years, even making its way into film reference books. Years later, in 1965, Brooks wrote"What happened was that William Wellman had offered me a part in Public Enemy and I turned it down to go to New York. But the advance publicity had gone out with my name in the cast (the part Wellman then gave to Jean Harlow), so when people see an extra girl walk through a scene with a black bob and bangs, they say 'There is Brooks'."
In my ongoing research, I come across all sorts of material which is a little odd or unusual, and sometimes entertaining. Here is something I found yesterday. It is a couple of pages from a 2004 Arabic publication possibly about beauty and film culture. If anyone can help translate the text shown below, I would appreciate it.
In my ongoing research, I come across all sorts of material which is a little odd or unusual, and sometimes entertaining. Here is something I found yesterday. It is a page from The Oak Leaf, a 1929 high school year book from the Hugh Morson High School in Raleigh, North Carolina. I flipped through its pages, and I found it to be a typical high school year book, filled with portraits, a class poem, school history, bits of humor and the like.
What caught my eye was a reference to the silent film star Louise Brooks by Hazel McDonald, the "class prophet." In a two page spread, McDonald predicted the future's of various students, not doubt based on some characteristic of the student. One, she predicted, would become an opera singer, one a pianist, one a veterinarian, one the heavy weight boxing champion, one a race car driver, etc.... It is the sort of thing one might find in other yearbooks, and perhaps even your own.
McDonald predicted another classmate, named Louise Bridges, would find film stardom, writing "Last of all I saw Louise Bridges, who had taken Louise Brooks' place on the screen." (See the second from last line on page two of the "Class Prophecy" shown below.) This shout-out shows Brooks had a certain currency among high school students of the time.
That currency got me wondering. Why would McDonald had made such a particular prediction for this particular student. They were friends, apparently, and both were members of the Morson Literary Society as well as the school's Dramatic Club. But, did Louise Bridges share some trait with Louise Brooks, besides the same first name? Did Bridges and Brooks look-alike? Flipping through the yearbook, I found that a number of the girls wore bobbed hair, though Bridges' bob was closest to the style worn by Brooks, or Colleen Moore, another popular screen star. Bridges was pretty, like Brooks, and somewhat resembles the actress, in my opinion.
I also found the class prophet, Hazel McDonald, to have a rather interesting look, sporting a fashionable Eton Crop--unusual perhaps for a high school student for the time from the American south. I don't know what happened to either of these students, whether Louise became an actress, or whether Hazel became a writer, but each seemed to be pretty cool kids.
Hazel McDonald -
"I grow in with and worth and sense"
Lost Creatures, a new play about Louise Brooks by Melissa McCarl, will be staged for the first time in Denver, Colorado on November 3, 2016. (A public reading of the play was given last year.) Here are the details about this exciting new project.
WORLD PREMIERE --Thursday, November 3 at 7:30 PMMDT The play runs November 3rd through the 19th, 2016 Directed by Patrick Elkins-Zeglarski Starring Billie McBride, Mark Collins and Annabel Reader
About the play: Lost Creatures follows the evening in May of 1978 when British theatre
critic Kenneth Tynan met his long time cinematic idol Louise Brooks. He
travels to her dingy little apartment in Rochester, NY where she has
sequestered herself for many years. He is there ostensibly to write a
profile on Brooks for the New Yorker, but he discovers that they are
kindred spirits, and in spite of an age gap of twenty years, theirs
becomes an unlikely love story discovered through a marathon dialogue
about sex, philosophy, art, and criticism. There is also a silent third
character, Lulu, (based on Louise’s role in her most famous silent film
Pandora’s Box) who drives the action of the play.
Venue: The Commons on Champa, 3rd Floor Studio, 1245 Champa Street Support provided by The Next Stage NOW
About Melissa McCarl: Author of Painted Bread, a full-length play named Best New Work by the
Denver Post, about the tumultuous life of Frida Kahlo (recently produced
by the Aurora Fox.) Commissioned by the Mizel Arts Center to write
Poignant Irritations, celebrating the unorthodox life and love of
Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas. Commissioned by the Curious Theatre
Company to write for the War Anthology directed by Bonnie Metzgar of
the Public Theatre. Winner of the Steven Dietz award for the one act
Carlene Yakkin’. Melissa has been named best local playwright by
Westword newspaper and the Denver Post.
The 1929 Louise Brooks' film, Diary of a Lost Girl, will be shown tonight in Chicago. The film will be shown at the Music Box Theater (3733 N Southport Ave, Chicago, IL 60613) and will feature a live musical score on the Music Box organ by Dennis Scott, Music Box House Organist. More information can be found HERE.
Parking near the Music Box is limited. Parking availability may be scarce on days when the Chicago Cubs play home games. Public transportation or taxis are recommended on these dates. Please check the Chicago Cubs schedule for home game dates.
Diary of a Lost Girl
A FILM BY: Georg Wilhelm Pabst
STARRING: Louise Brooks, Josef Rovenský, Fritz Rasp
Thymiane is a beautiful young girl who is not having a storybook life. Her governess, Elizabeth, is thrown out of her home when she is pregnant, only to be later found drown.
That same day, her father already has a new governess named Meta. Meinert, downstairs druggist, takes advance of her and gets Thymiane pregnant. When she refuses to marry, her baby is taken from her and she is put into a strict girls reform school. When Count Osdorff is unable to get the family to take her back, he waits for her to escape. She escapes with a friend and the friend goes with the Count while she goes to see her baby. Thymiane finds that her baby is dead, and the Count has put both girls up at a brothel. When her father dies, Thymiane marries the Count and becomes a Countess, but her past and her hatred of Meta will come back to her.
See the film, then why not read the infamous book it was based on? And better yet, why not pick up the recently released DVD or Blu-ray from KINO?
For those who might have missed the live broadcast comes this welcome news....
From the Nonesuch website: "Nonesuch Records releases the Metropolitan Opera's performance of Alban Berg's Lulu on
Blu-ray and DVD together in one package on October 28, 2016. The Met's
new production, directed by acclaimed South African visual artist
William Kentridge, premiered in 2015 and starred Marlis Petersen in her
final performances as Lulu, a role she has made "hers and almost hers
alone" (Opera News) in ten different productions over eighteen years. The New York Times called it "a stunning and searing production." Lulu was recorded and broadcast live in movie theaters around the world as part of The Met: Live in HD on November 21, 2015. The Lulu Blu-ray/DVD may be pre-ordered now from the Nonesuch Store. You can watch the Met's trailer for the production below.
Kentridge received acclaim for his previous work at the Met directing the company premiere of Dmitri Shostakovich's The Nose in 2010. This new Lulu,
conducted by Lothar Koenigs, featured Susan Graham as the Countess
Geschwitz, Daniel Brenna as Alwa, Paul Groves as The Painter/African
Prince, Johan Reuter as Dr. Schön/Jack the Ripper, and Franz Grundheber
as Schigolch. Lulu's production team included co-director Luc
De Wit, set designer Sabine Theunissen, costume designer Greta Goiris,
lighting designer Urs Schönebaum, and projection designer Catherine
Meyburgh, all of whom also worked on The Nose.
Berg's monumental opera, which he left unfinished when he died in
1935, had its posthumous premiere in its incomplete version in 1937,
with the three-act version that has become standard premiering in 1979.
The opera tells the tragic story of a young woman who, as a victim of a
harsh society, torments a series of men by whom she is objectified,
desired, abused, and eventually killed. "She's ungraspable, and a
fantastic white canvas for the men to put their ideas on," says Petersen
about her character, in an interview with Graham.
Berg adapted the libretto from Frank Wedekind's two Lulu plays, Erdgeist (Earth Spirit, 1895) and Die Büchse der Pandora (Pandora's
Box, 1904). He wrote the music using the 12-tone style conceived of his
teacher, Arnold Schönberg, but with a nod to Romanticism that makes it
unusually accessible for something written by a Schönberg disciple.
"Berg made it very tonal, actually, for us and also for the ears of the
audience," says Petersen. "You don't hear the 12-tone music."
"Lulu is one of the great operas of the 20th century," says Kentridge, speaking on video
about the production. "It's an opera that's about the fragility or the
possibility or the fragmentation of desire…Ink is the primary medium of
the production. Essentially [it's] the vehemence of a black brushstroke…
trying to find some equivalent, visually, to the violence of the
opera."
Kentridge's production will be presented at English National Opera in November 2016; for tickets, visit eno.org.
The Kentridge staging of Berg's Lulu was a big deal last year in New York City. Check out this Huffington Post piece, "Lulu-mania Sweeps New York City."
A recently published historical crime thriller has come to my attention. It is titled Babylon Berlin, and its by Volker Kutscher. (The book was published in May by Sandstone Press.) And, it features Louise Brooks on the cover. I haven't had a chance to get a hold of a copy, and don't know if Brooks figures in the story, but here's a little about the book. From what I gather, the series is to be filmed for television in England, Germany and possibly elsewhere.
From the publisher: "Berlin, 1929. Detective Inspector Rath, was a successful career officer
in the Cologne Homicide Division before a shooting incident in which he
inadvertently killed a man. He has been transferred to the Vice Squad in
Berlin, a job he detests, even though he finds a new friend in his
boss, Chief Inspector Wolter. There is seething unrest in the city and
the Commissioner of Police has ordered the Vice Squad to ruthlessly
enforce the ban on May Day demonstrations. The result is catastrophic
with many dead and injured, and a state of emergency is declared in the
Communist strongholds of the city. When a car is hauled out of Berlin's
Landwehr Canal with a mutilated corpse inside the Commissioner decides
to use this mystery to divert the attention of press and public from the
casualties of the demonstrations. The biggest problem is that the
corpse cannot be identified."
About the author: "Volker Kutscher was born in 1962. He studied German, Philosophy and History, and worked as a newspaper editor prior to writing his first detective novel. Babylon Berlin, the start of an award-winning series of novels to feature Gereon Rath and his exploits in late Weimar Republic Berlin, was an instant hit in Germany. Since then, a further four titles have appeared, most recently Märzgefallene in 2014. The series was awarded the Berlin Krimi-Fuchs Crime Writers Prize in 2011 and has sold over one million copies worldwide. Volker Kutscher works as a full-time author and lives in Cologne. " Read an interview with the author HERE.
"Babylon Berlin is a stunning novel that superbly evokes Twenties
Germany in its seedy splendor. An impressive new crime series." - Sarah
Ward, author of In Bitter Chill
"Kutscher successfully conjures up
the dangerous decadence of the Weimar years, with blood on the Berlin
streets and the Nazis lurking menacingly in the wings." - Sunday Times
"Gripping evocative thriller set in Berlin's seedy underworld during the
roaring Twenties. A massive hit in its native Germany, Volker
Kutscher's series, centered on Detective Inspector Gereon Rath, is
currently being filmed for television." - Mail on Sunday
"The best German
crime novel of the year!' - Bucher
"Kutscher's undertaking to portray
the downfall of the Weimar Republic through the medium of detective
fiction is both ambitious and utterly convincing. Let's hope it receives
the attention it deserves." - Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
"With his
detective novel Babylon Berlin, Volker Kutscher has succeeded in
creating an opulent portrait of manners." - Der Spiegel
"Has all the
allure of an addictive drug: you won't be able to put it down until
you've read to the end." Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
"A highly
readable piece of crime fiction set against a politico-historical
background." - Osterreichischer Rundfunk
Here is a GoFundMe campaign that should appeal to every silent film fan. I made a contribution. How about you? Find out more by visiting HERE.
From the GoFundMe page: "According to a report by the Library of Congress, 70% of all Hollywood
silent film features made between 1912-1929 no longer exist, and today,
in 2016, we find that all but two performers from that era are gone. In
addition to actress-turned-film history Diana Serra Cary, whose “Baby
Peggy” was one of the top box office draws in the 1920s, there is also
the equally remarkable, though lesser known actress, Lassie Lou Ahern.
Having just turned 96-years young, she was a versatile child star who
was discovered at the age of 18 months by Will Rogers. Almost
immediately, she worked with some of the biggest names in the movie
world -- "Our Gang", Charley Chase, Ronald Colman, Helen Holmes,
Virginia Davis, and Mary Philbin -- as well as appeared in some of the
leading productions of the 1920s (above all, the $2 million epic "Uncle
Tom’s Cabin"). A print of her last silent film, "Little Mickey Grogan"
(1927), survives in the Lobster Films archive in Paris. Lobster Films
founder and CEO, Serge Bromberg, has recently consented that a full
restoration of the film be done; upon completion, moreover, "Little Mickey Grogan" will be added as a title for purchase within the celebrated Lobster catalog.
Made by FBO before financier Joseph Kennedy sold the studio to RKO in 1928/1929, "Little Mickey Grogan" is
a 60-minute feature centered on a pair of street children (Frankie
Darro and Ahern) who are taken in by a generous woman (Jobyna Ralston),
as they, in turn, try to help a penniless blind architect (Carroll Nye)
recover his sight. Meanwhile, when not dodging the police, they put on
lively street shows with "Our Gang" regular Ernest “Sunshine Sammy”
Morrison, allowing the young stars to showcase their accomplished dance
and acrobatic skills with infectious dynamism and zest.
A number
of important aspects related to the film make it worth saving. Besides
the idea of rescuing a silent film that would otherwise not be restored,
they include the fact that it comes from a minor studio (FBO) from
which few movies survive today. In addition, it marked the first time in
which Frankie Darro, an actor whose career would continue to the 1970s,
was given the opportunity to star in a picture where he quickly emerged
as one of the studio’s top draws.
In addition, the work of co-writer
Dorothy Yost, one of many female scriptwriters of the silent era, has
been the object of feminist analysis, as evidenced by her inclusion in
the valuable Women Film Pioneers Project. Historically and culturally,
too, the appearance of Ernest Morrison, the first African-American
performer ever to land a contract in Hollywood, adds further value,
especially because it was one of the rare occasions during the silent
era in which he acted in a role that was not part of the Our Gang
franchise. Finally, there’s the unique situation in which the film’s
lead female performer, Lassie Lou Ahern, is still with us, and would dearly love to see "Little Mickey Grogan" restored before she passes.
In
March, 2015, there was a successful GoFundMe campaign to raise money to
obtain a digital copy of the print from Paris, as well as to pay an
entertainment lawyer to do due diligence in determining the holder of
the film’s copyright. Forty-nine individuals contributed $1,610 toward
these ends. In this second, and final, crowdsourcing campaign, monies
will be raised to complete the restoration in every aspect, including a
planned screening of the film at Pordenone in Fall, 2017."
The UK premiere of the restored silent version of the 1930 Louise Brooks film, Prix de beauté, will be shown (in 35 mm) at the Kennington Biograph / Cinema Museum in London on November 1st. This special screening, part of "Silent to Sound in Europe," is an event not to be missed! More information may be found HERE.
According to the Kennington Biograph webpage, "This event is presented in conjunction with the AHRC-funded project ‘British Silent Cinema and the Transition to Sound’. Using clips from British, French and German films,
historian Geoff Brown investigates the turbulent European scene in the
period of transition, 1929/1930. Studios struggled to shift from silent feature
production to films that talked, sang, and made noises. Britain briefly
won the technological advantage, but which country used the technology
most imaginatively? The feature in the second half will be the
UK premier of the original restored silent version of Prix de Beauté
(1930), featuring Louise Brooks, courtesy of Cineteca Bologna. Doors open at 18.30, for a 19.30 start. Refreshments will be available in our licensed cafe/bar."
Prix de beauté was, in fact, one of the very first French sound films, and not without reason, music and sound are recurring thematic, visual and auditory motifs in the film.
The 1929 Louise Brooks' film, Diary of a Lost Girl, will be shown in Chicago one week from today on October 13th. The film will be shown at the Music Box Theater and will feature a live musical score on the Music Box organ by Dennis Scott, Music Box House Organist. More information can be found HERE.
Parking near the Music Box is limited. Parking availability may be
scarce on days when the Chicago Cubs play home games. Public
transportation or taxis are recommended on these dates. Please check the
Chicago Cubs schedule for home game dates.
Diary of a Lost Girl
A FILM BY: Georg Wilhelm Pabst
STARRING: Louise Brooks, Josef Rovenský, Fritz Rasp
Thymiane is a beautiful young girl who is not having a storybook life. Her governess, Elizabeth, is thrown out of her home when she is pregnant, only to be later found drown. That same day, her father already has a new governess named Meta. Meinert, downstairs druggist, takes advance of her and gets Thymiane pregnant. When she refuses to marry, her baby is taken from her and she is put into a strict girls reform school. When Count Osdorff is unable to get the family to take her back, he waits for her to escape. She escapes with a friend and the friend goes with the Count while she goes to see her baby. Thymiane finds that her baby is dead, and the Count has put both girls up at a brothel. When her father dies, Thymiane marries the Count and becomes a Countess, but her past and her hatred of Meta will come back to her.
See the film, then why not read the infamous book it was based on? And better yet, why not pick up the recently released DVD or Blu-ray from KINO?
Happy birthday to Buster Keaton, who was born on this day in 1895 in Piqua, Kansas. The great comedian was held in high esteem by fellow Kansas native, Louise Brooks. She once said,
"Since childhood I have thought Buster Keaton's the most beautiful face of any man I have ever seen." To celebrate, here are four rare pages from a 1928 Japanese film magazine.
I am continuing to explore the presence of Louise Brooks and her films abroad. And recently, I came across some material in a vintage Japanese movie magazine. The first image clearly names Louise Brooks, but I am wondering what it says about the actress. Can anyone translate of give a rough idea of what it says? It dates from 1928.
I also came across this bit from late 1928, which mentions Pandora's Box. Can anyone translate of give a rough idea of what it says?
This 1928 clipping caught my eye because it apparently depicts Ayn Rand. I don't have any interest in Rand, but am curious to know what this clipping says. I do know that Rand saw The American Venus while still living in the Soviet Union. Can anyone translate of give a rough idea of what it says? Thank you to anyone who can help.
Pandora's Box (1929), starring Louise Brooks, will be shown on October 13th at 7:00 pm at the Madison Theater in Albany, New York as part of a series put on by the Pine Hills Film Colony. Each film will be introduced by Michael Butler and a special guest through a fun 'talk-show' like chat. Call 518-729-4957 or email Michael Butler lvnp@nycap.rr.com for more information. Additional details HERE.
Louise Brooks is the cover girl for the celebration of the 30th anniversary of the IL CINEMA RITROVATO de Bologne. For more information please visit THIS LINK. The celebration runs through October 18, 2016.
According to the IL CINEMA RITROVATO website: "Il Cinema Ritrovato is turning thirty this year. It’s been thirty long and yet fast years: memories of our first pioneering editions, when brave film archivists would bring their treasures to our historic, single-screen Lumière theater, are still fresh in our mind. Today it takes five screens to show all the films and Piazza Maggiore can hardly contain our increasingly international, enthusiastic and knowledgeable audience. We want to celebrate our festival with all the love and warmth it deserves, and toast with gratitude to all those who contributed to make Il Cinema Ritrovato grow so rapidly and impetuously and to be recognized and cherished around the world. And so we will celebrate, in every theater with all the archivists, critics, historians, artists, film-lovers and friends who will join us to present their work, share experiences and simply watch films. We will celebrate with our time-machine journey, back to 1896 and from there across the entire 20th century; and with a space machine that will take us on a journey across European, Latin-American, US, Asian and African films. This year’s edition will be full of certainties and surprises: eight days of screenings in five theaters, from morning till night; eight nights in the world’s most extraordinary cinema in the world, Piazza Maggiore, and three in the magic intimacy of Piazzetta Pasolini; over four hundred films and twenty programs; over a hundred and fifty silent films with live music accompaniment and talented composers."
A continuation of yesterday's post... I was recently looking through a Latvian film magazine, and found some Louise Brooks and silent film star related material. All of it dates circa 1927 to 1929. Here are a couple of fantastic magazine covers featuring Fritz Lang and Sally Phipps. I especially like the caricatures.
I was recently looking through a Latvian film magazine, and found some Louise Brooks and silent film star related material. All of it dates circa 1927 to 1929. Here are a couple of images of Brooks, followed by some nifty magazine covers. The first image, with the poem, is a full page in the original. Can anyone translate the poem? The second image is from A Girl in Every Port, followed by covers featuring Clara Bow and Esther Ralston. [I will post some even more spectacular silent film magazine covers tomorrow.]
Friday, September 23 at 7:30 pm at the Stanford Theater. Silent, with Dennis James at the organ.
Taken from plays by Frank Wedekind, here is one of the greatest of silent films, and a seminal step in the history of the femme fatale. The Viennese director, G.W. Pabst, hired Louise Brooks away from Paramount to be Lulu, the fierce life force, dancing her way through a gallery of feeble men on her way to a meeting with Jack the Ripper. The film is loaded with Freudian insight into self-destructive behavior, but Brooks delivers a performance that remains a landmark in terms of emotional and sexual energy. Her acting career was soon over, but Lulu endures, a challenging model of cinematic seduction.—David Thomson
Here is some information about the upcoming Buster Keaton Festival in Iola, Kansas. Visit the Buster Keaton Celebration website for further details.
And here is a little something fans of Buster Keaton (the other great silent film star from Kansas) might enjoy, a two page spread from a 1927 Japanese film magazine.
The original Lassie (picture above) was a clever canine screen actress who appeared in The Street of Forgotten Men (1925), directed by Herbert Brenon. In the film, she is killed by Bridegport White-Eye (picture above), the fake blind beggar played by John Harrington, whose moll was played by Louise Brooks. According to the article below, this canine Lassie (a bull terrier-cocker spaniel mix which predated the more famous Collie) was something of a star in her day, earning $15,000 a year.
As noted in the article above, "It is said that the death of Lassie in The Street of Forgotten Men was so impressive that persons were convinced that she must have been cruelly beaten." And that individuals and Societies for the Prevention of the Cruelty to Animals
wrote protesting against what they supposed to
be cruelty to the canine star. How was the animal's death in The Street of Forgotten Men so effectively filmed by Hal Rosson? The answer can be found the the clipping below.
In the still shown below, The Street of Forgotten Men star Percy Marmont holds the dying Lassie in his arms as denizens of the Bowery's look on. Wooden barrels be damned.
Thought not credited in the film, Lassie still managed to find her way into at least a few newspaper advertisements promoting The Street of Forgotten Men. Here is an example from Mexico, where the film was shown under the title La calle del olvido.
