Released in 1929, Pandora’s Box is the story of the cabaret dancer, Lulu, whose sexual allure and manipulative powers, combined with a childlike innocence, lead to tragic consequences for herself and others. Like the Pandora of Greek mythology, the amoral yet naïve, young woman releases misfortune and evil that cannot be undone.
Contemporary Reviews of the Film
Critics on both sides of the Atlantic were mixed in their reactions to the film. Despite initial resentment toward an American actress being given the lead role, German reviewers generally liked it. French and American critics condemned the movie’s decadent story. To appease these critics, a different ending wherein Lulu does not die but is saved by the Salvation Army (!) was added to some versions.
American critics were not always kind to Louise Brooks’ performance either. A critic for Variety (March 6, 1929) wrote, "[The actress]…..did not pan out…..She is quite unsuited to the vamp type which was called for…..” and the New York Herald Tribune (December 3, 1929) opined, “Miss Brooks doesn't seem to have improved [her acting abilities] since her departure [to Germany]."
Despite these hasty and undeserved comments, Brooks' performance is the main reason why Pandora’s Box is considered a classic today. Without it, the movie would be best remembered, if at all, for being what it really is: A soap opera melodrama with an unbelievable plot and scenes that often drag on too long.
Louise Brooks in a Lifetime Performance
Director Georg Wilhelm Pabst had a talent for discovering actresses – Greta Garbo for one – and bringing out the best in them. And, he saw in Brooks a relatively obscure American actress and former Ziegfield Follies’ dancer, his ideal Lulu. The actress, with her page boy haircut accenting her beauty, had a natural persona that combined a graceful sexuality with a hint of innocence. It was the perfect combination for the role.
Lulu is an enigmatic character. She uses men to maintain her hedonistic lifestyle in Weimar Berlin with tragic results. She tricks her benefactor and lover, the wealthy publisher Ludwig Schön (Fritz Kortner), into being trapped in a compromising situation that forces him to forsake his fiancé and marry Lulu. Tragedy ensues on their wedding night when an enraged Schön is accidentally shot by Lulu during a struggle.
Lulu escapes during the resultant trial with the help of the lecherous and disgusting Schigolch (Carl Goetz) – who may be her father or a former lover, the movie lets the viewer decide – and then uses Schön’s son, Alwa, who is in love with Lulu, and a lesbian admirer (Alice Roberts) to escape first to a seedy gambling ship off the coast of France and then to the London slums where she meets her final fate.
Still, despite her self-absorbed nature, Lulu is not your typical femme fatale because she is a woman who is also both compassionate and naïve. Brooks is able to convince the viewer that Lulu truly does not understand the relationship between her actions and their consequences. Showing his directorial skills, Pabst emphasizes this naiveté, natural to Brooks, by frequently photographing her in angelic soft focus close-ups. In the courtroom scenes, he uses symbolism by dressing her in widow’s weeds that resemble a nun’s habit.
Lulu’s compassion is best shown in the closing scenes. Forced to live in a dreary, drafty London flat with Schigolch and an ailing Alwa, Lulu turns to prostitution in order to get food for the two men who she seems to truly love. Unfortunately, she chooses as her first client a mentally troubled man. Although he informs her that he has no money, he is nevertheless invited to the flat where Lulu shows him kindness and pity, not knowing that he is a serial killer.
Could the Role Have Been Done by Others?
It is hard to imagine anyone but Louise Brooks in the role. Garbo or Marlene Dietrich, who almost signed for the part, lacked the aura of innocence that Brooks had. Among American actresses, budding stars Clara Bow and Joan Crawford could not have pulled it off. Bow lacked the sexuality and Crawford, even early in her career, had a hard edge. No other possibilities even come to mind.
In hindsight there could be only one Lulu and that was Brooks.The most simple but accurate evaluation of her performance may be that of movie critic Roger Ebert: “This synopsis [of Pandora’s Box] could apply equally to a great or a laughable film. Brooks makes it a great one."
Louise Brooks would make one more movie for G. W. Pabst in Germany, Diary of a Lost Girl (1929), and one in France, Beauty Prize (1930), before returning to Hollywood where she had always been considered a rebel. Her last movie was the John Wayne “B’ western Overland Stage Raiders (1938). Then, both she and Pandora’s Box faded into obscurity for several decades before being “re-discovered” in the late 1950s.
- Cast: Louise Brooks, Fritz Kortner, Francis Lederer, Carl Goetz, Alice Roberts
- Director: G. W. Pabst
- Screenplay: Ladislaus Vajda (scenario), based on the plays of Frank Wedekind
- Studio/Release Date: Nero-Film, 1929
- Runtime: 131 minutes (original version)
Grade 4/5
John K. Davis - John is a retired teacher/librarian and has also been doing freelance writing since the late 1970s. Over this period of time, he has had ...
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