Pandora's Box

A recent December release by Criterion, Pandora's Box gets my vote as one of the best reissues of 2006. I have loved this movie since I first saw it in a German Expressionist film class I took back in college in the early 90's. I owned the Kino VHS release, which was considered definitive at the time, then sold it when I converted most of my collection to dvd, expecting it to be released any time. Well, it took 10 years, but it's here, looking better than ever, with a wealth of extras. A late masterpiece of silent cinema, this film, released in 1929, was directed by G.W. Pabst, considered the greatest German director of his time (other notable films: The Threepenny Opera, and Joyless Street, starring the then unknown Greta Garbo). It stars Louise Brooks, an unknown American actress who plays Lulu, a showgirl whose sexual magnetism draws men to their destruction, while maintaining a naive innocence about herself that is sympathetic and tragic. Lulu is having an affair with Dr. Schoen, who is engaged to a woman of his own class. Her father, a vagabond who syphons money from her to continue his gambling addict, comes unexpectedly to visit, and he brings a man (who is waiting outside) to her attention. He works in show business, and he offers her a position as a glamorous showgirl, and she accepts. Dr. Schoen is not pleased, and decides he must marry her to keep her. She accepts, but the wedding is a sham, as her conduct with other men drives him insanely jealous. Confronting one of her rivals with a gun, Lulu intercedes, and in despair, Dr. Schoen forces Lulu to shoot him. Dying, Lulu runs away with the rival. There is a warrent for her arrest, and the two, along with her father, live as fugitives. Meanwhile, Jack the Ripper is terrorizing the city with his murders. He meets Lulu on the street -- Lulu offers herself to him, her body the only means to make some money for them to survive. Her lover has degenerated to a shell of a man, her father not good for anything other than gambling. Even though Jack has no money, she takes to him, and leads him to her bed. After being torn between salvation and damnnation, Jack opts for the latter as his insane need to kill takes over, and he slays Lulu. The lover and the father are left out in the rain, only to discover the crime later and manage to pursue and capture the killer.

The plot was unlike anything during the 1920's -- the sexuality and violence brought forth to the forefront, even though there was no nudity nor gore shown. Louise Brooks has a career defining role as Lulu, one of the immortal roles of film actually. Her look and haircut define the times, and her look is still copied today. The film has never looked better - Criterion has doen another top notch job of restoration. They make the unusual offering of four different soundtracks -- I watched it with the most recent orchestration, and it works perfectly with the film. There is also a thick booklet with interviews and an article written by Louise Brooks, as well as a bonus disc featuring interviews and several documentaries about the film and its influence, and about Brooks. One of the classics of cinema and a mandatory purchase for film enthusiasts. Highly recommended!