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This is not my personal thought (I pick F. W. Murnau’s FAUST) but it is the general consensus regarding this groundbreaking adult film which made a camouflage icon out of Louise Brooks and assured G.W. Pabst his residence in cinema history. The movie is based on two plays (EARTH SPIRIT and PANDORA’S BOX) by controversial German playwright Frank Wedekind who wrote them at the dawn of the 20th Century with the deliberate intent of repugnant his middle class audience by talking bluntly about the consequences of sex, violence, and hypocrisy. Austrian composer Alban Berg would later spend them as the source of his unfinished opera LULU.
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G.W. Pabst already had a reputation as a director of German neo-realism thanks to the 1925 Greta Garbo film THE JOYLESS STREET (influenced by D.W. Griffith’s ISN’T LIFE Unbelievable of 1924) . In the sound era he would perform the film version of THE THREEPENNY OPERA (1931) . PANDORA’S BOX mixes realism and German expressionism in equal amounts to assure the chronicle of a naive dancer/prostitute and the tragedy she brings to everyone who tries to become halt to her. It’s wonderful how Pabst saw something in Louise Brooks that no one else did and then brought it out so effectively onscreen. From the performances to the lighting, the editing and the camerawork, to the relentlessly downbeat mood, PANDORA’S BOX is a moral landmark of the cinema (soundless and sound) that anyone seriously eager in film should experience.
Finally available in the U.S. on DVD, this Criterion 2 disc site is all that you could ask for. The print for its age (1928) looks grand and you net the choice of 4 different background scores which expose how vital music is to soundless cinema. Each one makes it a different viewing experience. My personal approved is Discover Ruben’s original orchestral come by although you also gain classical, cabaret, and piano to resolve from. It also comes with 2 documentaries on Louise Brooks, informed commentary, and a 90 page booklet. Now that’s the plot to treat a cinema classic!
I recently received my copy of the newly released version of “Pandora’s Box” from Criterion and I can honestly say you this is my vote for THE best release of 2006,bar none!!
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To open with impartial picking this state up is impressive in itself!It comes in a gorgeous light and sad gray cardboard trek case almost an stride thick and inside it contains a two disk site absolutely loaded with fantastic and unexpectedly surprising extras AND a thick booklet!
The two disc spot itself has the nice light and dim gray theme carried on for IT’S covering.When you poke the DVD into your player the hide gives you the usual surround and stereo audio options.However it also gives you your rob of FOUR(yes FOUR!!) different scores in which to settle from when viewing the movie.This is totally unprecedented in my experience.The scores are piano,orchestral(an approximation of what the slack 20s European theater goer might have experienced),cabaret(a light and whimsical itsy-bitsy band style) and original orchestral.All these choices are absolutely unbelievable but my favourite is the piano.However honest having these options in the first space helps position this collection true at the top of the heap.
And if this wasn’t enough film studies professor T.Elaessan and author Mary Ann Doanne together offer up a nice and very informative optional commentary on the film….one which I recommend at some point you give a listen to.And things don’t halt there my friends!!
Two astonishing documentaries are also included.First is one I had heard of but had never seen called “Lulu in Berlin” produced serve in 1984 by Richard Leacock and Susan Woll.It’s a delicious film and mainly revolves around an interview of Louise in her home in Rochester,N.Y. a few years earlier.This comes in at around 48 minutes.
The other documentary is one that many Brooks fans will know that has approach and gone on both DVD and VHS called “Louise Brooks:Looking for Lulu”.That’s factual the self same documentary made by Hugh Hefner benefit in 1998 with commentary by Shirley MacLaine!!!This finishes in at about 60 minutes.
If this hasn’t assign you flat on your befriend by now I’m going to carry out the coup de’gras.There are also two other interviews included here.One is with Richard Leacock the co-producer of “Lulu in Berlin” and the other with G.W.Pabsts’ son Michael.Criterion went encourage about a year ago and interviewed these two unbiased for this upcoming collection!
Next is the extraordinary and beautifully move 98 page(from inside mask to inside hide) booklet.The booklet contains information relative to the movie plus three desirable articles.The first is by Village Order film critic J.Hoberman,the second a reprint of Kenneth Tynans’article on Brooks “The Girl in the Sunless Helmet” first published in “Peek and Sound” magazine in June/79 and lastly Louises’ believe portion titled “Pabst and Lulu” taken from her acquire book “Lulu in Hollywood”.The booklet throughout is lavishly illustrated.A huge primer for the novice or a big read for the seasoned Brooksie fans!
The only soft station in this entire release is on the techincal side.Even though it could be considered minor or “picky” by some I judge in all fairness it should be brought to your attention.The print itself I don’t mediate is quite as safe as it could have been.It is a composite print from the Munich Film Museum/Pabst Collection who’s two main sources seem to be Nero and Janus films.When I saw Janus appear on the cover my heart sank because I have never known Janus to release anything but severely slashed and outrageous product.In fact the 1986 VHS release by Embassy was a Janus print and it came in at about 110 minutes.
The blurb in the included booklet reveals honest a minute share of the restoration process on the print which included removing dust and dirt but that’s about all.It’s a shame the same care that was lavished on Kinos’ “Metropolis” release(search for my review on that) wasn’t extended to this one because it would certainly have made a dissimilarity.While this print does indicate its’ age with the usual scratches and streaks evident in many films of this era(maybe a bit more than I’d like!) the most disappointing defect however is the recurring pickle of the film going in and out of focus periodically.This is usually a notice of film shrinkage and its’ uneven traversing during processing.I have only seen prints of this film like this and was hoping that this release would somehow reach from another edifying source which would have no such pickle.While the Munich Museum doesn’t seem to have such a print in its’ hands it certainly doesn’t totally rule out its’ existence.Having said that however I must admit that they certainly did the best they could with what they did have on hand and they have also released the longest print of Pandoras Box I have ever seen which comes in at two hours and 11 minutes!! All inter-titles are in German with English sub-titles.
In conclusion Criterion,as usual,has gone the extra mile and delivered a product everyone at every level of its’ impart can be proud of.The above mentioned technical flaw aside this release is to me without doubt the BEST release of 2006.This is a higher priced status to be definite as are most of Criterions’ products but you can be distinct that a Criterion product is a good product and with all the extras you are getting in this release in many ways it is a grasp.And it is a release that no serious collector should be without!
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