PANDORA’S BOX – director: G.W. Pabst; starring: Louise Brooks

Much has been said about the iconic impression left by Louise Brooks in G.W. Pabst’s brilliant Pandora’s Box and although the role has transcended the woman, it is rare that a film is so deserving of such obsession and worship.

Pandora’s Box was adapted from two extremely popular plays at the time in Berlin. The Lulu Plays , as they were commonly referred to, centered on Lulu , a woman whose innocent sexuality destroys everything she touches. The part of Lulu was initially offered to Marlene Dietrich but Pabst and the actress had a difference of opinion on how the part should be played and Pabst had doubt that she was the right actress for the part.

Pabst finally found his Lulu in American movie star Brooks, whose nationality and natural acting style created much controversy in Germany. The adaptation created it’s own controversy because of Pabst’s decision to streamline the movie to a handful of characters and cutting out some repetitive scenes.

The film is visually hypnotic capturing the sensual world that Lulu inhabits. The story starts with Lulu living as a kept woman in the luxurious cage she lives in courtesy of Schoen (Fritz Kortner), an influential newspaper editor who has been Lulu’s lover for years but has to break the news that he is officially engaged to a “proper” woman and that he must end their arrangement. Lulu’s refusal to let him go sparks a series of lies, and misunderstandings that leads her on to a path of destruction.

Pandora’s Box teems with imagery that is at times lurid, erotic, nightmarish and jarring in it’s beauty. The film is rightfully anchored by Brooks’ touching performance. Brooks is unpredictable at coloring Lulu with a wide spectrum that takes her from dreamy child to haughty vamp while making her vulnerable and relatable.

The Criterion Collection presentation is a delectable embarrassment of riches. The extras include a second disc that has two documentaries on Louise Brooks and her tumultuous love affair with Hollywood and the persona that sometimes overshadowed her own life. The disc has multi- score options that allow you to experience the film in different ways. Filled with beauty and resonant with a true filmmaker’s passion, Pandora’s Box is a haunting classic that is evokes the true love of film.