Weimar Germany's decadence was best captured not by a German vixen, but by an all-American girl. Pandora's Box stars Louise Brooks in her most definitive role. The film is a bit long, but it has some striking imagery that more than makes up for it.
Divided into eight acts, Pandora's Box chronicles the rise and fall of our femme fatale. The beautiful Lulu (Brooks) is the flirtatious but sweet mistress of Dr. Schon (Fritz Kortner). Lulu is vivacious and fun, but she is also temperamental and frivolous. She is entertaining an older man when Schon returns with bad news. He has decided to marry Charlotte (Daisy D'Ora), much to Lulu's distress.
To placate his dumped mistress, Schon arranges for her to be the star in a variety show written by his son, Alwa (Franz Lederer). Lulu is a hit, but she goes into a rage when she sees Charlotte. Desperate to get her back onto the stage, what starts out as talk turns into passion. When Charlotte and Alwa catch them in an indelicate situation, Schon finds himself marrying his tempestuous mistress.
On their wedding night, Lulu continues what appears to be her flirtatious manner with an old (and older) ex-boyfriend whom she says is her father. Enraged, he pulls a gun and demands that Lulu take the honorable way out. She cannot, and in the struggle Schon is shot. The Widow Schon is spared the death penalty and sentence to five years, but her former lovers cause a false fire alarm and help her escape.
Also helping her escape is her stepson Alwa, who confesses he too is in love with Lulu. They all manage to escape the dragnet and first go to a gambling ship. Here, Alwa keeps coming up a loser and Lulu is sold into white slavery. She along with one of her compatriots and Alwa manage to escape again and make it to London. Living in the demimonde of the capital, Lulu's nature puts her in danger. Will she and Alwa live to see New Year's, or will their paths diverge into damnation for one and salvation for the other?
G.W. Pabst creates some striking imagery in Pandora's Box. Of particular note is in Act 8, when our trio of miscreants is in London. The visual style is breathtaking. Pandora's Box illuminates so much visual splendor that in that alone the film is an absolute triumph.
At the heart of the film's success, however, is Brooks as Lulu. She manages to be simultaneously sweet and sultry, innocent and provocative. When on the dock at her murder trial, she gives the prosecutor the sweetest glance that makes you think she genuinely is unaware of how bad her case looks. Whether she is dancing with delight to her old friend (who may or may not be her father as she claims) or giving Schon a teasing look when entering their bedchamber, Brooks is enchanting and beautiful. She also makes Lulu into a complex figure: one moment fun and carefree, the next angry and entitled.
It is easy to believe that Schon father and son would fall for the charms of our dangerous woman. Brooks is beautiful, but she blends that beauty into an almost innocent manner. The conflicting nature of Lulu is fascinating to watch. Pandora's Box is a triumph for Luise Brooks.
Where I think Pandora's Box goes a bit wrong is in length. I think we could have done without so many acts. We also wander a bit from the first part of Dr. Schon's relationship with Lulu to Lulu's life after her daring escape. Even the escape feels a bit long. A little steam is lost once Lulu is spirited away by her not-so-secret supporters.
That, however, is a minor point. Pandora's Box is an excellent production of the rise and fall of our innocent temptress. The viewer will be enraptured by our Lulu forever.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Views are always welcome, but I would ask that no vulgarity be used. Any posts that contain foul language or are bigoted in any way will not be posted.
Thank you.