Louise Brooks

Louise Brooks (November 14, 1906 – August 8, 1985) in an unusual photograph, one in which she is smiling. She appeared in silent films, beginning in 1925, then in Pre-Code Hollywood Films, then in European films, and then in post-code Hollywood films until 1938. In my opinion, her best films are the three films she made in Europe, in 1929 and 1930.

My favourite of Louise Brooks’ film performances is as “Lulu” in Georg Wilhelm Pabst’s German silent film drama ‘Pandora's Box’, (in German: ‘Die Büchse der Pandora’), (1929), also featuring Fritz Kortner, and Francis Lederer. The film follows “Lulu”, a seductive young woman whose uninhibited nature brings ruin to herself and those who love her. It is based on Frank Wedekind's plays Erdgeist ("Earth Spirit", 1895) and Die Büchse der Pandora ("Pandora's Box", 1904).

The same year Louise Brooks made another film with the same director. She performed the role of “Thymian” in G. W. Pabst’s Herman silent film ‘Diary of a Lost Girl’ (in German: ‘Tagebuch einer Verlorenen’), (1929). It is adapted from the controversial and bestselling 1905 novel of the same name by Margarete Böhme. The novel had been previously adapted by Richard Oswald as ‘Diary of a Lost Woman’.

Louise Brooks’ third and last European film was as the character “Lucienne Garnier” in Augusto Genina’s French sound film ‘Prix de Beauté’ ("Beauty Prize", UK title: ‘Miss Europe’), (1930). The film is notable for being the first sound film made by Louise Brooks, although all of her dialogue and singing were dubbed. This film is also an early example of sound film in France, along with Luis Buñuel’s and Salvador Dali’s French surrealist satirical comedy film L'Age d'Or’ and René Clair’s French dark-musical-comedy ‘Under the Roofs of Paris’, (in French: ‘Sous les toits de Paris’), (1930).

Louise Brooks published her memoir, ‘Lulu in Hollywood’, in 1982. I really enjoyed it.