Die Büchse der Pandora (1929)

Director:

Georg Wilhelm Pabst

Writers:

Frank Wedekind (plays)
Ladislaus Vajda (scenario)

Release Date:

22 February 1930 (Japan)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Romance

Plot:

The rise and inevitable fall of an amoral but naive young woman whose insouciant eroticism inspires lust and violence in those around her.

Plot Keywords:

Violence | Lust | Escape | Rose | Controversy

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Louise Brooks	...	Lulu
Fritz Kortner	...	Dr. Ludwig Schön
Francis Lederer	...	Alwa Schön (as Franz Lederer)
Carl Goetz	...	Schigolch
Krafft-Raschig	...	Rodrigo Quast
Alice Roberts	...	Gräfin Geschwitz - Countess Anna Geschwitz
Daisy D'Ora	...	Charlotte Marie Adelaide v. Zarnikow - braut Dr. Schöns - Dr. Schön's Bride (as Daisy d'Ora)
Gustav Diessl	...	Jack the Ripper (as Gustav Diesel)
Michael von Newlinsky	...	Marquis Casti-Piani (as Michael v. Newlinsky)
Sig Arno	...	Der inspizient - the instructor (as Siegfried Arno)

Also Known As:

Pandora's Box (UK) (USA)
Lulu
The Box of Pandora (International: English title)

Runtime:

Germany:133 min (restored version) | USA:109 min | Belgium:152 min (Copy with French titles at Brussels Musée du Cinéma) | 131 min (original version) (21.4 fps) | 110 min (VHS version)

Country:

Germany

Language:

German

Colour:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Certification:

Germany:(Banned) (1933-1945) | Portugal:17 (original release) | Portugal:(Banned) (1936-1945) | Portugal:M/12 (DVD rating) | Norway:(Banned) (1929) | UK:A (1929) | UK:PG (1993) | Australia:PG | USA:TV-PG (TV rating) | Argentina:13 | Finland:(Banned) (1929) | Sweden:(Banned)

Filming Locations:

Nero-Film Studio, Berlin, Germany

Company:

Nero-Film AG

Trivia:

Georg Wilhelm Pabst initially incurred a lot of wrath when he cast American Louise Brooks in the role of Lulu, a part which was considered to be quintessentially German. Ultimately Brooks' performance silenced her critics.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: The poster warning Londoners of Jack the Ripper is in German instead of English.

Quotes:

Schigolch: You should only play when you're sure to win.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Why Be Good? Sexuality & Censorship in Early Cinema (2007)

This will leave you breathless!

No beauty has ever graced the screen like that of Louise Brooks. No film has ever validated that beauty like "Pandora's Box". It took Pabst to recognize that this wild, uninhibited American flapper could turn in a performance like Lulu in this film. It is for the ages and time has not dimmed it at all. She brings Lulu to life with such joie de vivre and also such poignancy, that it hurts to watch it....especially when you realize that Brooks' career would soon turn into a shambles when she returned to Hollywood. If you don't have an appreciation of silent films, you need to watch this one and you will see the true art form that existed before "talkies" came into vogue. If "Pandora's Box" does not convince you, you can't be convinced.