358 Pandora's Box

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Tribe · #1 Post by **Tribe** » Thu May 25, 2006 10:03 pm

One of the masters of early German cinema, G. W. Pabst had an innate talent for discovering actresses (including Greta Garbo). And perhaps none of his female stars shone brighter than Kansas native and onetime Ziegfeld girl Louise Brooks, whose legendary persona was defined by Pabst's lurid, controversial melodrama Pandora's Box. Sensationally modern, the film follows the downward spiral of the fiery, brash, yet innocent showgirl Lulu, whose sexual vivacity has a devastating effect on everyone she comes in contact with. Daring and stylish, Pandora's Box is one of silent cinema's great masterworks and a testament to Brooks's dazzling individuality.

Special Features

SPECIAL EDITION DOUBLE-DISC SET FEATURES:

- New, restored high-definition digital transfer of the definitive Munich Film Museum restoration
- Four musical scores, each offering its own interpretation of the film
- Audio commentary by film scholars Thomas Elsaesser and Mary Ann Doane
- Louise Brooks: Looking for Lulu (1998), a 60-minute documentary by Hugh Munro Neeley
- Lulu in Berlin (1971), a rare, 48-minute interview with Louise Brooks by vérité documentarian Richard Leacock and Susan Steinberg Woll
- New video interviews with Leacock, about Brooks, and Michael Pabstm the director's son
- New and improved English subtitle translation
- Stills gallery
- PLUS: A book featuring Kenneth Tynan's 1979 essay "The Girl in the Black Helmet," an article by Louise Brooks on her relationship with Pabst, and a new essay by critic J. Hoberman

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Since this is going to be screening at the Film Forum very soon, does anyone have any info whether this is the long-awaited restoration which will lead to a Criterion DVD? It's being distributed by Kino, but I imagine that is theatrical distribution only.

Tribe

justeleblanc · #2 Post by **justeleblanc** » Fri May 26, 2006 12:35 am

I don't know, it feels like a Kino release, which wouldn't be too terrible as long as it's released.

What was the last film that Criterion released that was released through Kino theatrically?

#3 Post by **Matt** » Fri May 26, 2006 12:44 am

Kino, since the demise of Cowboy Pictures, is the theatrical distributor for all Janus Films releases.

daniel p · #4 Post by **daniel p** » Fri May 26, 2006 12:56 am

matt wrote:Kino, since the demise of Cowboy Pictures, is the theatrical distributor for all Janus Films releases.

Well that makes it more promising, and the fact that it's always been a suggested/rumoured title...

HerrSchreck · #5 Post by **HerrSchreck** » Fri May 26, 2006 7:42 am

justeleblanc wrote:I don't know, it feels like a Kino release, which wouldn't be too terrible as long as it's released.

What was the last film that Criterion released that was released through Kino theatrically?

I think that was one of the last films from when Kino was distributing the Janus (not CC) line. That's how they started out, Krim/Kino were the sole distributors of the Janus library. Which is why the HVe VHS still has both the Janus & Kino company screens.

Cinephrenic · #6 Post by **Cinephrenic** » Fri May 26, 2006 11:52 am

What was the last film that Criterion released that was released through Kino theatrically?

I Vitelloni?

justeleblanc · #7 Post by **justeleblanc** » Fri May 26, 2006 1:03 pm

Although I don't mind if Kino would release it, if only to make more room in Criterion's release schedule.

But maybe there's a Pabst box coming? Wasn't Threepenny Opera rumored as well?

Tribe · #8 Post by **Tribe** » Fri May 26, 2006 1:21 pm

Threepenny Opera has been long rumoured...I've never heard anything about Westfront 1918, Kino distributes that one theatrically. I think that one is a Janus also. Maybe a box is in the works...

Tribe

HerrSchreck · #9 Post by **HerrSchreck** » Fri May 26, 2006 2:08 pm

I would keep an eye on these guys, who have the only WESTFRONT 1918 authorized release I've seen, even though it is VHS.

These guys turn out to be the german source for the Transit Classics discs, they have TARTUFFE & GOLEM, & MABUSE, a special 4 disc LANG, etc... so if WESTFRONT gets a disc release, I'm sure they at least will have it since it's owned by Transit or FWMStiftung now apparently.

thethirdman · #10 Post by **thethirdman** » Fri May 26, 2006 5:04 pm

Westfront 1918 is airing tonight on Turner Classic Movies at 3:00 A.M. It has aired before, but I cannot remember if it had a Janus logo. Have they ever aired Pandora's Box? They had a doc on Louise Brooks a few days ago.

Cinephrenic · #11 Post by **Cinephrenic** » Fri May 26, 2006 6:02 pm

Westfront 1918 has a Janus logo on it and was recently restored.

tryavna · #12 Post by **tryavna** » Wed May 31, 2006 3:53 pm

FWIW, Westfront, Threepenny, and Pandora's were originally produced by Seymour Nebenzal's Nero Films. Nebenzal's son appears in an extra on CC's newer 2-disc set of M, and CC also released Testament of Dr. Mabuse (another Nero Film). So it looks like whoever owns the rights to the Nero Films has already established a pretty good relationship with Janus/Criterion.

Oh, and Pabst's Kameradschaft was also produced by Nero and displayed a Janus logo during its last TCM showing. How great would a four- or more-disc Pabst set from Criterion be?!

justeleblanc · #13 Post by **justeleblanc** » Wed May 31, 2006 3:59 pm

tryavna wrote:FWIW, Westfront, Threepenny, and Pandora's were originally produced by Seymour Nebenzal's Nero Films. Nebenzal's son appears in an extra on CC's newer 2-disc set of M, and CC also released Testament of Dr. Mabuse (another Nero Film). So it looks like whoever owns the rights to the Nero Films has already established a pretty good relationship with Janus/Criterion.

Oh, and Pabst's Kameradschaft was also produced by Nero and displayed a Janus logo during its last TCM showing. How great would a four- or more-disc Pabst set from Criterion be?!

That would be great! I've only seen Threepenny and loved it! Me thinks we should tell TCM to have a Pabst night, it's easier for them to play the films than for Criterion to release them, and I don't know where else I can find them.

HerrSchreck · #14 Post by **HerrSchreck** » Wed May 31, 2006 9:46 pm

tryavna wrote:FWIW, Westfront, Threepenny, and Pandora's were originally produced by Seymour Nebenzal's Nero Films. Nebenzal's son appears in an extra on CC's newer 2-disc set of M, and CC also released Testament of Dr. Mabuse (another Nero Film). So it looks like whoever owns the rights to the Nero Films has already established a pretty good relationship with Janus/Criterion.

Not exactly solid. TESTAMENT & M come thru Atlantic SA holders who have primary distrib thru Transit & the restoration thru the usual Koerber-LImmagine Ritrovata route (Kirchmedia too), with US distrib USUALLY thru Kino. CC did get the lang early talkies (though Kino got the best silents & DIARY OF A LOST GIRL), so time will tell.

tryavna · #15 Post by **tryavna** » Thu Jun 01, 2006 12:08 pm

HerrSchreck wrote:
tryavna wrote:FWIW, Westfront, Threepenny, and Pandora's were originally produced by Seymour Nebenzal's Nero Films. Nebenzal's son appears in an extra on CC's newer 2-disc set of M, and CC also released Testament of Dr. Mabuse (another Nero Film). So it looks like whoever owns the rights to the Nero Films has already established a pretty good relationship with Janus/Criterion.
Not exactly solid. TESTAMENT & M come thru Atlantic SA holders who have primary distrib thru Transit & the restoration thru the usual Koerber-LImmagine Ritrovata route (Kirchmedia too), with US distrib USUALLY thru Kino. CC did get the lang early talkies (though Kino got the best silents & DIARY OF A LOST GIRL), so time will tell.

Schreck, I'm not sure I follow you here. Are you certain that M and TESTAMENT were connected to the Atlantic SA/Transit partnership? I've visited Transit's website, and they don't have any info on either PANDORA or the talkies I mentioned above. I had always assumed that, if Atlantic owned the rights to the Nero-Film library, there must have been some sort of different distribution deal already enacted that Atlantic had to abide by -- which is why Janus got them, not Kino. Of course, I don't know definitely if that's the case, but it does seem that the films produced by Nebenzal in the late-1920s and early-1930s have some sort of different deal going on than the UFA stuff that Kino has released over here. Or am I completely off-base?

EDIT: Do'h! I just realized that the back covers of both M and TESTAMENT indicate that they are owned by Atlantic-Films SA.

Nevertheless, I still think that the fact that all the Nero films have been released by Criterion in the U.S. (or bear Janus logos) rather than Kino suggest that the Nero library must carry with it some sort of different distribution deal that by-passes Transit and, consequently, Kino.

denti alligator · #16 Post by **denti alligator** » Tue Jun 20, 2006 10:45 pm

Well, I saw this at the Film Forum tonight and wasn't all that impressed. First, the print: seemed to be in bad shape (no better than the VHS I've seen, maybe even worse). Is this just me, or should this film be looking FAR better? Also, they sinned by using computer-generated English intertitles that really clashed with the film. Ugly and sad that we couldn't have the German titles. For the Mayor's placard announcing Jack the Ripper's threat, it even appears that they cut out some segment of the film--at least the translation included more than the small segment of film showed us of the original German. Suspicious.

Then there's the film itself. I wasn't all too impressed the first time I saw this and this time was no different. Part of my dissatisfaction is with Brooks, who I just don't think is anything but funny-looking. Sorry, I don't find her sexy or cute or even a very good actress. The film just doesn't seem to do justice to the complexity of Wedekind's play. The only sequence that I was impressed by was the extended scene backstage at Lulu's performance. This was marvelously staged, choreographed even. Really nice. Can someone speak up in support of the film? I'd like to know why this is considered to be so great, better than Diary of a Lost Girl, which I really think is superior.

Tribe · #17 Post by **Tribe** » Tue Jun 20, 2006 11:21 pm

denti alligator wrote:
Can someone speak up in support of the film? I'd like to know why this is considered to be so great, better than Diary of a Lost Girl, which I really think is superior.

Well, shit, Denti...if you can't stand Brooks in this, I doubt that there's anything anyone can say to compel you to look at this one differently. You know your German cinema though.

But aside from Brooks (and I think she didn't make any impression on Matt either when he saw it), I think that Pabst creates a decadent, tabooish atmosphere that puts quite the spin on Wederkind's play (which I've never seen nor read) in that in the film Lulu isn't the vicious man-eater, but rather, almost virginal...she destroys men, but it's an after-effect of who she is. Pabst conveys all this with what I found to be superb cinematography...I remember the camera work being fluid and exciting, notwithstanding that the only "action" sequence is the backstage scene.

Sure, decadence alone, even of the Weimar variety, does not a classic make. But I can't think of a better example of it than here.

I find it superior to Diary (notwithstanding that Diary is still a very good film) because I found the story to be more compelling in Pandora. I found lots of loose ends in Diary, but that could be because of lost scenes that have been cut and lost.

Tribe

Michael Kerpan · #18 Post by **Michael Kerpan** » Wed Jun 21, 2006 12:25 am

I personally loathed almost everything about "Diary of a Lost Girl" (except Brooks) -- and also intensely disliked "3-penny Opera". If I don't like "Pandora's Box" (not yet seen), I'm giving up on Pabst. ;~{

buskeat · #19 Post by **buskeat** » Thu Jun 22, 2006 3:36 pm

Saw this post on alt.movies.silent from frequent poster Jessica, who works in the theatrical division at Kino:

"Criterion really is releasing this. I believe in Nov
They told me that much of the delay was due to needing to remaster
from the original material as they did not want to dupe the PAL master
used in Europe

Jessica"

oldsheperd · #20 Post by **oldsheperd** » Thu Jun 22, 2006 4:30 pm

He makes pretty good beer though.

arsonfilms · #21 Post by **arsonfilms** » Thu Jun 22, 2006 4:35 pm

oldsheperd wrote:He makes pretty good beer though.

This has to be the worst joke I've ever heard. Seriously, what the hell were you thinking when you posted that?

Pabst makes HORRIBLE beer.

indiannamednobody · #22 Post by **indiannamednobody** » Thu Jun 22, 2006 4:39 pm

arsonfilms wrote:Pabst makes HORRIBLE beer.

FUCK THAT SHIT!! PABST! BLUE! RIBBON!

oldsheperd · #23 Post by **oldsheperd** » Thu Jun 22, 2006 4:42 pm

Sorry, I don't drink and I haven't seen ant G.W. Pabst films

HerrSchreck · #24 Post by **HerrSchreck** » Sun Jun 25, 2006 5:17 am

I too think that, nice Murnau visual imitation aside-- and the fantastic scenes with the orgasming-while-potbanging headmistress in the boarding school-- DIARY is the most simplistic melodrama completely devoid of poetry in the family sequences. Her father is such a simplistic numbskull as rendered by Pabst, as is the bitch maid-turned-housequeen, the whole situation with the Count thrown out on his ass is silly. PANDORA I always thought one of the most overrated films of the whole Weimar era, the melodrama is very disjointed and ill connected in it's flow (the jumps from Schoen getting shot, to court, to the ship, to London feel very klunky to me), though within each scene there is some lovely atmosphere & whipping camera pivots & quick dolly zips. My favorite thing in the whole film is the London attic they all cram into, eating stale bread & sipping whiskey (all grain diet, good for shitting, specially when its inna destitute corner): the slanted roof window blasting rain in at 90 miles an hour is awesome. If ever wind up broke & on my last legs, thats the style I wanta do it in. And of course there is the Menilmontant style coolness of living for 90 minutes with the lowlives of the world, sinking into the seediness of their backstories, seeing their humanity recognized (though even this is very cursory, we never really learn who Lulu is). I think PANDORA is too long to be a mood piece, but too fractured to be a successful melodrama. This may be due to reconstruction but I think all the footage has been reassembled.

And DENTI-- I'm almost certain the original intertitles have been lost long ago. The film was heavily censored upon release and reconstructed from scratch by going back to censor cards.

BEYOND THE ROCKS/FAUST Complaint/dvd caps Dept: are we all forgiving artifacts so long as "they're invisible outside of freezeframing" now, plus interlacing as well as digital intertitles now? Just wanta make sure I'm on the same page.

rwaits · #25 Post by **rwaits** » Mon Aug 14, 2006 6:33 pm

Announced! No fucking way!!