(1929) The Scandal came with her: Louise Brooks in "Pandora's Box"

Try the ultimate tool to upscale the quality of vintage video to 4K: tinyurl.com/AIupscaler Join as a member to support this channel:
/ @xixbacktolife
"Pandora's Box," directed by G.W. Pabst in 1929, is a landmark German silent film based on the plays by Frank Wedekind. The narrative centers around the character Lulu, portrayed by the iconic Louise Brooks. Lulu is a captivating and seductive woman whose irresistible allure leads to a series of tragic events.
The film is a reflection of the Weimar Republic's societal turbulence, marked by shifting norms and values. Lulu, a symbol of unrestrained desire, disrupts conventional morality as her charm entangles those around her. The story unfolds in a non-linear fashion, using a complex narrative structure that was groundbreaking for its time.
Louise Brooks's portrayal of Lulu is iconic, capturing the character's mysterious and alluring essence. The actress's bobbed hairstyle and expressive eyes have become synonymous with the film and its exploration of femininity, desire, and societal constraints.
"Pandora's Box" is also notable for its innovative cinematography by Günther Krampf, featuring expressive lighting and inventive camera angles. The film's visual style enhances the emotional intensity of the narrative, creating a visually stunning and emotionally resonant cinematic experience.
The societal critique embedded in the film is evident through its depiction of Lulu's interactions with various characters, each representing different facets of society. From her relationships with wealthy and powerful men to her encounters with the criminal underworld, Lulu's journey becomes a lens through which the film examines the moral decay and decadence of the time.
The theme of the femme fatale is central to "Pandora's Box," as Lulu's beauty becomes a destructive force that brings calamity to those who fall under its spell. The film challenges traditional gender roles, portraying Lulu as a complex and multi-dimensional character rather than a mere archetype.
The film's title, "Pandora's Box," alludes to the Greek myth of Pandora, whose curiosity led her to open a forbidden box, releasing chaos into the world. Similarly, Lulu's allure and the consequences of her actions unleash societal upheaval, reflecting the broader instability of the Weimar era.
Despite its initial controversy and mixed critical reception, "Pandora's Box" has endured as a classic of German cinema. Its influence can be seen in subsequent works exploring themes of desire, morality, and societal critique. The film's lasting impact is a testament to its artistic innovation, compelling storytelling, and the timeless allure of Louise Brooks's unforgettable performance as Lulu.
Music: Granados, Valses.

[@XIXbacktolife]

Try the ultimate tool to upscale the quality of vintage video to 4K:tinyurl.com/AIupscaler Learn more about the power of VideoProc Converter AI: tinyurl.com/AIupscaler 1, AI-upscale your old archives to 4K 60/50FPS or beyond, ideal for Palette colorized footage, vintage home movie videos, DV videos, old KZbin videos, super 8 film, DVDs, low-res recordings, etc. 2, Upscale AI generated images(from MidJourney, DALL-E, Leonardo, etc.) for printing and playing on UHD TV’s purpose. 3, Offer extra AI tools(Frame Interpolation and Motion Stabilization), convert, DVD digitizing, edit, compress, and screen record at the same software.

[@1870Coppelia]

@XIXbacktolife what is the music in this video?

[@pc9467]

Say what you will about the times we live in, but to have a restored 4K version of something beautiful filmed almost 100 years ago is an absolute treat.

[@Illawong]

We are living in the best time in history.

[@diogenesofsinope3730]

The restoration is magnificent. I thought this was a contemporary work with a retro look, but it is the real 1929 deal. Louise Brooks is a true beauty, shining through time from a century ago.

[@lawrenceanthony8187]

any idea how did it?@@scott7937

[@stasiasfriend]

Nostalgia for a time you never lived.

[@Terri_MacKay]

I've experienced this, and was interested to find out that there's actually a word for it. "Anemoia"...nostalgia for a time period you never experienced.

[@vonsternberg]

Being a devoted collector of vintage Louise Brooks memorabilia I found this lustrous restoration an especial treat. Many thanks.

[@eezyclsmooth9035]

Most iconic face of The Roaring Twenties. I've read several books on the life of Ms. Brooks. It was not a happy one compared another well known flapper, Colleen Moore. Nicely restored footage.

[@vivere__]

The lighting is beautiful! The added subtle color palette is very classy 💫

[@Billy_Bad_Ass]

Me too!

[@magesalmanac6424]

It illuminates her dress in a spectacular way!

[@trapin68]

What a beautiful woman. She has an almost modern look to her.

[@Myacckt]

The 20s were the time of Modernism it looks modern because it is!

[@YOutsider]

beautiful restoration. the past sometimes seems so distant, but this looks like it happened yesterday.

[@Belluser-we1uc5cb2l]

She looks like Isabella Rossellini from Death Becomes Her film. Gorgeous bob. My grandmother had this bob with finge waves in 1928 in a picture.

[@katwil89]

Yes! It was killing me trying to remember what modern day actress she looked like and I couldn't think of it. Thank you!

[@Belluser-we1uc5cb2l]

@@katwil89 😂 Your welcome.

[@sonoffantm]

Since Louise was much older, it was Isabella who puposefully looked like Louise as did Liza Minnelli in "Cabaret".@@Belluser-we1uc5cb2l

[@Galactic_Galactic89]

Nice catch. She's in a new one called, Cat Person. Her voice is one of a kind, beautiful.

[@MacXpert74]

I can see the resemblance. Personally she reminded me of the singer "Corinne Drewery" from the British band "Swing Out Sister". In the 1987 video of "Surrender" she has a striking resemblance to her both in hair style and clothes.

[@KerryEriksson]

I have seen Louise in a couple of silents and everyone wanted that cutting edge hairstyle back in the twenties,she suited it so much

[@tamar5261]

She looks so modern

[@matrox]

Yes she was a modern women.

[@faizalf119]

She looks more modern than most current modern women. Better dressed too.

[@MatthewMcRowan]

Like all devil's

[@andrewjohnstone963]

In what context (modern) elucidate As your statement has no substancr whatsoever

[@AlastairjCarruthers]

Don't worry, some of us accept and understand your statement without being deliberately obtuse 😅

[@thejerseyj5479]

In the 70's I used to frequent "revival houses" in NYC. They were theaters that showed older movies such as this one. I saw a Louise Brooks double feature one night, "Pandoras Box" and "Diary of a Lost Girl". And I've been in love with her ever since. I miss those days before VCR's and now Blu-ray, but what an advantage we have now with all those movies anytime we want them. PS, anyone remember Theater 80 st. Marks, or the Rivoli, or the Thalia? Great old revival houses in Manhattan.

[@mauiskater]

This is the most beautiful restoration I’ve ever seen on a film. I wasn’t aware of this film and am in awe right now. Wayyyy ahead of their time. ❤❤❤I’d imagine it would change once sound came in. Hearing German accents would change it a lot for me…actually hearing voices period would change it for me. I like the mime sort of thing.

[@MacXpert74]

Wonderful job on the restoration! The coloring is some of the best I've seen, subtle and stylish!

[@brocanova]

The year my dad was born was wild. He still is.

[@tonydell362]

The color and quality are amazing!

[@stefanm67]

Wow! I've watched the film before and what you've done with it is simply wonderful. Thank you so much. It really brings the footage to life. ❤

[@donnaparker3417]

Her dress and shoes are simply gorgeous!!❤❤

[@Chilly_Billy]

This restoration is truly remarkable. It really looks like a modern production made to look like it was made almost a century ago.

[@paiaam]

When the movie was shown in Germany, some people didn't like it. They said that the way Lulu was shown in the movie was shocking because she was made to look like she ate up her sexual partners. People in Berlin especially didn't like it, and they called the movie a joke compared to the original story. The part where the Countess is shown as being interested in other women was also a big deal. Some people didn't like it, and they also didn't think the actress, Louise Brooks, was very good. Some film experts think that the criticism Louise Brooks got was because she was American. In different countries, the movie had to be changed because it was too controversial. In France, they changed the movie a lot. They made it so that Lulu's secretary and the countess were her childhood friends, and they took out the part where the countess and Lulu were interested in each other. In the French version, Lulu is found not guilty in the trial, and there's no Jack the Ripper character. The movie ends with Lulu joining the Salvation Army. This edited version was also shown in the UK. In the United States, they showed shorter versions of the movie, and they also had the same ending as the French and British versions, with Lulu running away to join the Salvation Army.

[@1870Coppelia]

That is so interesting! Where did you get all this information from?

[@michelkoch]

Thanks for information.

[@Tav57]

Beautiful restoration- and the colour toning was gentle yet effective. In 1929, the Germans were light years ahead of Hollywood in terms of lighting and cameras- the stuff they were filming at UFA studios was incredible. When Hitler came to power in 1933, over half the film industry fled and went to England and America, bringing all that expertise with them. The golden age of Hollywood then came about. And, as for Louise Brooks- what incredible beauty she had- and wonderfully honest and expressive acting.

[@seandelap8587]

This is amazing footage this channel is a gem

[@XIXbacktolife]

You are a gem.

[@MrMenefrego1]

This is an outstanding colorization! My wife is a tremendous Louise Brooks fan; she has dozens of Miss Brooks rare movie cards and even sports Louise's famous hairstyle.

[@liseb.4613]

Beautiful restoration and LB is as luminescent and statuesque here as the men are revolting.

[@ladywisewolf3942]

I've seen a lot of German silents and early talkies and you are right. For some reason that seemed to be a thing with German cinema at that time. Gorgeous women but repulsive men. 🤷🏼‍♀️

[@liseb.4613]

@@ladywisewolf3942 Yes, you're so right about that. And, weirdly, some of the German crime series in recent years too. 🧐

[@thomasdoubting]

Louise Brooks (a new name to me) own every frame ❤

[@scottmoore1614]

A silent film icon and legend.

[@bobnewmanknott3433]

A truly outstanding beauty thanks for posting

[@ozmodiar5561]

She looks gorgeous.

[@user-nu2sj7so6z]

I love Louise Brooks. She was criticized in her own time, apparently because some critics didn't like her "non-acting". That is, her expressions were often not the exaggerated pantomime audiences were accustomed to on stage and for much of the Silent Era (See Metropolis for example). But in retrospect Brooks really mastered what a lot of actors really struggle with: acting natural. Her facial expressions, her smiles especially, seem so genuine, unforced and warm, that you want to jump right into the screen and say hello. I think that kind of approachability is rare even today. So charming.

[@HeadoftheSeniorClass-en6qp]

Beautiful work. Great to see Louise Brooks looking so good! And I'm sure there's a story in there someplace, too. ☺

[@alvarofernandez4263]

Thank you so much, wonderful and inspiring video

[@kiviuq1552]

😮 scandalous!!! Excellent restoration. Thank you.

[@keithnaylor1981]

Stunning HD/Colour work. Probably the most beautiful woman in the world of silent movies. If the whole film could be restored like this and dialogue added to do away with the irritating piano this would be heavenly to watch.

[@andreiter]

I hope someone can restore all the Laurel/Hardy, Our Gang films to this extent

[@janetcarbone4213]

Even though I am a historical film purist, I’d definitely agree sine updating these films will make the characters and the stories more relatable to todays audiences

[@johnbattalgazi2108]

This is amazing. Well done and more please.

[@markphillips8605]

Louise Brooks had such a unique look. Those eyes draw you in. Great work on the restoration.

[@7thhokage87]

I'm staring respectfully

[@davedaves431]

Beautiful restoration.

[@kidkong637]

Amazing restoration!

[@playlistsbyskltn]

The thumbnail looks like it could be from a retro musicvideo. The woman could easily pass as she is from today who likes to cosplay the 20's fashion.

[@maxlinder5262]

The scandal became just by being herself .... being original....😊

[@ptonpc]

More acting talent in her little finger than most so called 'stars' have in their entire bodies now.

[@jasonmcghee1266]

Beautiful woman. She had a sad life unfortunately.

[@midnightmosesuk]

She is very beautiful with a knockout smile, I'm not a scholar on old movies so I can't say I've ever heard of her. Can't say I understood exactly what was going on either, was she playing the part of a call girl?

[@ladywisewolf3942]

Sort of, she is a "show girl" but also a mistress to wealthy men. The creepy old guy who came to see her is her father who occasionally pimps her out to these men( that's why he brought that guy to see her). LuLu in spite of it has affection for her father and is proud to show off her fancy apartment to him. Lulu is a strange combination of guileless child, seductress and someone without any sense of morality or the human destruction she leaves in her wake. It's a fascinating film if you ever get to see the whole thing.

[@Lord9Genesis]

This was only the first part. You can find the synapsis of the full movie online. Quite a weird and tragic turn of events

[@jeanvocalist]

I love Louise Brooks❤

[@TheAdhipraz]

Amazing restoration. And with her looks made it look like modern vintage style movie

[@ura9390]

She's gorgeous. What a timelessly beautiful face

[@matrox]

2:16 She's doing the boogaloo at the end!

[@FreeSpiritThinker]

Superb restoration. What else is there to say. Fantastic

[@JSB1882]

“There is no Garbo. There is no Dietrich. There is only Louise Brooks!” Henri Langlois

[@storiedworlds6261]

Born in Kansas on an ordinary plain…

[@lespalmer170]

The film is part of history, it is good to see it restored

[@bartobruintjes7056]

At that time the German film industry was the best.

[@elianamarinho9542]

She was beautiful, modern, cool, she looks like a woman of today, she was ahead of her time 🕵️🥰♥️🤗

[@markbelmares7138]

Compelling, terrific, just wow

[@user-yv2cz8oj1k]

Can I have a time machine so I can go back and date Louise Brooks? She is so damn modern even compared with some women today.

[@TK42138]

Excellent restoration.

[@jeangenie68]

Elephant in the room moment, quite literally !...Anyone else notice the "truncheon" that Schigolch had in his pocket? (He was Lulu's pimp.)

[@matrox]

I figured dat dude was a pimp.

[@liseb.4613]

Yup, and also him taking the money out of her purse. Then seems like she left for love/acting but was still being mistreated.

[@ladywisewolf3942]

​​@@liseb.4613 If I remember correctly I think he was her father who was pimping her out. That's why she had such affection for him in that scene, and showing off to him how far she had come on her own working and having a sugar daddy.

[@higgme1ster]

I thought you were going to comment on the menorah around time point 3:28, as some sort of anti-Semitic slur.

[@josephgabriel3609]

@@higgme1ster No, that was in your head.

[@chimpinaneckbrace]

The Manic Pixie Dream Girl origin story.

[@judgeberry6071]

Wow that is one incredibly attractive woman.

[@williamschlenger1518]

I love Lu Lu.❤ Beautiful woman 😍

[@Cirnenric]

Looks amazing. The music doesn’t live up to it.

[@RichardDoker-op6py]

One of old Hollywood's neglected stars, the studio boss's loss. Pabst knew his subject.

[@Happyradio1234]

i was told i look like her. It was the best compliment i’ve ever gotten.

[@januszwu973]

i saw her in OMD music video long time ago and felt in love.

[@subliminal6529]

This is crazy!

[@tedbaxter5234]

It might be fun if AI could bring her back - she was a real hell raiser then - even by today’s standards, she would still be.

[@williamschlenger1518]

Smoking forbidden here.I love the painting on the wall & why the menorah?

[@willdecker4630]

This makes me think of the OMD Song!

[@michelkoch]

So beautiful 😮

[@TheMavet12]

Wow! Stevie wonderfull!!

[@tristangossman8910]

Damn...when did they colorize pandora's box..? Love this movie

[@x4ms]

Incredible modernity!

[@jontalbot1]

Gosh wasn’t she lovely? And she seems so contemporary, maybe it’s the Bob. The recent Miss France kerfuffle shows short hair for women is controversial almost a hundred years later

[@herberar]

Creepy old man at 1:04 looks really "happy" to see her !

[@lawsonj39]

Watching Louise with the old man who plays the harmonica I can't help remembering how she later said he "stunk" badly. She managed to act her way through the stench, though.

[@spookycat8556]

He looks like he would smell.

[@cherylschantz9893]

Louise sure could light up the screen.

[@bmorebob6624]

It suddenly struck me sad that they’re all long gone. Wonder if somehow their souls can sense that they’re being watched?

[@TheDavecroft]

No. They're dead.

[@davidjackson7281]

Naturally of course.

[@bmorebob6624]

@@TheDavecroft What’s it like to be the only human alive that knows exactly what happens after we die? Must be cool

[@christineweaver3090]

Wonder if people recognized the actors in real life if there was no sound and black and white where you couldnt tell if they were really saying anything?

[@martijnkeisers5900]

Such an icon, such a sad life..

[@916hayabusa]

When coulour is added, it shows that humans haven’t changed, only technology, this could’ve been shot yesterday and most people wouldn’t know.

[@andy2950]

Lulu Brooks ❤

[@asilva781]

What is the idea of a menora in the room?

[@matrox]

The director, producer and financiers were jews.

[@barbarapearce9738]

Maybe because the director, Pabst was Jewish.

[@LewTitterton]

@@barbarapearce9738 You have a source for this? No mention of his Judaism on Wikipedia or a general Google search. Either way, it's interesting to see the menorah in a mainstream German film so shortly before the Nazis came to power. It's terrifying and tragic that the creative, tolerant art of the Weimar Republic gave way to the Third Reich's suppression and destruction of that art, and often the people who made it.

[@davidjackson7281]

@@LewTittertonWell at least Hollywood gained from the emigration of such talented German and European Jews.

[@Zekais]

A wonderful restoration of the clarity of this old film. Fine enough that the colorization only looks really bad, not truly horrible like most colorization. Next, they'll probably be adding AI voices to superannuated movies like this, as one commenter wished for in this list of comments. Then this will no longer be a dark film about morally bankrupt individuals willfully running towards doom, but an un-funny comedy.

[@BobKnight-mm2ze]

I wanted to use a word like "impossible" to express how amazed I am at what was captured on film, and what the restoration brought out, but that word doesn't really work. The only word I can think of that captures this work is "sublime." Always felt it was too hoity-toity for me to actually use in real life, but that's the one.

[@BearRyan]

95 years old. Wow😮

[@jeffreysmith694]

I see a strong resemblance to a young Isabella Rosilleni.

[@jefferyparris1999]

I have never seen this in color before. Is this color version available on dvd??

[@gregrea8638]

At 1:26 I like how they colorized the film to make it look like she had a DEEP plunging v-neck to her dress instead of her actually wearing a modest two-layer outfit with a normal neckline.

[@marcl2213]

Very interesting to see these images colorized (I presume film speed correction too). I tried to read Louis Brook’s small biography book... very disappointing!

[@edwardhannah8507]

There should be a film about Louise Brooks. Even back then she knew Hollywood was full of perverts and assholes. That's why she left.

[@ladywisewolf3942]

The Turner Classic Movies channel had a wonderful documentary about her when she was their star of the month. This was about 20 yrs. ago but you can find it in their archives.

[@Lord9Genesis]

Are you going to do the rest of the movie?

[@marcuswalters8093]

1:26 Bro. Don't be watching homegirl's paper.

[@UncleWally3]

Fear, loathing, letchery, jealousy, narcissism, gender-politics and, oh yeah . . . sex. “Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.“ - Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr, 1849

[@saritaw4739]

lol I thought initially was di Caprio and Charlize Theron on the cover picture before clicking

[@melodynote333]

I like the Piano pieces in this film 🎹 🎶🎶 @2:31 piece was pretty 😍 & @5:12 piece was fire 🔥 🔥

[@ariochiv]

I think the colorization is unnecessary and distracting, but the framerate restoration is very well done.

[@ceciliamaciel4653]

Hermosa ❤

[@gabrielmoreno9455]

Eu sempre fico impressionado como as melindrosas eram avançadas para a sua época. Mesmo hoje, você ainda consegue notar isso.

[@lawrencelewis2592]

She had the haircut that that changed the world! Women were no longer enslaved by their own hair.