Adapted from a pair of plays by playwright Frank Wedekind, renowned maestro of the silent era G.W.Pabst (Diary of a Lost Girl¸ The Threepenny Opera) directs the erotic drama Pandora’s Box. The 1929 film follows the young performer and seductress Lulu (Louise Brooks), whose once high-class life comes crashing down around her- as things turn from bad to worse.

Silent cinema is often cited as quite inaccessible to some degree, especially in terms of non-comedic works. I don’t wholly agree with that sentiment as I think some of the most accessible films tend to be silent-era pieces, however, Pandora’s Box isn’t going to be the film that I think wins many people over the medium. Not because the film is bad or anything, but because this is a superbly complex drama dealing with some pretty deep themes of sexual repression and perceptions of promiscuity. Pabst’s portrayal of sexual control is really interesting, especially with how it shows the differences between male and female sexual dominance. The latter is shown as having little power of its own, existing because men allow it to happen as part of their own sexual desires. As a result Pabst really sells you on the tragedy of seeing Lulu ensnared by this male-dominated world that forever has her freedom existing as a conduit for male sexual dominance. 

Gunther Krampf’s cinematography is a clear highlight of the film’s technical qualities, with some clear expressionism influences coming in during the film’s final act with one particular shot of a staircase feeling exactly like something that came from The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari or the 1931 Tod Browning adaptation of Dracula’s Transylvania sequences. There’s a horror-like quality to the way that Krampf frames the male body, it focuses on the ogre-like qualities of the male performers and characters really well and is effective in creating that sense of ensnarement that is vital to the film’s tone and message.
 

What really shines throughout the film though is the central performance from Louise Brooks (Diary of a Lost Girl, Miss Europe) as Lulu. From the very first second of seeing her onscreen, you can tell Brooks was born to be a lead, because her technical acting skills are outstanding. One of the best performances I have seen in a silent drama, and it is so clear to see why. Her use of expression and body language perfectly sells this dying aloofness and this decaying sense of self as, by the film’s final act, she is gearing up to act like we saw her in those opening acts. There’s a strong meta quality to her performance, which helps carry the film through some of the slower periods around the fifth and sixth acts. 

Coming with the collector's edition of the film is a 60-page booklet containing a pair of essays; one exploring the impact of the Lulu character on the career of Louise Brooks written by Imogen Sara Smith and the other exploring the role and depiction of Jack the Ripper during the film’s conclusion written by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas. Both of these essays provided for interesting reading, especially the latter which adds some great extra dimension to the film’s final act. On the disk, we have a pair of new video essays from David Cairns and Fiona Watson respectively, which are accompanied by a new visual appreciation of the Jazz Age aesthetics from Kat Ellinger. There is also a short interview with Martin Koerber regarding the restoration process and history of Pandora’s Box. The film also comes with the option to watch with either Peer Raben’s score or a new commentary track by critic Pamela Hutchinson. 

Eureka’s new release of this silent classic is jam-packed with new appreciations for both the textual and technical qualities of Pandora’s Box, giving us a true sense of how deep and influential Pabst’s film truly is. If you have any interest in the history of silent cinema, especially Weimar period films, then this set is an absolute must-buy. As for the film itself; it is a beautifully shot tragedy with this mesmerising leading performance being directed by a clear master of his craft. However, the film has some pacing problems with the eight-act structure proving more trouble than it’s worth. Pandora’s Box is available to purchase from Eureka and other retailers now.