Pandora’s Box
And now he lost his job. Well, Pabst was a German, albeit actually “one of the good ones”. I thought it’s a shame that he didn’t make it to Hollywood or at least France, because he might have been able to further his talent with something fresher than nazi propaganda films. This is now the third film of his that I am watching, and while I do not find him quite as impressive as Stroheim, and his stories by far not as good as Lubitsch, I think he has a great feeling for drama – and Louise Brook’s face.
Unlike the somewhat pointless story of “Diary of a Lost Girl”, I knew that this film could establish my definite opinion on Pabst which would go beyond esthetic considerations. (I mean, that hairstyle is just so brilliant. Even Jean Seberg is no match for that.) No, Lulu’s story is special. I started reading Wedekind’s play back then when I used to read a lot, and have taken an especial liking on these prostitutes à la Marguerite Gautier, Nana, Horváth’s characters or, well, Lulu. Women in general were portrayed in quite an interesting way at the time, always as some sort of lonely but not necessarily evil femme fatale. These books analyze our fascination with them and in every one of them, these women are ultimately drawn into their fall. Just like Lulu. However, among these ladies from the demi-monde, I thought that Lulu was a rather unlikable one; one who never loves (in this matter I differ with the critics) and ultimately one who just does not seem very colorful to me. On top of that, I probably was let down after reading “Frühlings Erwachen”, which might just as well be my favorite play of all times. That book was overflowing with taboo and the eroticism that came with it, Melchior is perhaps my biggest fictional crush of all times. In comparison to that impression, “Erdgeist”, the first part of the Lulu story, failed to impress me.
When it comes to the film though, I feel differently now. It is the interplay between Louise Brooks’ acting and Pabst’s mise en scène that shows all of Lulu’s blatant emotional misery. The actress probably saw very clearly that this was the role of her life; the short-haired, flat-chested woman whose sex appeal comes from her natural beauty and an irresistible smile. In this film, I was actually able to immerse yourself into my fascination with this character who gets whatever she wants, but ultimately gets nothing.
Of course, the great quality of the DVD helps. I mean… four audio tracks, really? I couldn’t decide what I liked the best (probably the modern orchestra), but I was impressed with all of those accompanimnents. On top of that, there is a lovely audio commentary with insights to the film’s backstory and a whole second DVD with extras, albeit those a little less interesting (a stills gallery, really?). Amazing, really. I guess this is what you pay for when you buy a Criterion DVD.
If I hadn’t decided to let my hair grow long for good, I would bob my hair immediately. Lulu is like one of those supermodels you definitely don’t want to be like – but you want to be closer to them. Even though this is most definitely not Pabst’s intention, by achieving that he created quite a masterpiece in which almost every aspect of the Weimar Republic appears: society’s dictation of morals, wasteful luxuries before the economic crisis, the failure of relationship between men and women, serial killers and the societal repression of something. I definitely want to see Pabst’s Threepenny Opera and, as an Inglorious Basterds fan, his Piz-Palü.
