What is it about Louise? Her performance in Pandora’s Box inspired powerful reactions from the public and the censors?
In my opinion, Louise Brooks has a peculiar personality that is distinctive from women of her era. In my opinion, Louise Brooks somehow contributed to the "flapper era" - Flappers were a "new breed" of young Western women in the 1920s who wore short skirts, bobbed their hair, listened to jazz, and flaunted their disdain for what was then considered acceptable behavior. Flappers were seen as brash for wearing excessive makeup, drinking, treating sex in a casual manner, smoking, driving automobiles and otherwise flouting social and sexual norms (wikipedia). Before " flapper era" women were more conservative as they did not dare to have short hair nor wear make ups.
Besides that, I think Louise is phenomenal in front of the camera. The versatility of her facial expressions drew me to her. Her skills need no words as every expression is portrayed outstandingly. In fact, effortlessly. Brooks' style was so natural that critics complained she either couldn't or didn't act. (Louise Brooks: Life and Times of the Silent Movie Star). These are the critics:
"Miss Brooks is attractive and she moves her head and eyes at the proper moment, but whether she is endeavoring to express joy, woe, anger or satisfaction it is often difficult to decide." - Quinn Martin
"It does occur to me that Miss Brooks, while one of the handsomest of all the screen girls I have seen, is still one of the most eloquently terrible actresses who ever looked a camera in the eye."- Hall
Louise Brooks' performance in Pandora's Box triggered powerful responses as her character in the movie known as Lulu was controversial. The movie, Pandora's Box elicited controversial issues regarding sex, lesbianism, prostitution and murder which were highly "unchristian" during that era. Lulu's promiscuous role went against society norms of that era. No doubt, the controversies have provoked censorship.
What makes her sexy? What makes her dangerous? Refer specifically to her performance in the film.
When the word "sexy" comes into our mind. We think of Lilian Russell from the 1920s, Jean Harlow from the 1930s, Rita Hayworth from the 1940s, Marilyn Monroe from the 1950s, Elizabeth Taylors from the 1960s, Farrah Fawcett from the 1970s, Madonna from the 1980s, and Pamela Anderson from the 1990s.
Noticed the similarities among them? Yes, most of them were blondes and they had curly, voluminous hair. Not to mention, they were full-bust and often wore skimpy clothes to accentuate their figures.
Here's a picture on how "sexy" is portrayed:
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| Jean Harlow from the 1930s |
However, Louise Brooks gave the word "sexy" a different dimension. She had dark, bobbed hair, she was flat-chested and often wore loose clothes. In another word, she looked slightly androgynous. To me, her distinctiveness made her sexy.
Here's a picture of Louise Brooks:
In the movie, Pandora's box, Lulu's intelligence, promiscuity and feisty traits mould her into someone dangerous and cunning.
Lulu is intelligent for making use of her strength which was sex appeal. This can be seen when she threw tantrums at Schön when he demanded her to dance for Charlotte, Schön's fiancee. She played her forte by using her sex gestures to stimulate Schön. For example,she flagged her leg and exposed her back to seduce him. Eventually, Schön fell for it and kissed her intensely, witnessed by Charlotte.
Lulu is promiscuous as she does not reject love from anyone, including love from a woman and love from her husband's son. She lives her life as she pleases even if its against the general public's norm.
The serial killer known as Jack The Ripper drew her curiosity further. Hence, she invited him into her lodge to make love to her without a penny to pay. This shows that she craves for men's attention.
In addition, Lulu is feisty because she took no orders from no one, including Schön. She shot Schön at the order of Schön ordering her to put a bullet through her head.
Is Pandora’s Box an immoral film that deserves to be banned or cut?
In my personal view, Pandora's Box shouldn't be banned nor cut. Yes, controversial issues has been provoked in Pandora's Box. However, at the same time, this movie conveys moral values. It conveys a message that promiscuity and murder will only lead to self-destruction. Lulu's involvement in prostitution has eventually led Jack The Ripper to murder her. Not to mention, Lulu's act of murder has taken her wealth and glamour away. Personally, this movie had me pondering on how women should carry themselves and it made me realized that being unfaithful will only lead to catastrophe. I am sure this movie will have similar impact on other girls. Therefore, I conclude that Pandora's Box should not be banned nor cut as it is a great learning channel for girls and women.
Work cited:
"Flapper." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 10 Nov. 2012. Web. 14 Oct. 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flapper>.
Gladysz, Thomas. "Louise Brooks Is Lulu in Pandora's Box." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 22 Mar. 2012. Web. 14 Oct. 2012. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/thomas-gladysz/frank-wedekind-pandoras-box_b_1363956.html>.
"Louise Brooks: Life and Times of the Silent Movie Star." Louise Brooks: Life and Times of the Silent Movie Star. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2012. <http://www.pandorasbox.com/biography.html>.
