In the previous post, we explored a 1929 film that has just entered the public domain in the United States. Continuing the thread, let's turn to another cinematic masterpiece from the same year - Pandora's Box (Die Büchse der Pandora), which has also entered the public domain. This German silent drama, directed by Georg Wilhelm Pabst, is a powerful exploration of the destructive force of desire and a reflection on the sexual politics of its time.
Based on Frank Wedekind's plays Erdgeist (Earth Spirit, 1895) and Die Büchse der Pandora (Pandora's Box, 1904), the film stars the iconic Louise Brooks as Lulu, a free-spirited and sexually liberated woman whose relationships with various men inevitably lead to tragedy.
Set in Berlin, the story follows Lulu, a performer and prostitute, engaged in a relationship with Dr. Ludwig Schön (Fritz Kortner), a wealthy newspaper publisher. Schön is captivated by Lulu but deeply conflicted, both infatuated with her and ashamed of her uninhibited lifestyle. His struggle reaches a breaking point when he decides to leave her and marry Charlotte von Zarnikow, the daughter of the Minister of the Interior.
However, Schön's plans unravel when Lulu, dressed in a glamorous and revealing costume for a revue written by Alwa (Francis Lederer), Schön's son and Lulu's friend, seduces Schön in the theatre's storage room. This fateful encounter sets the stage for a cascade of events that unravel the lives of everyone around her.
Schön feels compelled to marry Lulu, but their union quickly turns disastrous. At the wedding reception, tensions erupt when Schön discovers Lulu interacting with her former "patron," Schigolch (Carl Goetz), and Rodrigo Quast (Krafft-Raschig), a variety performer with dreams of creating a trapeze act with her. Enraged, Schön threatens to shoot the two men. In a heated struggle with Lulu, the gun discharges, and Schön is fatally shot.
Lulu’s trial for manslaughter ends with a five-year sentence, but a mob of sympathizers, led by Schigolch and Quast, orchestrates her escape. Alwa confesses his love for Lulu, and the two decide to flee together. Countess Augusta Geschwitz (Alice Roberts), the costume designer for Alwa's revue and secretly infatuated with Lulu, provides her passport to aid Lulu's escape.
Then fate brings the characters - Lulu, Geschwitz, Alwa, Schigolch, and Quast - together on a gambling ship. However, their fortunes take a grim turn. After a confrontation, Geschwitz kills Quast, and the remaining companions descend into destitution, ending up in a dilapidated London garret.
On Christmas Eve, driven to desperation, Lulu turns to prostitution. Tragically, her final client is none other than Jack the Ripper, wracked with remorse but no less deadly. The encounter seals her tragic fate, bringing her tumultuous story to a devastating conclusion.
Lulu’s behavior in Pandora's Box mirrors aspects of Louise Brooks' real-life persona. As a teenager, Brooks joined the avant-garde Denishawn dance troupe in 1922 but was dismissed for repeatedly breaking their rules. Later, while living in New York, she was asked to leave two hotels due to her scandalous behavior and risqué fashion choices.
The film is renowned for its iconic 1920s fashion, with Lulu's costumes (by Gottlieb Hesch) playing a crucial role in defining her character as a symbol of the flapper era. Each of the film’s eight acts is characterized by a distinct costume that reflects a particular aspect of Lulu's personality.
In Act One, Lulu wears a light, ethereal white dress with a drop-tail hem. Made from layered, fluttering chiffon, the dress enhances her graceful movements as she dances for Schigolch. Its loose silhouette allows for fluidity, emphasizing her carefree and uninhibited nature.
In Act Two, Lulu adopts a more sensible look: a black velvet day outfit paired with a matching cloche hat. She wears this ensemble to visit Alwa, who is working on his revue.
During her visit, she meets Countess Geschwitz, who shows her sketches of costume designs, including a grand dress that Lulu will wear in Act Three for Alwa's production.
In Act Three, Lulu appears in two opulent gowns, each paired with extravagant headpieces. The second gown is particularly striking, it is an incredibly sensual design featuring a plunging neckline and a delicate Y-shaped strap across the back.
This particular detail on the back of the costume, which accentuates Lulu's allure, would go on to inspire countless fashion designers in the decades to follow. This is also the dress she wears to seduce an enraged Schön, making it a key visual element in this pivotal scene.
The wedding gown in the subsequent act is a stark contrast to this provocative attire. Simple and understated, it evokes purity, natural beauty, and innocence - qualities at odds with Lulu's manipulative and seductive nature.
Yet, the gown retains a hint of sensuality, thanks to its delicate horizontal straps at the back and its resemblance to the white dress from Act One. Both gowns feature a fluted, drop-tail hem that adds a soft, ethereal quality.
The horizontal straps on the wedding dress are also functional, as they allow it to slip from Lulu’s shoulders in the aftermath of Schön's death, creating a dishevelled, emotionally charged visual effect.
In Act Five, Lulu’s attire takes a darker turn. At her trial, she wears a mourning dress made of glossy black satin, complete with a veil that obscures her face. This outfit serves as a stark counterpart to the wedding gown - where the white dress symbolized innocence, the black ensemble suggests repentance and regret. Yet, rather than downplaying her presence, the dramatic sheen of the satin and the dress's silhouette accentuate Lulu's figure, adding an intense visual impact to her appearance in court.
In Act Six, after escaping the courtroom, Lulu returns to Schön's apartment. She removes her hat and veil, surveys her wardrobe, reads a fashion magazine while plotting her next move and takes a bath. Emerging in a bathrobe adorned with a signature Art Deco motif, she seems to be in a moment of transition, shedding her past life and preparing for what lies ahead.
In Act Seven, Lulu wears another evening dress, this time paired with a simple pearl necklace. The outfit is elegant but far from extravagant, reflecting the diminishing luxury in her life.
On a gambling boat, she watches as Alwa loses all his money, while others relentlessly demand repayment from her. Her once-perfect bob now appears wavy, subtly hinting at her unravelling circumstances. To escape, Lulu disguises herself by swapping clothes with a sailor, but this act of desperation leads her to an even more dire situation - destitution in London.
In her final chapter, Lulu lives in a decrepit attic, dressed in a tattered top and skirt. When she ventures out to find a client, she wraps herself in a shawl, a poignant reminder of her descent into squalor. Her wardrobe, once full of vibrancy and sensuality, becomes a visual narrative of her tragic arc.
Despite this descending parable into desperation, throughout Pandora's Box, Lulu exudes a vibrant energy and vitality. As both a performer and a sex worker, she stands as a symbol of sexual liberation, a dynamic, erotic force alive with happiness and sensuality, a flame that burns brightly, and a fashion icon as well.
Her signature bobbed haircut is indeed an emblem of modernity and freedom, while her daring outfits evolve with each act, mirroring her sexual freedom and rebelliousness, underscoring the tension between societal expectations and her personal choices.
While Lulu moves through all social circles - from Schön in his immaculate suits pointing at the upper class to Schigolch, a grotesque tramp representing a demi-monde (the clothes of the male characters firmly define them within their roles, trapping them in a rigid identity) - she transcends such boundaries. She belongs neither to the world of the rich nor the destitute, but instead exists outside them, as a free, fluid, and independent character.
She embodies the spirit of the New Woman, much like Countess Geschwitz. Dressed in a tuxedo, bow tie, and hat, and working as a costume designer, the Countess also represents a modern woman, but with her own distinct identity as a lesbian.
Together, Lulu in white satin and Geschwitz in black create one of the film’s most iconic and erotic moments as they perform a tango at Lulu's wedding, an intimate and charged encounter that speaks volumes about their contrasting yet complementary worlds.
Censored, cut, and banned in various countries upon its release, Pandora's Box entered the annals of cinema history not only for Louise Brooks' groundbreaking portrayal of Lulu but also for Georg Wilhelm Pabst's innovative direction.
The film's costumes have inspired countless fashion designers, but there's another avenue of inspiration worth exploring that doesn't rely on literal interpretations. The episodic structure of the story provides, for example, a compelling blueprint for a runway show.
A cohesive narrative, broken into distinct episodes, would allow a designer to express various styles and moods, capturing the dynamism and vitality of the garments, while maintaining the freedom and rebellious spirit embodied by Lulu.
So, if you're a fashion design student, try rewatching Pandora's Box with a focus on its acts and consider how the episodic nature of the story could inspire the structure of a fashion collection or a runway show.
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