Pandora's Box (1929) Die Büchse der Pandora (original title)

Director:

Georg Wilhelm Pabst

Writers:

Frank Wedekind (plays)
Ladislaus Vajda (scenario)
(more)

Release Date:

22 February 1930 (Japan)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Romance

Plot:

The rise and inevitable fall of an amoral but naive young woman whose insouciant eroticism inspires lust and violence in those around her.

Plot Keywords:

Lust | Train | Wedding | Escape | Mistress

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Louise Brooks	...	Lulu
Fritz Kortner	...	Dr. Ludwig Schön
Francis Lederer	...	Alwa Schön (as Franz Lederer)
Carl Goetz	...	Schigolch
Krafft-Raschig	...	Rodrigo Quast
Alice Roberts	...	Gräfin Geschwitz - Countess Anna Geschwitz
Daisy D'Ora	...	Charlotte Marie Adelaide v. Zarnikow - braut Dr. Schöns - Dr. Schön's Bride (as Daisy d'Ora)
Gustav Diessl	...	Jack the Ripper (as Gustav Diesel)
Michael von Newlinsky	...	Marquis Casti-Piani (as Michael v. Newlinsky)
Sig Arno	...	Der inspizient - the instructor (as Siegfried Arno)

Directed by
Georg Wilhelm Pabst

Writing credits
Frank Wedekind		(plays "Erdgeist" and "Die Büchse der Pandora")
Ladislaus Vajda		(scenario)
Joseph Fleisler		titles (uncredited)
Georg Wilhelm Pabst		uncredited

Produced by
Heinz Landsmann	....	producer
Seymour Nebenzal	....	producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Peer Raben		(1997)
Stuart Oderman		(uncredited)
William P. Perry		(uncredited)

Cinematography by
Günther Krampf

Film Editing by
Joseph Fleisler		(uncredited)

Art Direction by
Andrej Andrejew		(as Andrejew)
Gottlieb Hesch		(as Hesch)
Ernö Metzner		(uncredited)

Costume Design by
Gottlieb Hesch		(uncredited)

Production Management
Georg C. Horetsky	....	production manager (as Georg C. Horsetzky)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Marc Sorkin	....	assistant director
Paul Falkenberg	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Marcel Tuszkay	....	graphic designer

Visual Effects by
Andrei Dimitriu	....	digital compositor (restoration)
Tobias Wiedmer	....	digital compositor (restoration)

Music Department
Frank Strobel	....	conductor (1997)
Frank Strobel	....	music editor (1997)

Production Companies

• Nero-Film AG

Distributors

• Süd-Film (1929) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Moviegraphs (1929) (USA) (theatrical)
• Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) (1977) (USA) (TV)
• Nelson Entertainment (1983) (USA) (VHS)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (1984) (Finland) (TV) (1992)
• Embassy Home Entertainment (1986) (USA) (VHS)
• Umbrella Entertainment (2002) (Australia) (DVD)
• Divisa Home Video (2004) (Spain) (DVD)
• Criterion Collection, The (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Divisa Home Video (2009) (Portugal) (DVD)
• New Star (2012) (Greece) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Cult & Classic (Brazil) (VHS)
• Filmmuseum München (????) (worldwide) (all media) (as Film Museum München)
• Grapevine Video (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Janus Films (????) (USA) (all media)
• Sultan Video (VHS)
• Video Dimensions (VHS)

Also Known As:

"Die Büchse der Pandora" - Germany (original title)
"The Box of Pandora" - International (English title)

Runtime:

Germany:133 min (restored version) | USA:109 min | Belgium:152 min (Copy with French titles at Brussels Musée du Cinéma) | 131 min (original version) (21.4 fps) | 110 min (VHS version)

Country:

Germany

Language:

German

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Finland:(Banned) (1929) | Sweden:(Banned) | Germany:(Banned) (1933-1945) | Portugal:(Banned) (1936-1945) | Portugal:17 (original release) | Portugal:M/12 (DVD rating) | Norway:(Banned) (1929) | UK:A (1929) | UK:PG (1993) | Australia:PG | USA:TV-PG (TV rating) | USA:Not Rated

Filming Locations:

Nero-Film Studio, Berlin, Germany

Company:

Nero-Film AG

Trivia:

Countess Anna is considered by historians to be cinema's first lesbian character.

Goofs:

Continuity: As Lulu looks at herself in the mirror after the wedding, the wedding dress is off her right shoulder. The position of the dress on her right arm and shoulder varies between shots from when she is confronted by Dr Schon till his death.

Quotes:

Alwa Schön:It's strange how you can get booze on credit but not bread.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Cinema Europe: The Other Hollywood: End of an Era (#1.6)" (1995)

The best "Lulu"-performance ever!

For his movie "Die Büchse Der Pandora (Panodra's Box)", G.W. Pabst took together the tragedies "Der Erdgeist" and "Die Büchse Der Pandora", forming the famous Lulu-diptych written by German dramatist Frank Wedekind (1864-1918), an important ancestor of literary expressionism, who wrote amongst other works "Frühlings Erwachen" that caused many scandals.

What is congenial about this movie, is not only the fact, that Louise Brooks is doubtless the best Lulu ever seen (in theater as well as on the screen), but how G.W. Pabst managed to amalgamate this two literary masterpieces of the time of sexual liberation in Europe.

It is a real pity, that not more of Pabst work can be reached in the US and that most of his work is not available at all on DVD.