Release CalendarTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV News
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb SpotlightIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Watchlist
Sign In
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • FAQ
IMDbPro

Die Büchse der Pandora

  • 1929
  • Not Rated
  • 1h 49m
IMDb RATING
7.7/10
12K
YOUR RATING
Louise Brooks and József Bottlik in Die Büchse der Pandora (1929)
Watch Trailer
Play trailer1:02
1 Video
99+ Photos
TragedyTragic RomanceCrimeDramaRomance

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

  • Director
    • Georg Wilhelm Pabst
  • Writers
    • Frank Wedekind
    • Ladislaus Vajda
    • Joseph Fleisler
  • Stars
    • Louise Brooks
    • Fritz Kortner
    • Francis Lederer
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • IMDb RATING
    7.7/10
    12K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Georg Wilhelm Pabst
    • Writers
      • Frank Wedekind
      • Ladislaus Vajda
      • Joseph Fleisler
    • Stars
      • Louise Brooks
      • Fritz Kortner
      • Francis Lederer
    • 107User reviews
    • 70Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 nomination

    Videos1

    Trailer
    Trailer 1:02
    Trailer

    Photos180

    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    + 174
    View Poster

    Top cast11

    Edit
    Louise Brooks
    Louise Brooks
    • Lulu
    Fritz Kortner
    Fritz Kortner
    • Dr. Ludwig Schön
    Francis Lederer
    Francis Lederer
    • Alwa Schön
    • (as Franz Lederer)
    Carl Goetz
    Carl Goetz
    • Schigolch
    Krafft-Raschig
    Krafft-Raschig
    • Rodrigo Quast
    Alice Roberts
    Alice Roberts
    • Gräfin Geschwitz
    Daisy D'Ora
    Daisy D'Ora
    • Charlotte Marie Adelaide v. Zarnikow - braut Dr. Schöns - Dr. Schön's Bride
    • (as Daisy d'Ora)
    Gustav Diessl
    Gustav Diessl
    • Jack the Ripper
    • (as Gustav Diesel)
    Michael von Newlinsky
    Michael von Newlinsky
    • Marquis Casti-Piani
    • (as Michael v. Newlinsky)
    Sig Arno
    Sig Arno
    • Der inspizient - the Stage Manager
    • (as Siegfried Arno)
    Karl Etlinger
    Karl Etlinger
    • Verteidiger
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Georg Wilhelm Pabst
    • Writers
      • Frank Wedekind
      • Ladislaus Vajda
      • Joseph Fleisler
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    More like this

    Tagebuch einer Verlorenen
    7.8
    Tagebuch einer Verlorenen
    The Crowd
    8.1
    The Crowd
    Der letzte Mann
    8.0
    Der letzte Mann
    Der blaue Engel
    7.7
    Der blaue Engel
    Greed
    8.0
    Greed
    The Docks of New York
    7.5
    The Docks of New York
    The Unknown
    7.7
    The Unknown
    Faust: Eine deutsche Volkssage
    8.1
    Faust: Eine deutsche Volkssage
    Zemlya
    7.2
    Zemlya
    Foolish Wives
    7.0
    Foolish Wives
    Die freudlose Gasse
    7.1
    Die freudlose Gasse
    Lulu
    6.7
    Lulu

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Despite being replaced by Louise Brooks at the last minute for the role of Lulu in Die Büchse der Pandora (1929), Marlene Dietrich managed to snag another coveted role. Her removal from "Pandora's Box" freed her up to play one of her most iconic roles, Lola Lola in Josef von Sternberg's Der blaue Engel (1930).
    • Goofs
      While the actual identity of Jack The Ripper may never be known he would've most likely been at least sixty years old if he were still alive in 1929.

      The actor playing him is clearly in his early thirties.
    • Quotes

      Dr. Ludwig Schön: I'm getting married!

      Lulu: You won't kiss me just because you're getting married?

    • Alternate versions
      A 133-minute version, distributed by Janus Films from Film Museum München, was broadcast in America on the IFC channel in 2006. It has an unidentified orchestral score, including a 2-minute overture at the start, and it listed the credits in German, some of which were translated into English. With German inter-titles and English subtitles. This version was released on a British Region 2 DVD).
    • Connections
      Edited into Histoire(s) du cinéma: Fatale beauté (1994)

    User reviews107

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    9/10

    Great actress, great film

    Things I love about this film:

    • Louise Brooks gives an extraordinary performance, as unaffected and natural as any I've ever seen. She's seductive, but has such a buoyant simplicity about her, and it's not the simplicity or innocence of a girl as in other screen stars who channel this as part of their allure, she's more like an elemental force of nature.


    • The scene in act three when she's backstage with the newspaper publisher (Fritz Kortner) who has decided to end their affair and marry someone else is one example of this. She's refused to go onstage for them, and while arguing, turns her back to him and eventually lies down, the metallic strap of her outfit making a large thin Y on her otherwise bare back. We can just feel his desire to kiss the back of her neck, and after some tussling around, soon he is kissing her. It's at this moment that his son (Francis Lederer) and fiancée (Daisy D'Ora) walk in, and the look that Brooks gives them is just mind-blowing. I cannot imagine better acting; she's defiant and yet bemused, passionate and yet detached.


    • Another great example is in act four, when the son tells her he can't live without her. Her eyes are captured so perfectly by Pabst, who adds a sparkle in their reflection which is almost demonic, and yet she has such tenderness as puts his head in her lap.


    • On the surface it may seem to be a morality tale, but it's not with the way Pabst directed it, and this includes the wise casting of Brooks over Marlene Dietrich (who was apparently literally in Pabst's office when Brooks finally agreed to take the part). Lulu, Brooks's character, is never judged for pursuing pleasure. During her trial it's the prosecutor who likens her to Pandora, but the comparison is hollow, and we don't really believe it. The sexuality of the character is so natural it's presented as a sort of purity, which is a very rare thing in films of the period (or any period).


    • By contrast, it's the male characters who are portrayed as evil, and it's because their pleasures are all tainted by exploitation, greed, or violence. There's the hypocrisy of Kortner's character who carries on with Brooks but tells his son, she's not the kind of girl one marries, and then later asks her to kill herself. Her first 'patron', an old man (Carl Goetz) who likely took advantage of her when she was a child, and who has no moral qualms about her prostituting herself late in the movie. The son, who starts off pure (so much so that Brooks comments "Alwa is my best friend, the only one who never wants anything from me. Or do you want nothing from me because you don't love me?"), but who we later see addicted to gambling, despondent, and not defending her. The trapeze artist (Krafft-Raschig) who blackmails her, and in one scene leans over her ominously with a giant alligator appearing over his head, mounted to the wall in the background. Another acquaintance who tries to sell her to a creepy Egyptian brothel owner, claiming that he's "looking out for her" because the authorities won't think of searching for her in Cairo. And then of course the final man she encounters, who initially is so stunned and touched by her kindness that he shows her real tenderness, though ultimately he can't control himself. It's all pretty damning, and more an indictment of the male of the species.


    • Pabst has lots of great moments too, getting the most out of this story and telling it in a pretty creative way. The scene of the Kortner confronting Brooks on their wedding day when he finds her old patrons and his son playing around with her has the camera drifting ever so slightly in and out of focus, just as we can imagine him reeling from all of his emotions. The accidental shooting, with that beautiful work of art we see first on the left at a dramatic angle, and then in the background. And lastly, the handling of Brooks in that scene at the end, starting with her flashing that radiant smile with a sparkle in her eyes on the way up to her room, then later gazing at the candle with her chin on her hand and looking upward, and finally a remarkable restrained murder scene with just her hand falling away. It's brilliant, and Pabst continuing on with this to see the celebration of Christmas and people singing 'Hark the Herald Angels Sing' really adds contrast and heightens pathos. The feeling conveyed is not one of well, she deserved it for her wantonness, it's sadness that such a pure creature has been so abused and snuffed out.


    • The openness of the lesbian character (Alice Roberts) is refreshing, and in keeping with the lack of moral judgment present in the film. As an aside, from reading 'Lulu in Hollywood', my understanding is that Roberts refused to look at Brooks with the requisite lust, and Pabst had to shoot her looking at him and then cut that in. Regardless, Roberts and Pabst were breaking new ground here.


    • Lastly, aside from the great acting, Brooks is simply iconic in this film. Her short bob and bangs look had considerable influence at the time, and according to TCM's Ben Mankiewicz, was also studied and leveraged by Liza Minelli for Cabaret (1972). She's also very stylish in her wedding dress, at the trial in widow's garb, as well as when her hair is not in bangs to disguise herself while on the run.


    Great actress, great film.
    • gbill-74877
    • Dec 10, 2018
    • Permalink

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    FAQ17

    • How long is Pandora's Box?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • February 22, 1930 (Japan)
    • Country of origin
      • Germany
    • Languages
      • None
      • German
    • Also known as
      • Pandora's Box
    • Filming locations
      • Nero-Film Studio, Berlin, Germany(Studio)
    • Production company
      • Nero-Film AG
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $53,485
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $9,950
      • Jun 18, 2006
    • Gross worldwide
      • $62,971
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 49 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Sound mix
      • Silent
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Louise Brooks and József Bottlik in Die Büchse der Pandora (1929)
    Top Gap
    What is the Italian language plot outline for Die Büchse der Pandora (1929)?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    You have no recently viewed pages
    Get the IMDb app
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    Follow IMDb on social
    Get the IMDb app
    For Android and iOS
    Get the IMDb app
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • License IMDb Data
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2024 by IMDb.com, Inc.