Pandora's Box Reviews

I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this flick but since it seemed to have a decent reputation (it is included in the ‘1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die’ list, among other things), I was quite eager to check it out. Well, even though I did like the damned thing, to be honest, it didn’t completely win me over though. Above all, in my opinion, the whole thing was rather messy. The best example would be the very first scene. Indeed, it felt as if they skipped something as none of the characters were properly introduced. I mean, who was Lulu? Where did she come from? How did she end up in this apartment? Who were all these guys trying to get her attention? After that, a lot of things did happen to her (she even ended up in the arms of Jack the Ripper) but, at the same time, you learn so very little about Lulu after all. Indeed, what was she thinking or feeling during all this? And, yet, the damned thing was still quite spellbinding to behold, above all, because Louise Brooks had such a magnetic screen presence. After watching this movie, it is rather surprising that she didn’t have a great career afterwards (she did become super famous after this movie was released but it didn’t last). Anyway, from the first moment she showed up on the screen, I was just hooked and she was definitely one of the most mesmerizing women I ever saw. There was also something about her acting. At the time, it was apparently misunderstood because she was going for such a naturalistic acting, she was basically ahead of the game for several decades and the audience back then had no idea how to deal with it. Anyway, to conclude, even if the movie itself didn’t really work, it was still pretty good though and it is definitely worth a look if only to discover Louise Brooks.