Pre-1930s Hall of Fame

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Women will be your undoing, Pépé
lol
that kind of settles it, doesn't it? Time to get a watchin
__________________
What I actually said to win MovieGal's heart:
- I might not be a real King of Kinkiness, but I make good pancakes
~Mr Minio



I’ve watched The Unknown and Pandora’s Box, l will try to have them written up soon.



The Unknown

Although it has an interesting plot, The Unknown failed to grab me. I didn't really like any of the characters, and the plot is already fading on me even though I watched it only a day or two ago. What I recall was that there was a very touchy man who would constantly make the woman nervous, and she goes to an armless man (who's not really armless) for protection... but the really sexually aggressive man gets the girl in the end and the man who has his arms cut off to marry her ends up trampled by a horse... both were kind of jerks. The theme/moral really stumped me, I guess it's..."Be really touchy with women and they'll eventually succumb and fall in love with you"...? So, kind of confusing but not actually that bad technically wise.




Pandora's Box

This was a masterpiece, an eight-act descent of a woman from luxury to death - at the hands of Jack the Ripper of all people! Of course this movie is all about sex, and it's so not afraid to be about sex even though there are no real sex scenes. Every man that Lulu meets has some sort of misfortune by the end, and Lulu is a bit of an oblivious witch herself... but I still end up liking her. I think Louise Brooks is absolutely fantastic in Pandora's Box, and she is definitely one of my favorite actors in this time period. We also have - in 1929!!!!!! - A GAY subplot! I never would have thought that, never would that happen in Hollywood, but with these early German films I suppose anything flew. Anyways, big thumbs up (although the plot dragged and lost focus at the end).




Pandora's Box

This was a masterpiece, an eight-act decent of a woman from luxury to death - at the hands of Jack the Ripper of all people! Of course this movie is all about sex, and it's so not afraid to be about sex even though there are no real sex scenes. Every man that Lulu meets has some sort of misfortune by the end, and Lulu is a bit of an oblivious witch herself... but I still end up liking her. I think Louise Brooks is absolutely fantastic in Pandora's Box, and she is definitely one of my favorite actors in this time period. We also have - in 1929!!!!!! - A GAY subplot! I never would have thought that, never would that happen in Hollywood, but with these early German films I suppose anything flew. Anyways, big thumbs up (although the plot dragged and lost focus at the end).

You see Diary of a Lost Girl? Seeing her in that was the reason I picked this one.



You see Diary of a Lost Girl? Seeing her in that was the reason I picked this one.
Nope, but I might nominate that for Part 2 now so I can watch it.



Women will be your undoing, Pépé
sounds intriguing.
I watched Pandora's Box last night and should have a write up in the next day or so. It'll be spoilers galore, most likely.
I definitely liked how they handled certain aspects/situations, camera-wise.





Metropolis, can a film receive five stars based primarily on set design. While that is a little unfair it really is a gorgeous film to look at. But of-course you can't gloss over the performance of Brigitte Helm


Gustav Frohlich is also fairly compeling as a lead those his story is a bit weaker as Freder and I don't think has aged well.

And really that's the only problem you can have with the film is that it has such a strong political message from 100 years ago so you aren't sure what to attribute to it. I loved so many of the set pieces especially the dance number which was intercut with a reaction shot with the bourgeoisie and the religious apocrypha portion.

(perhaps five when I get to the end)



Women will be your undoing, Pépé



Pandora's Box

Dr. Ludwig Schön: [to Alwa] Just one thing, my boy: Beware of that woman!

SPOILERS


One helluva a start for this HoF.

Set up in Acts, which, for a while there, seemed like serious jumps in what was going on, that, at times, I had to do some guesswork at what was what. At times wondering if I would need a second viewing. Though, by the end, the wish for a second viewing would be more for the enjoyment than understanding.
Which is my only critique on this slow spiraling film that seems to ensnare you without you even being away that it has occurred. Only to realize it's too late to do anything about it.
Much like the people who fall for and demand to have Lulu, (Louise Brooks). Who's nonchalant attitude to it all and everyone reminded me of a leaf traversing a turbulent water way. No decisive plan; just where ever, what ever. A carefree spirit cast adrift among cruder individuals. With whom she cavorts like a coquettish kitten.

What I found impressive was how things were implied without ever truly showing anything to the audience.
WARNING: "such as" spoilers below
Lulu's sexual interludes. She is forever on someone's knee, but it never goes past that, ever. Nor does it need to.
The two deaths within this film, Dr. Schon, who tries to force her to kill herself so he doesn't have to murder her; is from behind him and there is a puff of smoke from the gun signifying it had gone off.
And then hers, at the end, with (and I didn't realize that they used the actual name and not a facsimile of him) Jack the Ripper, where all you see is her hand tense up and then slip away. Quite a beautiful shot, that. As well as the ones leading to it. Especially on the stairs when he let's go of his knife before taking her hand.
And the fact that they had, by implication only, a lesbian character whom, like all the rest, was enraptured by Lulu and willing to do anything for her.


On a separate note, which amused me enough to share; being not all that happy with the soundtrack, I opened youtube and played a Louisiana Blues compilation that synced up beautifully for the mood and scenarios in here on quite a few incidences. Including a song ending as an Act finished and the next one started as the Act placard faded. One of my favorite songs fitting the action on screen was where Lulu and an excruciatingly depressed Alwa is shown in London and the lyrics remark about "can it get any harder than this".

I reiterate, one helluva start for this HoF.



So the first and third are the same movie but apparently different versions. Does anyone know if there's much difference and which one I should watch?





So the first and third are the same movie but apparently different versions. Does anyone know if there's much difference and which one I should watch?
I've not seen either version, yet. I read at IMDB this: 'A new version was reissued in 1971 with a new music score composed by Charles Chaplin, who also re-edited the film in order to omit a few scenes featuring the kid's mother. " So the second one must have the omitted scene.


BTW which version of Pandora's Box did everyone watch? There's a 1 hour 49 minute edited version, and there's a restored original version that's 2 hours 13 minutes, I watched the latter.



So the first and third are the same movie but apparently different versions. Does anyone know if there's much difference and which one I should watch?
I've not seen either version, yet. I read at IMDB this: 'A new version was reissued in 1971 with a new music score composed by Charles Chaplin, who also re-edited the film in order to omit a few scenes featuring the kid's mother. " So the second one must have the omitted scene.


BTW which version of Pandora's Box did everyone watch? There's a 1 hour 49 minute edited version, and there's a restored original version that's 2 hours 13 minutes, I watched the latter.
Me too, well, on YouTube there was a 2 hour 11 minute one.



Women will be your undoing, Pépé
I saw mine on ffilms.org which is being a bit faulty today so I can't see what length mine was. I'll let you know.
I do know from what I read about it, it seems to have the preferred version by the director, so it may have been the longer one.




Pandora's Box (1929)

I love that scene where Lulu playfully climbs onto the lap of a man who she thinks is only out for a good time. She has so much youthful joy in her pretty little face, that it makes what happens next, so very memorable.

I really liked Pandora's Box, I don't have a complaint, not one. Louise Brooks was so perfect for this role and I read that the role almost went to Marlene Dietrich. Marlene is great, but I don't see her as Lulu. There's only one Lulu and that's Louise Brooks. She imbibes Lulu with unbridled energy and a real feeling of innocents. Which is odd as she's grown up in dance halls and so has seen and apparently done it all, and yet she's not jaded, nor does she willingly use her feminine charms to get what she wants. To me she's pure of soul as her intentions are altruistic.....Wow! I'm really thinking of Lulu like a real person, see that's how powerful of presences she had.




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Faust was an okay film for me, I felt like it was imbalanced. The first act has the great set designs and compelling characters and then it devolves into a fairly routine home drama. Likely shouldn't have watched this after Metropolis because Murnau's visual limits are fairly glaring next to Lang.


Emil Jannings is Satan, he's fine but I found him to be more comical than menacing and the tonal shifts was sort of an issue for me. You have a fairly dark story and right in the middle of it you get this clown.