LET'S start with a couple of irrefutable facts shall we? Pandora's Box, directed by GW Pabst and released in 1929, is one of the greatest ever films and a true masterpiece of early German cinema.
Just as irrefutable is the fact that its star, Louise Brooks, is one of the most iconic figures ever to grace the big screen. With her dark bobbed hair and her cool, slightly aloof persona she presented a figure years ahead of the game and one that still holds an odd magnetic presence for audiences to this day.
Pandora's Box, reissued by Eureka Entertainment at the end of this month, captures her at the peak of her charismatic powers. It's a dark melodrama based on a brace of plays by Frank Wedekind that tells the tale of a prostitute called Lulu (Brooks), whose free spirited attitude to sexuality causes chaos for all around her.
When her latest lover, the newspaper editor Dr Ludwig Schon (Fritz Kortner), announces he's ending their relationship in order to marry a woman of better repute and social standing, Lulu is distraught.
After being cast in a musical revue written by Schon's son, Alwa (Francis Lederer), Lulu sets out to seduce Schon one more time. She succeeds, and the newspaper man is left with his plans for a more respectable life in tatters. He then reluctantly marries Lulu, but when he dies on their wedding night, she is charged with his demise and must face years of imprisonment as her punishment.
Helped by her former pimp (Carl Goetz), a lesbian countess who is hopelessly in love with her (Alice Roberts), and Alwa, she flees the scene, but lands herself in ever-worsening worlds of danger which lead to a Christmas Eve confrontation with Jack The Ripper.
As that basic storyline suggests, this is old school melodrama of the highest order: there's an almost soap opera sordidness on show throughout that feels a little sensationalist at times, but thanks to that daring portrayal of sexuality from a female perspective – something that's still rare to this day – and that calm and collected central turn from Brooks shining bright, it still feels remarkably modern and brave in many ways.
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It was, perhaps unsurprisingly, butchered by censors upon release but, over time, it has grown in status. The swathing cuts implemented in 1929 have now been grafted back into the film to leave Pabst's vision of social morality and hypocrisy intact.
This limited edition boxset from Eureka, totalling a mere 3,000 copies worldwide, is a fitting tribute to a ground-breaking production and unforgettable lead role. This is a 1080p HD Blu-ray presentation made from a pin-sharp 2K digital restoration that's making its debut on this side of the Atlantic.
It's got optional English subtitles, a fine orchestral score from Peer Raben and an informative audio commentary from film critic Pamela Hutchinson. There's even a lavish 60-page book to seal the deal, if you're still wavering.
Dynamic in execution and still daring in subject matter, Pandora's Box is a real cinematic gem just waiting to be enjoyed once again.
