Pandora’s Box – Opera North Review

• 1st Nov 2012

Pandora’s Box has had a short tour in the UK this season, with a brand new musical accompaniment. To turn the narrative to the first person for a moment, I don’t need to bat any eye lids at the mere mention of Louise Brooks as I am too busy finding out where, where and how to get there. Why this fascination?

Well you have to turn the clock back to the spring of 1994 where I was a short time away from turning 18 and studying Media at Suffolk College.  Often I and a band of merry friends (read, black leather clad rock fans) would take afternoon excursions down the duel carriageway to Colchester for some alternative shopping needs. On a quick trip into one of the few film memorabilia shops they had there I was perusing the type of materials I could afford back then (Namely cheap magazines and postcards) when I came across one with the rather striking dark bobbed-haired beauty. I barely paid any attention to the name of G.W.Past above the title of the film the card was representing. Instead I found the name of the girl and become immediately taken in by her femme fatale like qualities. She was posed with a glass (I imagined her to be at some sort of cocktail/champagne party due to her dress and the way she held the glass – all topped off with a shimmering, yet gentle smile on her face. She was up to no good! And it didn’t look likely that anyone was going to get the better of her). The title of the film Diary of a Lost Girl.

A quick purchase later (I still have the card, although for reasons that escape me I seemed to think that trimming it into a square was a good idea) and my obsession began. Back then the internet did not exist, so I had to ransack the film section of libraries to learn all I could about Louise Brooks. I discovered I could also get books on the actress.  To keep the story short – almost 20 years later I have several books (sometimes in more than one version), various memorabilia (stills, art cards, posters), started up a facebook appreciation page and have attended screenings for three (sadly only three) of her films on more than one occasion each – including the BFI’s Louise Brooks season celebrating 100 years since her birth back in 2006.

Now the buying of merchandise has quietened down, but I do get a certain amount of glee whenever I see her image used in film, television or in various shops I may frequent. But when one of the films is being screened I have to jump at the chance, especially when there is a new musical accompaniment

Louise Brooks made a strong enough impact on cinema to still have a few of her films doing the rounds at art house cinemas. Known for her striking look and her playful nature on screen as a tragic femme fatale to die for, the highlight of this onscreen persona came in G.W. Pabst’s Pandora’s Box. The story is of a young prostitute, Lulu, who manages to destroy the lives of everyone around her merely by being the object of their desires.

The film has lost none of its charm. Brooks is still very alluring in her graceful and playful interpretation of Lulu (originally taken from a stage play). For this special screening at the Islington Town Hall, a new musical accompaniment has been composed by Icelandic composer Jóhann Jóhannsson, cellist and composer Hildur Gudnadóttir, Clarinet player Dov Goldberg and turntablist Philip Jeck. What was interesting was to see in the packed venue a wide variety of people through what seemed like different ages, sexes and even class, all chattering excitedily about what was about to unfold. The musicians took to the stage and opened the credits of the film dramatically with Piano, Synth, Cello and Wind.

There was then a very minimalist approach taken to the opening sequence where we are introduced to many of the main players. The brooding sound perhaps forgoes any of the humour on screen as Lulu entertains her clients – dropping one off at the door whilst the next one arrives. The music is a slowly building cloud of steamed tension. This works great for Lulu’s relationship with her main love interest, but does not match the almost silly intercut comedic appearance of others – including a yapping dog.

The next segment of the film which shows Lulu backstage between performances at a theatre is much more on the money and the tension in the film is built with style and momentum.

It is obvious y this point that the composers have segmented the film. With these first two main acts into the film there has been both an equal share of what really hits and what misses. The remainder of the film is reflected by this as it equally succeeds and fails. The scores biggest failing is also perhaps the films. The long sequence where Lulu and her remaining group of friends are banded together on a ship, desperate to escape or buy their way out of their troubles is perhaps the most elongated section of the narrative and is in need of an editor to hasten the plot on. The score written for this sequence is also equally slow and plodding making the sequence almost excruciatingly long to the point of tedium.

The quality of the film – despite an opening disclaimer about restoration work having been done is in serious need of patching up. The picture is still very dirty and is in need of a proper polish. In fact a Blu-ray full on picture clean up might actually aid the look in terms of getting close to what the director may have wanted us to see. The risk there of course is that you take away the silent era quality. But when you do see some of the clearer shots of the film, it’s obvious that it could work very well as a finely tuned B/W feature; non-least because of Brooks beauty.

This musical accompaniment will not be for everyone. In fact it may well offend purists of the era. But there was a time when this film was released on Video and the sleeve notes indicated that a good backing soundtrack may be from a group like The Orb (which still baffles me to this day. But then this was an era where dance and electric music was the height of fashion for half of the nation). Some segments work very well for the mood of the scene, whereas others really do outstay their welcome and grate patience.

Brooks and Pabst went directly on to make Diary of a Lost Girl which Brooks then followed up with Prix De Beaute. All three of these films crop up every now and again, and more recently an earlier film, Beggars of Life also got the new soundtrack treatment via the Dodge Brothers.

Musical accompaniment is helping to reinterpret old silent classics, much in the way a theatre production can interpret a play. This musical interpretation is simply the latest for Pandora’s Box. With Brooks’ profile still floating on the surface it can only be a matter of time before another fan takes to the music sheets and composes something else. With this we can have a continued response to her work, and more importantly, the work stays very much in the public eye.

So did this screening affect me?  Well I did go online the day after and made sure to buy the most recent edition on DVD from the US which comes with a selection of scores. Oh and Prix De Beaute and Diary of a Lost Girl. Call me reinvigorated.

Steven Hurst