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ERA
Did you know
97 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
MoodPlayr · trivia#01
Pandora's Box
1929 2h 21m DE
👍
7.4
SOLID
🔥
93%
CERTIFIED FRESH
⭐
7.7
IMDB
★7.4TMDB · 272🍅93%Rotten Tomatoes★7.7IMDB · 12,144
DramaCrimeRomance
Synopsis
Spoiler shield
The rise and inevitable fall of an amoral but naive young woman whose insouciant eroticism inspires lust and violence in those around her.
“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”
Cast
Louise Brooks
Lulu
Fritz Kortner
Dr. Ludwig Schön
Francis Lederer
Alwa Schön
Carl Goetz
Schigolch
Krafft-Raschig
Rodrigo Quast
Alice Roberts
Countess Anna Geschwitz
Daisy D'Ora
Charlotte Marie Adelaide von Zarnikow
Gustav Diessl
Jack the Ripper
Credits
Behind the camera
- Director
- G.W. Pabst
- Writers
- Ladislaus Vajda, Joseph Fleisler, G.W. Pabst
- Languages
- No Language
- Countries
- Germany
Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.
Did you know?
Fun facts 🍿
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CRAFT
Did you know
Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
MoodPlayr · trivia#02
3 / 6
DIRECTOR
Did you know
Directed by G.W. Pabst, shot by Günther Krampf. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
MoodPlayr · trivia#03
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DIRECTOR
Did you know
Editor Joseph Fleisler shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
MoodPlayr · trivia#04
5 / 6
CAST
Did you know
Louise Brooks and Fritz Kortner and Francis Lederer carry the top of the cast.
MoodPlayr · trivia#05
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WILD
Did you know
IMDB entry: tt0018737 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
MoodPlayr · trivia#06
Cinephile deep dive
The take
G.W. Pabst directs. Günther Krampf behind the camera. Joseph Fleisler cuts. Produced in Germany. Dialogue in No Language.
Trivia
Things worth knowing
- 197 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
- 2Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
- 3Directed by G.W. Pabst, shot by Günther Krampf. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
- 4Editor Joseph Fleisler shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
- 5Louise Brooks and Fritz Kortner and Francis Lederer carry the top of the cast.
- 6IMDB entry: tt0018737 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
- 7Classified under 11 themes, including "london, england", "casino", "loss of loved one", "forbidden love".
The technical file
- Cinematography
- Günther Krampf
- Editing
- Joseph Fleisler
- Costume design
- Bohumil Heš
- Runtime
- 141 min · 2h 21m
- Aspect ratio (typical)
- 1.37:1 (Academy)
- Status
- Released
- Box office
- $885,533
- Original language
- DE
- Certification (US)
- NR
- Rotten Tomatoes
- 93% 🍅 Fresh
- IMDB rating
- 7.7/10 · 12,144 votes
- MPAA
- Not Rated
Awards
1 nomination
Also by
G.W. Pabst
Stills · wallpapers
Selected frames
Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.
Trailers & featurettes
Watch the pieces
Community reviews
What people are saying
- CinemaSerf★ 7/10
Louise Brooks is Peter Pan-esque in this stylishly depicted story of "Lulu". She is beautiful and sexy, and she uses her gifts to effortlessly ensnare the wealthy "Dr. Schön" (Fritz Kortner). When it comes to marriage, however, she is tainted goods and so he becomes affianced to the more suitable "Charlotte" (Daisy D'Ora). He's still the jealous type, though, and is determined she will love no other. To that end he facilitates her joining the theatrical show of his adult son "Alwa" (Francis Lederer), who is none to immune to her charms either! Predictably, this plan only serves to throw oil on the fire and soon the now completely compromised, but smitten, doctor must make a decision he is loathe to - with tragic consequences ensuing for him, and for "Lulu". The performances ooze charisma and personality, the light and shade cleverly create atmospheres of passion, frustration and even some menace as the woman and her life rise and and fall before us. Carl Goetz is quite effective as "Schigolch" - one of her previous examples of collateral damage - as is Krafft-Raschig as the muscle-bound "Quast". By any modern day standard, this is a soap - a very good, well photographed and charming soap - but a soap nonetheless and it stretches the bounds of serendipity and plausibility just once too often for my liking. That said, Brooks turns her hand to just about everything here and is superb - and I did rather enjoy this.
Production companies
Who made it
Nero-Film AG
DE
Key crew
- Art DirectionAndrej Andrejew
- ProducerSeymour Nebenzal
- Art DirectionBohumil Heš
- EditorJoseph Fleisler
- ProducerHeinz Landsmann
- Costume DesignBohumil Heš
- Art DirectionErnö Metzner
- Assistant DirectorPaul Falkenberg
- Theatre PlayFrank Wedekind
- Assistant DirectorMarc Sorkin
Themes & keywords
What it's about, really
- london, england
- casino
- loss of loved one
- forbidden love
- based on play or musical
- femme fatale
- remake
- black and white
- reward
- silent film
- new objectivity
Release history · US
When it landed
- Theatrical1929-12-01NR· New York City, New York
- Physical2024-10-15· The Criterion Collection Blu-Ray/DVD
Also known as
International titles
- LuluDE
- Lulù - Il vaso di PandoraIT
- Lulú, la caixa de PandoraES
- La capsa de Pandora. Variacions sobre el tema de la LuluES
- Pandora'nın KutusuTR
- Pandoranın QutusuAZ
