Click here to hear other silent film stars speak. I love Louise Brooks. The woman is a masterpiece! Though I've heard some people whine about it, I'm pretty sure "Pandora's Box" is one of the greatest films ever made. I seen it twice during the summer (one event was the last performance of Bob Mitchell) and by the time Christmas threw up all over The Grove well...all I could think about was the Jack Ripper scene.
Its a shame for most of her career Louise was stuck in b pictures, usually being the best thing about the whole affair. As the years wore on so did Louise's rebellion. She had a streak of rebellion; often ruining herself moments after something good happen (such as the dance tour with her second husband; it ended about two weeks in.) People claim personas are just that, that actors really DO want the spotlight. Louise didn't. She took to movies and gave them up without a thought when she was on the brink of stardom (its shocking to say now but Louise was not a major US star during silents.) Her final film almost seems like a cruel afterthought. Made in 1938 it just blows your mind on concept alone.
Louise Brooks was a masterpiece all around: gorgeous, brains, fashion, that attitude. To watch it just blows all your senses...its an icon defaced: *boom* she has that long hair *boom* she's talking to freakin JOHN WAYNE *boom* She seems like a goody 40s girl, a housewife ready to go 'Oh Joe' and bake a pie.
In fairness though Louise had been out of pictures since the early 30s. Its still heart wrenching for me to know she went out in a b picture like that (for the record she was 4th banana, AND no one knew who John Wayne was during that time...). Someone said she resembles Greta Garbo with the new hair do. I think it looks like a cross between Garbo and Veronica Lake. Hair is hair (and admittedly I HATED the curled do in "Pandora's Box"), but its her spunkiness that's missing.
Slightly less depressing is this talkie clip below from 1931's "God's Gift to Women" in which Louise catfights with the adorable Joan Blondell
Wow...I gotta see this movie now...I mean seriously what guy would whine like that with Joan Blondell and Louise Brooks in his bed? Pansy (reminds me of Tony "Leeeennna, my Leeeennna". I'd smack him.) Louise still has her bobbed cut, so its less shocking. She also still seems to have some spunk to her, looking more like a minx than a Kansas haus frau.
Many people know Louise's voice from her later years, including "Looking for Lulu". Even though every film was a dud its nice to have some of her talkie acting to view. I admire the hell out of that woman. She was greater than Garbo, she was greater than anyone else...and she could have had a career to match. But she said 'fuck it' and went her own way.
Talkie Career
*Windy Riley Goes to Hollywood, 1931 (Click here to purchase)
*It Pays to Advertise, 1931
*God's Gift to Women, 1931 (Click here to purchase)
*Empty Saddles, 1936 (Click here to purchase)
*King of Gamblers, 1937 (Louise's scenes were deleted)
*When You're in Love, 1937 (Click here to purchase)
*Overland Stage Raiders, 1938
Not surprisingly only one of these films (Windy Riley) is officially on DVD. The rest are bootlegs (Overland Stage Raiders was on EBay for awhile, might pop up again someday). Its kinda nice to know you could view almost everything but It Pays to Advertise.
Verdict: Silents or Talkies?
Greta Garbo was too pretty for silents. Gloria Swanson (who Louise ruled was 'over' by Zaza) was equally good in both mediums. Clara Bow (who Louise admired) is fun in both mediums as well. In Louise's case its hard to imagine her 20s self translating to a talkie. She's so iconic without ever saying a word, it may be cliche but its almost as if she doesn't need them.
However I don't think she was a bad talkie actress either. Had she been less...contentious...she might have done great work in talkies. She reminds me so much of Veronica Lake in her talkies, and well...Veronica did nothing easy either. Louise had so much talent she probably could have done anything from comedy to 'femme fatal' (a type she and Garbo helped evolve from the vamp). Just a shame there wasn't more. Verdict: Silents. BUT...we missed out in talkies.
1 comments:
The big problem with Brooks in this film is while she's a beauty she hasn't any charisma in the part- Blondell is much better.The reason that Toto (Frank Fay) is whining when confronted with Brooks and Blondell is that his doctor told him (falsely) that if women get him excited it will be too much for his heart and he'll die. Frank Fay was a very talented comedian but never really found a film vehicle that used his particular personality, though they contain flashes. He had one huge stage hit- playing Elwood Dowd in "Harvey" and you can catch some of that personality in his last film "Love Nest".
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