The Classic Horror Films (1. The Golden Age of Classic Horror Films. INTRODUCTIONHorror was one of the cornerstones of the burgeoning cinema of the 1. Why this should be is a profound question.

Perhaps it was because the horror story translated more successfully to the silent film stage than many forms of drama. After all, the horror story has often been much like a morality play or a familiar fairy tale. We do not need to hear the lines; the emotions and motivations of the actors are felt by all. Certainly, horror films of the silent era and into the early years of the sound motion picture (and even to the present day?) exhibit a heightened air of melodrama which is not always fairly attributable either to the material or to the quality of the performances. With the advent of sound, the horror film underwent a transformation and the craft of the film, the methods of producing the effect of terror or horror, became more subtle, and more personal. Carl Laemmle's Universal Pictures was the major force in the early years of the horror cinema, touting such names as Lon Chaney, Sr., Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, Claude Rains, and Lon Chaney, Jr., but other studios, RKO Radio Pictures, Metro- Goldwyn- Mayer, and Paramount also contributed significant works to the canon.

Many of the familiar classics of this period must be recognized for their importance in the history of the genre, yet I confess to being less impressed by some of these (e. Frankenstein) than with the lesser known efforts of the period like The Mystery of the Wax Museum and Dracula's Daughter. Even in these early years a large volume of celluloid was generated which is not worth watching, usually for matinee features and serials, although the available venues for such junk were far fewer than today. In the case of major production features, the criticisms I have are sometimes a little unfair.

Films of this period should be judged with a discernment which takes consideration of the style of the period; often melodramatic, ananchronistic in language, often ostentatious and having pretentions of high stage drama, disturbed by attempts at comic relief where none is wanted by contemporary audiences, and after 1. Hays Office and the Motion Picture Production Code (MPPC). If these limitations are understood in their proper context, these older works can be viewed less critically. Notwithstanding this apology, there are some, particularly those produced before 1.

They are the true classics, worthy efforts by the standards of any age. In these Classics of the 1.

Directed by Peter Duffell. With John Bryans, John Bennett, Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing. An anthology of four horror stories revolving around a mysterious rental.

They are morality plays in many cases; the post- modern rite of exorcism. They represent the restoration of order in society at a time when western civilization still clung with failing strength to attitudes, virtues and beliefs of a banished past, of Victorian empires and Western frontier expansion, of boundless opportunity and hope for the future; when the real horrors of the Great War and its aftermath had shattered that illusion and the whole world began to sense, dimly but certainly, that what the future held was worse still.

As the nuclear age dawned in the late 1. LINKS TO THE OTHER PAGESA complete linked alphabetical index of all the films on this site, plus links to other sites. The post- war renaissance of horror, with the emerging masters of British horror cinema, Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee, and the new American icon, Vincent Price. From House of Wax to Frankenstein - the True Story. Kaze No Stigma Episode 15 English Dub. From the passing of gothic cinema, through the modern evolution of contemporary horror to the reemergent Neo- Gothic of the 1.

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From Romero's Night of the Living Dead to Stephen King's The Shining. From the resurgence of interest in remaking the classics to a new renaissance of independent films. From The Blair Witch Project onwards.

Pandora's Box (1. Wikipedia. Pandora's Box (German: Die Büchse der Pandora) is a 1. Germansilentmelodrama film based on Frank Wedekind's plays Erdgeist (Earth Spirit, 1. Die Büchse der Pandora (1. Directed by Austrian filmmaker Georg Wilhelm Pabst, the film stars Louise Brooks, Fritz Kortner and Francis Lederer. Brooks' portrayal of a seductive, thoughtless young woman whose raw sexuality and uninhibited nature bring ruin to herself and those who love her, although initially unappreciated, eventually made the actress a star.

Lulu (Louise Brooks) is the mistress of a respected, middle- aged newspaper publisher, Dr. Ludwig Schön (Fritz Kortner). One day, she is delighted when an old man, her "first patron", Schigolch (Carl Goetz), shows up at the door to her apartment. However, when Schön also arrives, she has Schigolch hide on the terrace. Schön breaks the news to Lulu that he is going to marry Charlotte von Zarnikow (Daisy D'ora), the daughter of the Minister of the Interior.

Lulu tries to get him to change his mind, but when he discovers the disreputable- looking Schigolch, he leaves. Schigolch introduces Lulu to Rodrigo Quast (Krafft- Raschig), who wants her to join his new trapeze act. The next day, Lulu goes to see her best friend Alwa (Francis Lederer), who happens to be Schön's son. Schön is greatly displeased to see her, but comes up with the idea to have her star in his son's musical production to get her off his hands. However, Schön makes the mistake of bringing Charlotte to see the revue. Showtime Full Justin And The Knights Of Valour Online Free. When Lulu refuses to perform in front of her rival, Schön takes her into a storage room to try to persuade her otherwise, but she seduces him instead.

Charlotte finds them embracing. A defeated Schön resigns himself to marrying Lulu.

While the wedding reception is underway, he is disgusted to find Lulu playfully cavorting with Schigolch and Quast in the bedchamber. He gets his pistol and threatens to shoot the interlopers, but Lulu cries out not to, that Schigolch is her father! Schigolch and Quast thus escape. Once they are alone, Schön insists his new wife take the gun and shoot herself. When Lulu refuses, the gun goes off in the ensuing struggle, and Schön is killed. At her murder trial, Lulu is sentenced to five years for manslaughter. However, Schigolch and Quast trigger a fire alarm and spirit her away in the confusion.

When Alwa finds her back in the Schön home, he confesses his feelings for her and they decide to flee the country. Countess Augusta Geschwitz (Alice Roberts), herself infatuated with Lulu, lets the fugitive use her passport. On the train, Lulu is recognized by another passenger, Marquis Casti- Piani (Michael von Newlinsky). He offers to keep silent in return for money.

He also suggests a hiding place, a ship used as an illegal gambling den. After several months however, Casti- Piani sells Lulu to an Egyptian for his brothel, and Quast blackmails Lulu for financing for his new act. Desperate for money to pay them off, Alwa cheats at cards, but is caught at it.

Lulu turns to Schigolch for help. He has Geschwitz lure Quast to a stateroom, where she murders him. Schigolch, Lulu, and Alwa then flee. They end up living in squalor in a drafty London garrett. On Christmas Eve, driven to prostitution, Lulu has the misfortune of picking a remorseful Jack the Ripper (Gustav Diessl) as her first client. Though he protests he has no money, she likes him and invites him to her lodgings anyway. Schigolch drags Alwa away before they are seen.

Jack is touched and secretly throws away his knife. Inside, however, he spots another knife on the table and cannot resist his urges. Unaware of Lulu's fate, Alwa deserts her, joining a passing Salvation Army parade. Plot notes. There is no real explanation given in the film for Schigolch's relationship with Lulu, but it has been suggested he is or was her pimp.[1] In the source plays by Frank Wedekind, Schigolch is possibly Lulu's father. Production[edit]Pandora's Box had previously been adapted for the screen by Arzén von Cserépy in 1. Germany under the same title, with Asta Nielsen in the role of Lulu.[1] As there was a musical, plays and other cinema adaptations at the time, the story of Pandora's Box was well known.[1] This allowed Pabst to take liberties with the story.[1]Director G. W. Pabst searched for months for an actress to play Lulu.

On seeing Brooks as a circus performer in the 1. Howard Hawks' film A Girl in Every Port, Pabst tried to get her on loan from Paramount Pictures.[2] His offer was not even made known to Brooks by the studio until she left Paramount over a salary dispute. Pabst's second choice was Marlene Dietrich; [2] Dietrich was actually in Pabst's office, waiting to sign a contract to do the film, when Pabst got word of Brooks' availability.[3] In an interview many years later, Brooks stated that Pabst was reluctant to hire Dietrich, as he felt she was too old at 2. Pabst himself later wrote that Dietrich was too knowing, while Brooks had both innocence and the ability to project sexuality, without coyness or premeditation.[3]In shooting the film, Pabst drew on Brooks' background as a dancer with the pioneering modern dance ensemble Denishawn, "choreographing" the movement in each scene, and limiting her to a single emotion per shot.[3] Pabst was deft in manipulating his actors: he hired tango musicians to inspire Brooks between takes, coached a reluctant Alice Roberts through the lesbian sequences, and appeased Fritz Kortner, who did not hide his dislike for Brooks.[3] During the first week or two of filming, Brooks went out partying every night with her current lover, George Preston Marshall, much to Pabst's displeasure. When Marshall left, a relieved Pabst imposed a stricter lifestyle on his star. Reception[edit]This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it.(May 2.

On December 2, 1. The New York Times called "Pandora's Box.. The reviewer found Brooks "attractive", but her expressions "often difficult to decide", and concluded it was "filmed far better than the story (deserved)".[4]The film was re- discovered by critics in the 1. Watch Anger Management Online Etonline more. Modern critics now praise Pandora's Box as one of the classics of Weimar Germany's cinema, along with The Cabinet of Dr.

Caligari, Metropolis, The Last Laugh, and The Blue Angel.[1][5] Film critic Roger Ebert reviewed the film in 1. Brooks' presence that "she regards us from the screen as if the screen were not there; she casts away the artifice of film and invites us to play with her". He included the film on his list of The Great Movies.[6] The film currently has a 9. Rotten Tomatoes.[7]The film is notable for its lesbian subplot in the attraction of Countess Augusta Geschwitz (in some prints Anna) to Lulu. The character of Geschwitz is defined by her masculine look, as she wears a tuxedo.

Roberts resisted the idea of playing a lesbian.[1]The title is a reference to Pandora of Greek mythology, who upon opening a box given to her by the gods released all evils into the world, leaving only hope behind. This connection is made explicitly by the prosecutor in the trial scene. French version[edit]In France, the film was significantly re- edited, making Alwa's secretary and the countess become Lulu's childhood friend. Lulu is found to be not guilty at her trial, and there is no Jack the Ripper character, as the film ends with Lulu joining the Salvation Army.[2]Home video[edit]In the United Kingdom, Pandora's Box was released on DVD on June 2. Second Sight Films.[8][9]In North America, Pandora's Box was released on a two disc DVD set on November 2. Criterion Collection.[1. Four soundtracks were commissioned for the film's DVD release: an approximation of the score cinema audiences might have heard with a live orchestra, a Weimar Republic- era cabaret score, a modern orchestral interpretation, and an improvisational piano score.[1.

See also[edit]References[edit]Notes^ abcdefgh. Pandora's Box (Commentary). G. W. Pabst. New York, New York: The Criterion Collection. CC1. 65. 6D. ^ abc. Pandora's Box (Booklet).