Frank Wedekind’s Pandora’s Box, adapted into the 1929 film, is a play. It is the second part of Wedekind’s Lulu dramatic cycle, following Earth Spirit.
The play centers on Lulu, whose relationships and sexual independence provoke fascination, jealousy, exploitation, and violence. Wedekind’s work challenged conventional moral attitudes and became influential in later theater, opera, and film.
G. W. Pabst’s 1929 movie combines material from Pandora’s Box and Earth Spirit. It is therefore not a literal filmed version of only one play. Louise Brooks’s performance as Lulu became the best-known screen interpretation of the character.
The title refers to the Greek myth as a metaphor for unleashed consequences. Wedekind’s Pandora is not the ancient figure herself; the connection lies in the idea that one person or action can open a source of trouble that spreads beyond control.