G. W. Pabst directed the 1929 film Pandora’s Box, a German silent drama adapted from Frank Wedekind’s plays Earth Spirit and Pandora’s Box. The film is also known by its German title, Die Büchse der Pandora.
Pabst cast Louise Brooks as Lulu, the film’s central figure. Brooks’s performance became the movie’s defining feature and helped establish Lulu as one of silent cinema’s most recognizable characters.
The film follows Lulu’s rise through wealthy and theatrical circles, followed by scandal, escape, and decline. Its visual style and frank treatment of sexuality made it controversial as well as influential.
The movie is distinct from the 1951 British-American film Pandora and from the ancient Greek myth. Although all use the Pandora name, they are separate works with different plots, creators, and historical settings.