In the 1929 German film Pandora’s Box, which American actress played Lulu?

Louise Brooks played Lulu in the 1929 German film Pandora’s Box.

The film was directed by Georg Wilhelm Pabst and adapted from two plays by Frank Wedekind: Earth Spirit and Pandora’s Box. Brooks’s performance as Lulu became the defining feature of the movie and helped make it a landmark of silent cinema.

Brooks was an American actress and dancer who had already worked in Hollywood before traveling to Germany. Her short bob haircut and expressive, independent screen presence became closely associated with the film. A common mix-up is confusing this Pandora’s Box with the Greek myth or with the 2009 science-fiction film Avatar, whose moon is also named Pandora.

The film was not originally an English-language production. It is a German silent film, although its visual storytelling allowed it to reach audiences internationally. Modern film historians frequently cite Brooks’s Lulu as one of the most memorable performances of the silent era.