The 1929 film Pandora's Box is primarily adapted from whose Lulu plays?

The 1929 film Pandora's Box is primarily adapted from Frank Wedekind's Lulu plays.

Frank Wedekind was a German playwright whose works Erdgeist, or Earth Spirit, and Die Büchse der Pandora, or Pandora's Box, form the literary basis for the film. Together they trace the rise and collapse of Lulu, a character whose sexuality and independence challenge the social order around her.

G. W. Pabst's movie condenses and reshapes Wedekind's stage dramas for the screen. It preserves the name Lulu and the broad trajectory of the character while using cinematic performance, framing, and editing to create a distinct work. Louise Brooks's portrayal became especially influential in later critical assessments.

The adaptation is sometimes described loosely as a version of the Pandora myth, but that is not its direct source. Wedekind drew on the Pandora association for his title and symbolism, while the narrative belongs to the world of modern European drama. Identifying Wedekind avoids a common confusion with Greek mythology or with unrelated films sharing the same title.