Which 1929 German film titled Pandora’s Box starred American actress Louise Brooks?

The 1929 German film Pandora’s Box starred American actress Louise Brooks.

Directed by Georg Wilhelm Pabst, Pandora’s Box is a silent drama adapted from Frank Wedekind’s stage plays Earth Spirit and Pandora’s Box. Brooks plays Lulu, a charismatic woman whose relationships and choices drive the film’s tragic plot. Her bobbed hairstyle and performance became among the most recognizable images associated with late silent cinema.

The film is not a direct screen retelling of Hesiod’s Greek myth. Its title invokes the mythic idea of a force whose release brings destructive consequences, while the story itself centers on Lulu and the social world around her. Pabst’s film is now commonly discussed as a major work of Weimar-era German cinema.

It is sometimes confused with later films that use Pandora in their titles, including the 1951 fantasy drama Pandora and the Flying Dutchman. The 1929 production is distinguished by its silent-film form, Pabst’s direction, and Louise Brooks’s lead performance.