Louise Brooks plays Lulu in Georg Wilhelm Pabst’s 1929 film Pandora’s Box. Lulu is the film’s central figure, a captivating woman whose relationships drive the story’s escalating drama.
The character comes from Frank Wedekind’s stage works Earth Spirit and Pandora’s Box. Pabst combined material from both plays in his film adaptation, which presents Lulu as both socially disruptive and constrained by the people and institutions around her.
Brooks’s performance became the defining feature of the film’s later reputation. Her short dark haircut, expressive physical acting, and controlled screen presence made Lulu one of silent cinema’s most recognizable characters. The performance also helped revive interest in Brooks after the film’s initial release.
Lulu should not be confused with Pandora from Hesiod’s Greek myth. The shared title signals themes of desire, danger, and consequences, but the 1929 film is a modern dramatic adaptation rather than an ancient mythological narrative.