Which Frank Wedekind play shares its title with G. W. Pabst’s 1929 film Pandora’s Box?

Frank Wedekind’s play Die Büchse der Pandora shares its title with G. W. Pabst’s 1929 film Pandora’s Box. The film draws mainly on this play and Wedekind’s earlier drama Erdgeist, both centered on Lulu.

Wedekind wrote the Lulu dramas as provocative works about sexuality, morality, social power, and the destructive judgments imposed on women. Erdgeist, meaning “Earth Spirit,” appeared first, while Die Büchse der Pandora continued Lulu’s story and supplied the title that became famous through Pabst’s film.

The film is not a straightforward adaptation of only one play. Pabst combines material from both Lulu dramas, reshaping their events for silent cinema. This is why references often describe the film as based on Wedekind’s Lulu plays in the plural.

Frühlings Erwachen is another well-known Wedekind play, but it concerns adolescent sexuality and repression rather than serving as the direct title source for Pandora’s Box. The shared title belongs specifically to Die Büchse der Pandora.