Frank Wedekind wrote the 1904 play Pandora’s Box, later adapted for the 1929 film.
Wedekind’s play is the second part of his Lulu drama, following Earth Spirit. It continues the story of Lulu, a socially disruptive character whose relationships expose conflicts involving sexuality, class, respectability, and control. The play was controversial because of its subject matter and its criticism of bourgeois social conventions.
G. W. Pabst’s 1929 silent film Pandora’s Box drew on both Lulu plays. Louise Brooks played Lulu, creating a screen performance that helped preserve Wedekind’s work in international film culture.
The play should not be confused with Hesiod’s ancient Greek account of Pandora. Wedekind borrowed the Pandora’s Box title for a modern drama; he did not write a retelling of the Greek creation myth. The shared title is the main connection between the works.