The German silent film released in 1929 that stars Louise Brooks as Lulu is Pandora’s Box.
Directed by Georg Wilhelm Pabst, Pandora’s Box is a German film based primarily on plays by Frank Wedekind, especially Earth Spirit and Pandora’s Box. Louise Brooks plays Lulu, a charismatic and destructive central character whose relationships drive the drama. The film is widely regarded as one of Brooks’s defining performances.
Although its title comes from the Pandora myth, the film is not a direct retelling of Hesiod’s story. It uses the mythic phrase as a metaphor for Lulu’s impact and for the chain of consequences surrounding her life. The movie was made during the late silent-film era, shortly before sound cinema became dominant.
The title is sometimes confused with later films or with the original Greek myth itself. The 1929 production is specifically a German silent drama directed by Pabst, and Louise Brooks’s performance is central to its lasting reputation.