Which two Frank Wedekind plays inspired the 1929 film Pandora’s Box?

Frank Wedekind’s plays Earth Spirit and Pandora’s Box inspired the 1929 film Pandora’s Box. G. W. Pabst’s movie combines material from the two connected dramas about Lulu.

Wedekind wrote Earth Spirit, also known by its German title Erdgeist, and Pandora’s Box as parts of Lulu’s dramatic story. The plays examine sexual double standards, social power, obsession, and the destructive treatment of women. Pabst adapted that material into a silent film starring Louise Brooks.

The title can lead viewers to expect a literal version of the ancient Greek myth, but the film’s source is modern German drama. Its connection to Pandora is thematic: Lulu is treated as a figure whose presence unleashes consequences for the people around her. The two play titles are therefore the precise literary sources, not merely general mythological inspiration.