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Discovering the anti-heroines (Femme Fatales) Dolores Haze, Lola Montes, and Louise Brooks
The young woman with a troubled past is a cliche that appears frequently in both literature and film. Her enigmatic demeanor engages in conversation with the audience, providing them with the assurance of a steady presence as well as the fascination of a riddle. She seems to exude a certain “je ne sais quoi” that distinguishes her from others. This “it” factor appears to be unique to her. Whether this quality is tangible or intangible, it is undeniable that this mysterious “je ne sais quoi” endows her with an air of mystique and a charm that sets her apart from the rest. Anti-heroines serve as a reminder that tenacity is…
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Parallels in Film, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me, Blue Velvet, Lolita, Diary of a Lost Girl, and Pandora’s Box
For those of us who seek to explore the history of film looking for patterns, we have to go deep into cinematographic history. We must go all the way back to the silver screen and leave no stone unturned. We can discover some form of commonality between the five distinct films. As we shall discover, there are certain shared attributes between the films Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me, Blue Velvet, Lolita, Diary of a Lost Girl, and Pandora’s Box. What Are the Patterns in These Films? Perhaps the most discernible and pronounced pattern that connects these five films, is the current of psychoanalytical thought coupled with themes of irrepressible…
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Meet G.W. Pabst, One of Austria’s Greatest Directors
In the blur of the sands of time, certain ghosts from the silver screen rise and fall in and out of obscurity. For those with the gumption to delve into the past, the greats of the silent film world can impart priceless insights. Whether for the sake of filmography research or out of genuine interest in the people themselves, there is always something to discover. Every now and again we like to knock the dust off of the giants of the silver screen and bring them back to life. One such individual, is the mysterious and prolific director, G.W. Pabst. The Great Mr. Pabst Hailing from the heavily forested and…
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Louise Brooks wasn’t just brainy, she was Schopenhauer-brainy
The Unlikely Orbits of Louise Brooks and Arthur Schopenhauer Collide in Time and Space For Every Action… There is an Equal and Opposite Reaction Imagine a silent film actress. Imagine a wildly beautiful silent film actress. Imagine a wildly beautiful silent film star on the set of G.W. Pabst’s lurid, cult classic Pandora’s Box. Between takes, she picks up her worn copy of Schopenhauer’s essays. It is a dense, heady, German Idealist philosophy from the mid-19th century. How does his powerful prose color her experience of the film set? What refractions does she find through that lens? This was Louise Brooks. She possessed a singular drive along with an abundance…
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Louise Brooks – Exclusive Artwork & Memorabilia
All About Brooksie: Discovering the Art of Lulu While Louise Brooks was a symbol of the silent film era, her talents extended beyond the stage and movie set. She was also a writer and accomplished dancer, as well as a symbol of beauty and rebellion. Writer, Dancer, Actress Mary Louise Brooks was born in Cherryvale, Kansas, on November 14, 1906. Brooksie, as she was known throughout her childhood, began dancing with the Denishawn Dancers in 1922 when she was just 16 years old. She was dismissed in 1924 and became a chorus girl in a Broadway series called Scandals. In 1924, Louise left for Europe before returning to New York…
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Louise Brooks, Lolita, and Nabokov: Names, Titles, & Secret Muses
What does compelling evidence amount to in the absence of outright proof? How far does mere suspicion carry you without a frank confession? In a court of law, evidence and suspicion are typically inadequate where securing a desired verdict is concerned. But the court of public opinion is a quite separate phenomenon, indeed. This brings us to the legendary Silent Era film star Louise Brooks (1906-1985), to her brief but monumental on-screen career, to the famous work of literature which may well have drawn inspiration from her captivating persona, and to her unpublished memoir Naked on my Goat, which she inexplicably incinerated after having devoted considerable time to its completion. As…
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What Inspired Nabokov’s Literary Classic Lolita?
The Mysterious Inspiration Behind Vladimir Nabokov’s “Lolita” The brilliant yet somewhat obstinate story of Lolita from Vladimir Nabokov’s 1955 publication often comes up with discussing controversial literary works. The tale focuses on Humbert Humbert, a professor of literature who becomes intimately involved with a pre-teen girl after seducing and marrying her middle-aged, widowed mother. Although stories like this have been a part of literature for centuries, Nabokov’s piece was always considered to be an original work of fiction. Literary scholars have studied this along with his other work over time. However, in 2005, a literary critic created controversy when he made claims that Nabokov’s Lolita wasn’t original and may have even been stolen.…
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Unique Louise Brooks Art & Collectibles
Rising to fame during a time when America was obsessed with the glitz and glam of the dark contrasts of black and white on film, Louise Brooks stood above the rest. Louise brought a sense of rebellious sensuality to silent films, embodying the 1920s flapper culture that women were embracing in retaliation of social norms. Flappers were a social rebellion against what was expected of women in the 1920s in America. Instead of the quiet and reserved housewife that women were expected to portray, both in film and in the home, flappers presented themselves with short bob hairstyles, dark makeup, short dresses, a casualness about sex, and a penchant for…
