Opportunities: International Film Festival Summit

Dec 4, 2011

International Film Festival Summit (December 4–6, 2011), held in Austin, Texas, is the largest international organization representing the film festival industry. The IFFS mission is to promote and strengthen the global film festival industry through education, networking, dissemination of information, and the cultivation of high standards. This year's featured topics include Anatomy of a Festival: South by Southwest, Programming: The Fine Art of Film Selection, Marketing Strategies: Integrating Social Media and Technology, The Festival Mission, Sponsorship Strategy, Box Office Technology Solutions, among others. Notable speakers include Richard Linklater (Before Sunrise, Before Sunset), as well as SFFS' very own Steve Jenkins, Sarah Cathers, and Linda Butler. DEADLINE: Register by September 25, 2011 to receive discounted rate. WEBSITE: filmfestivalsummit.com/iffshome.html.

Essential SF: Karen Larsen

Michael Fox
Oct 31, 2011

Universally warm sentiment is attached to the Bay Area's hardest working indie/art film publicist.

Essential SF: Karen Larsen

Michael Fox
Oct 31, 2011

Universally warm sentiment is attached to the Bay Area's hardest working indie/art film publicist.

Essential SF: Karen Larsen

Michael Fox
Oct 31, 2011

Universally warm sentiment is attached to the Bay Area's hardest working indie/art film publicist.

CNN: "Steve Jobs Led the Way in Pop Culture"

Oct 6, 2011

"As chairman and chief executive officer of Pixar," reports Lisa Respers France, "Jobs led the way in marrying the endless possibilities of technology with the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry." More at cnn.com.

SFFS Film Arts Forum

Sep 27, 2011

SFFS's bi-monthly forum and industry show-and-tell makes its first appearance at Film Society Cinema this Tuesday. Panel discussion will be moderated by music rights exec Brooke Wentz and feature Kim Aubry of Zoetrope Aubry productions alongside Academy Award-winning soundmen Michael Semanick and Richard Beggs. More info at sffs.org.

SFFS Film Arts Forum

Sep 27, 2011

SFFS's bi-monthly forum and industry show-and-tell makes its first appearance at Film Society Cinema this Tuesday. Panel discussion will be moderated by music rights exec Brooke Wentz and feature Kim Aubry of Zoetrope Aubry productions alongside Academy Award-winning soundmen Michael Semanick and Richard Beggs. More info at sffs.org.

‘Aurora’ Startles, Subtly

Dennis Harvey
Sep 15, 2011

Unhurried, character-driven story demonstrates the filmmaking finesse that’s brought Romanian cinema to the fore. Though it had made an occasional international impression before—notably with a long history of Cannes entries and prize winners—few could have anticipated the splash Romanian cinema would create in the last few years. Or that the attention paid it would bring a number of often long, difficult, obtuse movies out of their usual habitat (the festival circuit) into theaters around the world. The collapse of Communism and execution of Romania's quarter-century dictator Nicolae Ceausescu in 1989 freed the filmmaking industry from strict governmental control and propagandic content. But it took until the middle...

‘Aurora’ Startles, Subtly

Dennis Harvey
Sep 15, 2011

Unhurried, character-driven story demonstrates the filmmaking finesse that’s brought Romanian cinema to the fore. Though it had made an occasional international impression before—notably with a long history of Cannes entries and prize winners—few could have anticipated the splash Romanian cinema would create in the last few years. Or that the attention paid it would bring a number of often long, difficult, obtuse movies out of their usual habitat (the festival circuit) into theaters around the world. The collapse of Communism and execution of Romania's quarter-century dictator Nicolae Ceausescu in 1989 freed the filmmaking industry from strict governmental control and propagandic content. But it took until the middle...

Susannah Greason Robbins on Growing the City’s Film Industry

Jackson Scarlett
Aug 22, 2011

The San Francisco’s Film Commission's executive director offers notes on new incentives for production in the city.

Susannah Greason Robbins on Growing the City’s Film Industry

Jackson Scarlett
Aug 22, 2011

The San Francisco’s Film Commission's executive director offers notes on new incentives for production in the city.

Susannah Greason Robbins on Growing the City’s Film Industry

Jackson Scarlett
Aug 22, 2011

The San Francisco’s Film Commission's executive director offers notes on new incentives for production in the city.

Susannah Greason Robbins on Growing the City’s Film Industry

Jackson Scarlett
Aug 22, 2011

The San Francisco’s Film Commission's executive director offers notes on new incentives for production in the city.

Susannah Greason Robbins on Growing the City’s Film Industry

Jackson Scarlett
Aug 22, 2011

The San Francisco’s Film Commission's executive director offers notes on new incentives for production in the city.

Susannah Greason Robbins on Growing the City’s Film Industry

Jackson Scarlett
Aug 22, 2011

The San Francisco’s Film Commission's executive director offers notes on new incentives for production in the city.

Pagnol's Foodie Oeuvre Appreciated in East Bay

Max Goldberg
Aug 11, 2011

Pacific Film Archive serves a full course of films by Marcel Pagnol.

Pagnol's Foodie Oeuvre Appreciated in East Bay

Max Goldberg
Aug 11, 2011

Pacific Film Archive serves a full course of films by Marcel Pagnol.

Pagnol's Foodie Oeuvre Appreciated in East Bay

Max Goldberg
Aug 11, 2011

Pacific Film Archive serves a full course of films by Marcel Pagnol.

'Shoes' on the Other Feet at SF Silent Film Festival

Dennis Harvey
Jul 14, 2011

San Francisco Silent Film Festival features the work of the most important female director of the silent era, Lois Weber.

'Shoes' on the Other Feet at SF Silent Film Festival

Dennis Harvey
Jul 14, 2011

San Francisco Silent Film Festival features the work of the most important female director of the silent era, Lois Weber.

'Shoes' on the Other Feet at SF Silent Film Festival

Dennis Harvey
Jul 14, 2011

San Francisco Silent Film Festival features the work of the most important female director of the silent era, Lois Weber.

Roko Belic Charts Path to ‘Happy’

Susan Gerhard
Jul 6, 2011

A former Bay Area filmmaker travels the world in search of the secrets of contentment.

Roko Belic Charts Path to ‘Happy’

Susan Gerhard
Jul 6, 2011

A former Bay Area filmmaker travels the world in search of the secrets of contentment.

Roko Belic Charts Path to ‘Happy’

Susan Gerhard
Jul 6, 2011

A former Bay Area filmmaker travels the world in search of the secrets of contentment.

A City’s Smutty History, Embraced

Julia Barbosa
Jun 21, 2011

Stabile film at Frameline, Tribeca and, soon, YBCA, looks at San Francisco’s sex-film history.

A City’s Smutty History, Embraced

Julia Barbosa
Jun 21, 2011

Stabile film at Frameline, Tribeca and, soon, YBCA, looks at San Francisco’s sex-film history.

A City’s Smutty History, Embraced

Julia Barbosa
Jun 21, 2011

Stabile film at Frameline, Tribeca and, soon, YBCA, looks at San Francisco’s sex-film history.

A City’s Smutty History, Embraced

Julia Barbosa
Jun 21, 2011

Stabile film at Frameline, Tribeca and, soon, YBCA, looks at San Francisco’s sex-film history.

A City’s Smutty History, Embraced

Julia Barbosa
Jun 21, 2011

Stabile film at Frameline, Tribeca and, soon, YBCA, looks at San Francisco’s sex-film history.

A City’s Smutty History, Embraced

Julia Barbosa
Jun 21, 2011

Stabile film at Frameline, Tribeca and, soon, YBCA, looks at San Francisco’s sex-film history.

A City’s Smutty History, Embraced

Julia Barbosa
Jun 21, 2011

Stabile film at Frameline, Tribeca and, soon, YBCA, looks at San Francisco’s sex-film history.

A City’s Smutty History, Embraced

Julia Barbosa
Jun 21, 2011

Stabile film at Frameline, Tribeca and, soon, YBCA, looks at San Francisco’s sex-film history.

Fandor Partners with Microcinema International and Kino Lorber

Jun 7, 2011

Press release: Fandor, a new on-demand provider of independent films, along with distributors Kino Lorber and Microcinema International, today announced it is pioneering the coordinated theatrical and digital premier, a first for the industry. The first film to be released under the coordinated theatrical and digital premier paradigm will be the June 15 re-release of 'David Holzman's Diary.' More at microcinema.com and fandor.com.

New Approaches Embolden Doc Genre

Karen Everett
May 17, 2011

Nonfiction filmmakers are re-engaging audiences with an entrepreneurial spirit and a focus on creative narrative strategy.

New Approaches Embolden Doc Genre

Karen Everett
May 17, 2011

Nonfiction filmmakers are re-engaging audiences with an entrepreneurial spirit and a focus on creative narrative strategy.

New Approaches Embolden Doc Genre

Karen Everett
May 17, 2011

Nonfiction filmmakers are re-engaging audiences with an entrepreneurial spirit and a focus on creative narrative strategy.

Nonfiction's Future Lies in Optimism

Karen Everett
Mar 15, 2011

A new crop of filmmakers are building audiences by showing nonfiction doesn’t have to be depressing to reveal hard truths.

Nonfiction's Future Lies in Optimism

Karen Everett
Mar 15, 2011

A new crop of filmmakers are building audiences by showing nonfiction doesn’t have to be depressing to reveal hard truths.

Nonfiction's Future Lies in Optimism

Karen Everett
Mar 15, 2011

A new crop of filmmakers are building audiences by showing nonfiction doesn’t have to be depressing to reveal hard truths.

Hollywood Reporter: New Film Site Fandor Launches

Mar 10, 2011

Hollywood Reporter: ""What the film industry desperately needs is a merger of social networks and content," says Ted Hope, the celebrated producer of American Splendor and dozens of indie hits at Sundance and elsewhere. That's why he just joined former Facebook chief privacy officer Chris Kelly on the board of Fandor, the indie film streaming site built by Dan Aronson and Jonathan Marlow, a veteran of Amazon and GreenCine. After several months in beta (trial-run mode), Fandor made its full-fledged debut Wednesday," writes Tim Appelo. More at hollywoodreporter.com.

De Oliveira's 'Angelica' Balming, Enlivening

Dennis Harvey
Jan 7, 2011

'The Strange Case of Angelica' finds Manoel de Oliveira, at 102 years old, in fine form.

De Oliveira's 'Angelica' Balming, Enlivening

Dennis Harvey
Jan 7, 2011

'The Strange Case of Angelica' finds Manoel de Oliveira, at 102 years old, in fine form.

De Oliveira's 'Angelica' Balming, Enlivening

Dennis Harvey
Jan 7, 2011

'The Strange Case of Angelica' finds Manoel de Oliveira, at 102 years old, in fine form.

'Vincent: A Life in Color' Star and Director in Person

Dec 16, 2010

One man’s bridge is another man’s catwalk in this inspirational documentary about Chicago’s most eccentric fashion model, Vincent P. Falk, whose spectators aren’t industry icons but passing by boats. Director Jennifer Burns and star Vincent P. Falk in person at the Red Vic. More at redvicmoviehouse.com.

Stiller's 'Sir Arne's Treasure' Brought Back to Life, Musically

Dennis Harvey
Dec 10, 2010

The Mountain Goats offer an original score for Mauritz Stiller's rambunctious adventure-turned tragedy/morality tale of 1919.

Stiller's 'Sir Arne's Treasure' Brought Back to Life, Musically

Dennis Harvey
Dec 10, 2010

The Mountain Goats offer an original score for Mauritz Stiller's rambunctious adventure-turned tragedy/morality tale of 1919.

Stiller's 'Sir Arne's Treasure' Brought Back to Life, Musically

Dennis Harvey
Dec 10, 2010

The Mountain Goats offer an original score for Mauritz Stiller's rambunctious adventure-turned tragedy/morality tale of 1919.

Season's Screenings Bring out Best Films of the Year

Dennis Harvey
Nov 24, 2010

The year closes with six weeks of strong foreign and arthouse awards-seekers as well as solid franchise holiday entertainments.

Season's Screenings Bring out Best Films of the Year

Dennis Harvey
Nov 24, 2010

The year closes with six weeks of strong foreign and arthouse awards-seekers as well as solid franchise holiday entertainments.

Season's Screenings Bring out Best Films of the Year

Dennis Harvey
Nov 24, 2010

The year closes with six weeks of strong foreign and arthouse awards-seekers as well as solid franchise holiday entertainments.

Copyright Crosses Borders

George Rush
Nov 16, 2010

Laws and treaties protect artists' rights overseas and make the permissions-gathering process all the more important for filmmakers.

Copyright Crosses Borders

George Rush
Nov 16, 2010

Laws and treaties protect artists' rights overseas and make the permissions-gathering process all the more important for filmmakers.

Copyright Crosses Borders

George Rush
Nov 16, 2010

Laws and treaties protect artists' rights overseas and make the permissions-gathering process all the more important for filmmakers.

New Italian Cinema Puts Focus on Ferzan Ozpetek

Dennis Harvey
Nov 14, 2010

'When in Rome,' or outside it: NIC offers fresh voices, new locations.

New Italian Cinema Puts Focus on Ferzan Ozpetek

Dennis Harvey
Nov 14, 2010

'When in Rome,' or outside it: NIC offers fresh voices, new locations.

New Italian Cinema Puts Focus on Ferzan Ozpetek

Dennis Harvey
Nov 14, 2010

'When in Rome,' or outside it: NIC offers fresh voices, new locations.

New Italian Cinema Puts Focus on Ferzan Ozpetek

Dennis Harvey
Nov 14, 2010

'When in Rome,' or outside it: NIC offers fresh voices, new locations.

'Left in the Dark' Photographer and Essayists in Person

Oct 30, 2010

Celebrations of photographer R.A. McBride’s and Julie Lindow's elegiac ‘Left in the Dark: Portraits of San Francisco Movie Theatres,' which features photographs cinemas of the past and present matched with scholarly essays on local industry themes, continue. Pacific Film Archive hosts a slide show presentation by McBride and readings by writers including Lindow, Katherine Petrin, Melinda Stone. More at bampfa.berkeley.edu.

Film Arts: How Cinema Was Born by the Bay

Margarita Landazuri
Oct 26, 2010

With Eadweard Muybridge's motion experiments and Niles Essanay's early productions, the San Francisco Bay Area brought the silent film to life.

Film Arts: How Cinema Was Born by the Bay

Margarita Landazuri
Oct 26, 2010

With Eadweard Muybridge's motion experiments and Niles Essanay's early productions, the San Francisco Bay Area brought the silent film to life.

Film Arts: How Cinema Was Born by the Bay

Margarita Landazuri
Oct 26, 2010

With Eadweard Muybridge's motion experiments and Niles Essanay's early productions, the San Francisco Bay Area brought the silent film to life.

Mill Valley's 33rd Launches

Sura Wood
Oct 5, 2010

Mill Valley brings an eclectic collection of indies and world cinema to audiences.

Mill Valley's 33rd Launches

Sura Wood
Oct 5, 2010

Mill Valley brings an eclectic collection of indies and world cinema to audiences.

Mill Valley's 33rd Launches

Sura Wood
Oct 5, 2010

Mill Valley brings an eclectic collection of indies and world cinema to audiences.

SFFS Film Arts Forum: Pitch Perfect

Oct 4, 2010

Learn to hone your movie pitch with help from industry professionals Jennifer Chaiken, Megan Gelstein and Jacob Kornbluth in this panel discussion at Mezzanine moderated by SFFS director of filmmaker services Michele Turnure-Salleo. Three lucky filmmakers will be pitching live; the "laptop shop" film-sharing continues after the program.

Altman Versus the World

Dennis Harvey
Sep 20, 2010

A series at the Roxie mines the fault lines in Robert Altman's varied oeuvre.

Altman Versus the World

Dennis Harvey
Sep 20, 2010

A series at the Roxie mines the fault lines in Robert Altman's varied oeuvre.

Altman Versus the World

Dennis Harvey
Sep 20, 2010

A series at the Roxie mines the fault lines in Robert Altman's varied oeuvre.

Toronto's New Lightbox Offers Transcendence

B. Ruby Rich
Sep 16, 2010

A festival transforms itself and transports audiences with a visionary new theater.

Toronto's New Lightbox Offers Transcendence

B. Ruby Rich
Sep 16, 2010

A festival transforms itself and transports audiences with a visionary new theater.

Toronto's New Lightbox Offers Transcendence

B. Ruby Rich
Sep 16, 2010

A festival transforms itself and transports audiences with a visionary new theater.

'Typeface' Makes Art of a Lost Craft

Adam Hartzell
May 14, 2010

Gary Hustwit s Helvetica turned a font into a fascination, and Justine Nagan's Typeface takes the topic of type one step further by moving into the past.

Sid Ganis on Hollywood South and North

Michael Fox
Feb 28, 2010

From his modest start as a staff writer at 20th Century Fox, Sid Ganis has built an uncommonly long and successful career in Hollywood.

Words from Sundance Staffers: Jennie-Marie Adler

Hilary Hart
Jan 28, 2010

Hilary Hart, who annually holds down the late-night shift at the Egyptian at Sundance, offers interviews with fellow workers at the festival.

Words from Sundance Staffers: Ilya Tovbis

Hilary Hart
Jan 28, 2010

Hilary Hart, who annually holds down the late-night shift at the Egyptian at Sundance, offers interviews with fellow workers at the festival.

Thoughts On the Aughts: Best/Worst Trends

Susan Gerard
Dec 31, 2009

While the U.S. moved from rebuilding decimated skyscrapers to the rebuilding of an entire economy, film moved from the multiplex to the mailbox to the mobile.

Top 10s of 2009: Insiders and Fans

Susan Gerhard
Dec 29, 2009

It was a big year for 3D, but Bay Area critics and film-industry folk found many other dimensions in the cinema of 2009.

Bay Area Narrative Filmmakers Thriving in Doc Capital

Michael Fox
Dec 23, 2009

Michael Fox shows independent filmmakers who are thriving in the Bay Area.

Filmmakers Stuff 'Bag!' With Self-Distribution Dreams

Michael Fox
Dec 15, 2009

Filmmakers Justine Jacob And Alex da Silva release the documentary Ready, Set, Bag!, which follows competitive grocery baggers from across the country.

Coming Around to 'Convergence'

Hannah Eaves
Dec 7, 2009

The 6th Screen: Hannah Eaves compiles some questions about "convergence", the increasingly popular practice of combining television and computer usage. 

Antonelli's 'Crossing Over' and Cooke's Soulful Genius

Michael Fox
Dec 1, 2009

Marin County filmmaker John Antonelli talks about his documentary on influential late singer-songwriter Sam Cooke for PBS's "American Masters" series.

A Challenge to Filmmakers

George Rush
Nov 3, 2009

George Rush skips legal concerns and instead speaks to a larger issue: the lack of quality independent filmmaking today.

French Cinema Now—and then

Dennis Harvey
Oct 29, 2009

Francois Truffaut’s The 400 Blows is being revived as part of San Francisco Film Society’s second annual French Cinema Now festival, which runs the week of October 29 through November 4 at the city’s Clay Theatre.

The Turn-off Sex Cinema of Koji Wakamatsu

Dennis Harvey
Oct 16, 2009

Probably no one pushed the artistic carte blanche of "pink" films further—at least into the realm of serious political engagement—than the Japanese auteur.

Mill Valley Film Festival's 32nd

Dennis Harvey
Oct 9, 2009

The program offers a surprisingly potent mainstream industry presence, with tributes to A-list types more frequently seen at the multiplex than at the art house.

Josef von Sternberg Gem

Dennis Harvey
Aug 12, 2009

Josef von Sternberg's The Salvation Hunters caused a small sensation within the industry when it appeared, and is visually assured time capsule of urban poverty.

Recession-Proof Theaters, to a Point

Michael Fox
May 14, 2009

Arthouse theaters like The Roxie, Red Vic and The Balboa resist the economic downturn and adjust calendars to meet audience demands.

SFIFF52: Movie-Scribe Meltdown

David Winks Gray
May 2, 2009

SF360.org interviews film critics about the changing landscape of film criticism. A panel discussion and screening of For the Love of Movies: The Story of American Film Criticism will take place on Sunday, May 3, at 6 p.m.

SFIFF52: 'The Professionals' Unites Filmmakers

Michael Fox
Apr 28, 2009

The Professionals an ambitious array of panels, case studies and discussions, makes its debut as a forum for encouraging Bay Area moviemakers to engage with guests and colleagues.

SFIFF52: Lourdes Portillo, Persistence of Vision Award Recipient

Robert Avila
Apr 27, 2009

The San Francisco-based and internationally acclaimed documentarian Lourdes Portillo speaks about her work; she wins the 52nd San Francisco International Film Festival Persistence of Vision Award.

Livin' la Vida Arnold with Lyndall Grant

Justin Juul
Mar 23, 2009

When a challenge turns into opportunity: the Bay Area professional tribute artist talks about how he managed to leverage his striking similarity to Arnold Schwarzenegger into a successful acting career.

Wendy Levy on the Politics of Participation

Susan Gerhard
Jan 12, 2009

Levy offers thoughts on the program she's presenting at Sundance and what's being called the "New Documentary Movement."

The Year in Film, 2008: Top Unreleased Films

Susan Gerhard
Dec 30, 2008

Bay Area filmmakers, critics and industry pros list their favorite unreleased films of 2008.

Bursting with 'Button'

Dennis Harvey
Dec 23, 2008

Dennis Harvey reviews The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

Greenscreen Envy

Hannah Eaves
Dec 5, 2008

The Sixth Screen: Senior Director of Marketing and Product Management and iFanboy producer and co-host Ron Richards talks about Revision3, the next generation of TV.

'Discovering Teuvo Tulio'

Dennis Harvey
Dec 4, 2008

The Pacific Film Archive shows Discovering Teuvo Tulio, a four-film retrospective of works from Finland's master of over-the-top melodrama in the 1930s and '40s.

Toronto 2008: Slow Food, Fast Festival

B. Ruby Rich
Sep 12, 2008

Every year, people grumble. Every year, someone points out how much worse it is than before. And every year, there are films that pull everyone out of the doldrums and guarantee it all continues. Welcome to this season’s Toronto International Film Festival.

Argentina's New Wave at Frameline

Matt Sussman
Jun 19, 2008

A look at the films in the 32nd San Francisco International LGBT FIlm Festival indicates the rise of Argentina's new wave.

Dawn and David Katznelson

Miriam Wolf
Jun 2, 2008

Katznelson, a co-founder of the Dawn festival at the Contemporary Jewish Museum, sat down to talk about Judaism, culture, film and the festival.

SFIFF51: Barry Jenkins' San Francisco Story

Michael Fox
Apr 26, 2008

Medicine for Melancholy is a graceful and poignant film about fleeting urban connections, black identity and invisibility, cultural adventures and this gentrified city's lost soul.

SFIFF51: California Newsreel at 40

Erika Young
Apr 21, 2008

Founded in 1968, San Francisco-based Newsreel is the oldest nonprofit, social-issue documentary film center in the U.S.

SFMOMA's "Nonwestern Westerns" Series

Dennis Harvey
Mar 26, 2008

A series of films at SFMOMA present an outsiders take on the outmoded American staple, the Western.

Berlin & Beyond at 13

Michael Fox
Jan 10, 2008

The Goethe-Institut's festival offers a pointed reminder that Germany, Austria and Switzerland aren't just in the center of Europe, but in the middle of international cinema.

Sean Uyehara Talks S.F. International Animation Festival

Eve O'Neil
Nov 7, 2007

SFFS programmer Sean Uyehara gives some perspective on the shifting dimensions of animated filmmaking.

Otto Motives, A Preminger Perspective

Dennis Harvey
Nov 30, 2006

The director, producer and sometime actor enjoyed a painless ride from well-off circumstances to well-connected beginnings to one of Hollywood's biggest names for decades.

Teshigahara at The Castro

Dennis Harvey
Nov 23, 2006

Filmmaking was just one among many creative outlets for Japanese multimedia artist Hiroshi Teshigahara.

InDplay and The New Art of Film Distribution

Justin Juul
Nov 20, 2006

The Redwood City-based startup InDplay is like an online dating service for the film industry.

Reopening "Pandora's Box"

Dennis Harvey
Nov 7, 2006



Many stars are forgotten for a while, then “rediscovered” and newly appreciated by a later generation. But the case of Louise Brooks is somewhat unique — she was, really, only a “star” in retrospect. Her Hollywood profile was headed that-a-way when she foolishly (according to the industry) abandoned it to make a couple European movies. When she returned, her moment had passed.



A paltry if promising career and early dead-end-at the time, it constituted barely a blip on the radar. Yet those European films grew in stature over ensuing years, and with that the gradual realization that Brooks had been one of the great screen presences, however briefly. Her striking look — porcelain skin, alert features, sleek jet-black flapper bob — and naturalistic acting haven’t dated at all.



As a result, it seems there’s more interest in her with each passing year. The latest evidence is critic and historian Peter Cowie’s new book “Louise Brooks: Lulu Forever,“ published in time to commemorate the centenary of her birth. He’ll be signing copies and presenting a special commemorative film program at the Balboa this Sunday. The evening promises a rarely screened feature, a short and trailers showcasing Brooks, as well as “special guests, door prizes and more.” (Cowie will also appear the prior night at the Smith Rafael Film Center to screen a new 35mm print of her best-known vehicle “Pandora’s Box.”)



Why the fuss? Why, indeed, is there such a thing as The Louise Brooks Society (which is co-presenting this event with The Booksmith)? The explanation is all on-screen, in any role where she wasn’t entirely wasted.



Kansas-born Brooks started out as a dancer, first in touring troupes and then in Broadway revues. This led to Hollywood in 1925, where bit parts led steadily to larger ones, finally female leads in two good 1928 Paramount releases: Howard Hawks’ rollicking “A Girl in Every Port” and William Wellman’s more delicate “Beggars of Life.”



She hadn’t set the world on fire yet, but was certainly expected to graduate from starlet to star. Paramount was not pleased, however, when she chose — just as “talking pictures” were becoming the rage — to end her contract and accept a silent-film offer in Germany. This was G.W. Pabst’s “Pandora’s Box,” drawn from Franz Wedekind’s play “Lulu,” and with beguiling lack of affectation she played that titular seducer/destroyer of both men and women, herself finally destroyed by Jack the Ripper. Perhaps even better (if less shocking) than that famous classic was a second Pabst movie, “Diary of a Lost Girl,” in which her victimized innocent is indelibly touching. She also starred as an exploited beauty-contest winner in a French film, 1930’s “Prix de Beaute.” These are all wonderful movies in which she was superb. But for a long time they were little seen outside their home countries — particularly in the U.S., where silent cinema was already stone-cold-dead.



Returning to Hollywood, Brooks was now — at age 24 — a has-been. She unwisely turned a couple good offers and accepted a handful of humiliatingly poor ones, including bit parts. Those few who remembered her considered her “difficult” and past expiration date. Her last movie role was a nondescript heroine in a nondescript 1938 “Z” western, “Overland Stage Raiders” — one of a zillion such that John Wayne starred in before becoming an “A”-list star.



Found living in seclusion in the mid-‘50s, Brooks was surprised and delighted that latterday film buffs not only remembered but worshipped her. She returned the favor by writing very intelligently about her own movies and the art form in general (mostly famously in the essay collection “Lulu in Hollywood,” which is still in print). She admitted sabotaging her own career as readily as she enjoyed her new iconic status in retirement, dying at a no doubt satisfied age 80 in 1985 — secure in the knowledge that her legend would continue to grow.



[“Pandora’s Box” plays Sat., Nov. 11, at 7 pm, Smith Rafael Film Center, 1118 4th St., San Rafael. $6.25-9.50. (415) 454-1222. “Celebrating Louise Brooks: An Evening of Rare Films,” issues Sun., Nov. 12, at 7:30 pm, Balboa Theatre, 2630 Balboa, SF. $6-8.50. (415) 221-8184.]

Would Football By Any Other Name Smell As Sweet?

Susan Gerhard
Jun 30, 2006

Bay Area soccer fans offer their takes on the best football films.

The Outsiders

Susan Gerhard
Jun 14, 2006

Sheerly Avni talks about his book, Cinema by the Bay, a rich, visual history of San Francisco Bay Area filmmaking.