News Archives - 2007

The classic 1929 silent film "Pandora's Box" starring the legendary Louise Brooks will close the Augsburg Classic Film Society's series with its showing on Tuesday, April 24 at 8 p.m. in the Sateren Auditorium of Music Hall. A faculty panel will discuss the film at 7:30 p.m.

Directed by G.W. Pabst, "Pandora's Box" catapulted Louise Brooks to international acclaim and made her an icon of the Jazz Age and one of the greatest stars of early films. The film tells the tragic story of Lulu, a dancer and prostitute in London who seems to bring about the downfall of almost everyone she meets. Considered shockingly scandalous in its day, the film remains an icon of filmmaking.

A gem of the silent-film era, "Pandora's Box' arrives at a venue with four different musical scores that can be performed along with the showing. Thanks to Senior Piano Performance major Bri'Ann Wright, Augsburg will be creating its own.

As part of an Independent Study course this semester, Wright and Junior Adrian Moravec have created and will be performing a musical score to accompany Tuesday night's screening of the film. This is a first for the Augsburg campus.

"We have scored the film ourselves. It is a mix of new and period music. The film was done the year after 'The Threepenny Opera' so we've used some pieces from it and have incorporated the rhythmic variation that Kurt Weill used to help us get the feel of 1929, a sort of cabaret and tango sound," says Wright.

Especially exciting is that a good portion of the scoring will be improvised, following the action and tone of the moment in the film. "There is an established theme that the audience will begin to recognize and we will come back to." Wright reports that the process was daunting at first, but throughout the last few weeks has become quite fun. "The Jazz Improvisation, Composition and Piano classes I've had are really helping in the process," Wright adds.

Through the process Wright has developed an appreciation for the silent-film genre and has fallen in love with its captivating star, Louise Brooks. "It is a very provocative film and you can't take your eyes off of Louise Brooks. You just fall is love with her."

"It is a collective of art forms. It is film and music and composition, as well as a theatrical performance. There is camaraderie among the people on screen, the musicians and the audience. It has been a blast."

This event is a collaboration of the Augsburg English, Music and Philosophy departments. Brownies and cider will be served. The showing is free and open to all.