Louise Brooks

by Barry Paris

Book Overview

The true story of "Lulu"--the dancer, flapper, movie star, libertine, drunk, critic, and cult figure whose life, both on and off screen, epitomizes an era for thousands of film fans. 106 halftones and line drawings.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0394559231
• ISBN13: 9780394559230
• Release Date: October 1989
• Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
• Length: 609 Pages
• Weight: 2.37 lbs.

Customer Reviews

A true original

Louise Brooks was never as famous in her day as other female actors like Colleen Moore and Clara Bow, and in fact most people were more familiar with her face than with her films, but she just had that special something that enabled her to stand the test of time, not only as a cult figure (as when she had a revival in the Fifties and again in the Eighties) but also as a very talented actor in her own right, cult figure or not. And today a lot of female actors who were very famous in her era, like Colleen Moore and the Talmadge sisters, are all but forgotten, while Louise lives on. Mr. Paris, in telling the story of Louise's life, explains just what about her has made her live on long after many other performers of her era have been forgotten by time and the average person off the street. I also particularly liked the chapter "Sound and Fury," with a lot of in-depth information on the coming of sound, and just how many people really were affected by the transition from silent to noise, not just the actors. Title-card writers and musicians were some of the other people in the business affected by it; their jobs were more or less made obsolete altogether. This was not a woman who was interested in making friends and influencing people, and was quite capable of venomously turning on friends and even relatives to whom she'd formerly felt very close and affectionate. You didn't want to get on her bad side. She also had always wanted to be known as a professional dancer, not an actor, and when she had been dragged into motion pictures, she made what many people would consider some foolish decisions, decisions that sometimes cost her important roles that might have advanced her career. Indeed, some of the decisions she made, seemingly based on wanting to get even with the powers that be, put some serious nails in the coffin of her career, though she also made some incredibly risky decisions that in the long run landed her her cult status and lasting appeal (making the three movies abroad for G.W. Pabst, movies which initially bombed and were devastatingly reviewed). Because she refused to play nice and brown-nose the powers that be, she never amounted to much in the talking pictures she made in the Thirties, but her life after she quit motion pictures was just as fascinating. And isn't it preferable to be remembered best for the top-quality pictures you made as opposed to being remembered as and made fun of for having continued to act in increasingly bad movies after you've already become a has-been who won't get the message and retire gracefully?

The Best Star Biography Written

This is arguably the best biography of a film star. Barry Paris has investigated the tempestuous life of Louise Brooks so thoroughly that any other volume on her life would pale by comparison. The book is well written and goes into great detail about Louise Brooks' life and why she seemed to make her suicidal career choices. Mr. Paris also provides his readers with a good background to the world of Louise Brooks. We learn about modern dance when discussing Brooks' invitation to join Denishawn dancers, about George White and the Scandals and Ziegfeld and his Follies when Brooks danced for them and about the silent film world and the struggles of the industry to cope with the advent of sound. Mr. Paris delves deeply into Louise Brooks' relationship with her family and lovers, and devotes a wonderful chapter on G. W. Pabst and the making of Pandora's Box. While reading the book, I was drawn to see her films and enjoyed them much more with the insight provided by Mr. Paris. The working relationship between the actors involved in Pandora's Box was particularly illuminating and I had a greater appreciation of Louise Brooks' performance. The most tantalizing aspect of Louise Brooks is her career suicide. One wonders how she could have so casually ended her career in films when she was an up-and-coming star. She was equally difficult with her dancing partners when she briefly returned to professional dancing, and even her the vain attempts to work as a store clerk. Louise Brooks had an astonishing intellect, so much so that many of the men in her life felt threatened by her but despite her intelligence she was never able to find a satisfying life for herself. Eventually, she found a kind of niche in her writing. Mr. Paris examines all of her contradictions thoughtfully but does not present a definitive conclusion. I liked the way the biography stuck to presenting the life of Louise Brooks without any attempt to moralize or judge; the facts and background are left for the reader to contemplate. I found the book very thought provoking. The book is nicely illustrated, including a short gallery of Louise Brooks' best portraits. This is a fascinating biography of a natural actress who had a loathing for the profession; a woman who could be a good friend and equally suddenly turn against them. This is a book that should not be missed even if someone does not have an interest in silent films.

Best Film Star Biography Ever!

In this fascinating book, Barry Paris paints a portrait of a remarkable woman, warts and all. Unlike many of the many biographies which only serve to inflate a stars already massive ego, this gives you the full story of one of the silent screens most interesting stars - and one whose fame was sadly short lived. Louise Brooks never followed the Hollywood rules, but in doing so ensured that her name would be remembered for more than just her acting. Barry Paris presents her story in a way which makes you want to read on, just to see what Louise does next! If you buy just one book this year, make it this...

Highly readable biography of Louise Brooks

I am one of those who became entranced by Louise Brooks after seeing her in "Pandora's Box". She appeared to be highly sexual, intelligent, and to be marching to the sound of a drummer that she alone heard within herself. It turns out that she was all of this. This is an excellent biography and a lesson about what happens to those who despise the opportunities that life presents to us and to those whose lives are driven by sex rather than common sense. Louise Brooks was a very modern woman despite having been a star of the silent screen. She made only a few films but her performances in those films stand up with the great performances of today and their naturalism makes the acting of most silent screen starlets seem idiotic. While other actresses were concerned with nothing but their looks, Brooks was reading Shaw and Proust. While others did all they could to ingratiate themselves with the movie studios, Brooks had nothing but indifference for them. She turned her back on fame, fortune, and power. She could have had a brilliant career but always sabotaged her chances. She had beauty and incredible sex appeal. She had Chaplin as a lover. She wrote. She lives on today as an image of a woman ahead of her time and also as a tragic waste. Her own difficult personality drove everyone away. Her lack of discipline was childish. She fascinates. This is the best biography we will ever get of her. Recommended.

A Great Biography

An all-emcompassing book for fans of Louise Brooks. It has interesting stories and beautiful photos.