Customer Reviews

Louise Brooks Looking for Lulu

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This 1998 film is narrated by Shirley MacLaine (of "John Goldfarb Please Come Home" 1965 fame). We get to know Louise Brooks from her own words and those that met her. There is some great stock footage and in the end you feel that you know her better and that she actually talked to you.

The ne3xt time you watch her movies you will see them through new eyes and a new appreciation for her acting style.

This is a wonderful documentary with many interviews of personal friends and co-workers as well as famous celbrities today such as Dana Delany and Roddy McDowall. It is narrated wonderfully by Shirley MacLaine. I agree that it is a bit too short, I found myself longing for more - Lousie Brooks is such a fascinating woman in so many ways.
If you're a fan, or you've just became curious about Louise Brooks, then you must get this DVD. It's based on the book by Barry Paris and really lets you see into the life of this charming and usual woman. I love Louise Brooks and I love this DVD.

this is a great documentary about this talented woman whos was tortured... by her looks? by her brains? louise brooks is a great cult figure in europe. a denishawn dancer who turned into a follies glamour girl, than later an ingenue in silent movies who cemented her well deserved place in movie history with her explicit performance of "lulu" in "pandora's box". i don't think america was quite prepared for such a woman... much too open about her sexuality... beside her madonna looks like a pensionist nun... but the "industry" punished her for her freedom... can you imagine a movie star ending as a sales girl in bloomingdales? or (as some biographers mentioned) as an "escort"? her essays are among the most intelligent ones ever written about hollywood.
this documentary is superbly well researched. one is introduced to this girl and becomes fascinated by the woman she turned into... rare scenes from an elderly brooks are a treasure as well as some "talkie" scenes from "the canary murder case"... a "must" for every movie lover... i definitely recommend it!!!
ricardo leitner

Louise Brooks flashed across the magic flickering Silver Screen for oh so brief a moment, only to fall back into almost forgotten lost history. "Louise Brooks: Looking For Lulu" is a earnest documentary hosted by Shirley MacLaine. It features clips from her dazzling early career, her spotty movie roles, and amazingly, an interview with the once notorious super-star herself. The bouncy teen from Kansas landed in Hollywood in the early 1920's ready to change the world. Her defiant, trenchant attitude didn't suit the studio bosses, but Paramount Pictures smelled stardom, and signed her immediately. Several bouncy roles followed, all featuring the black-haired vixen with the special coif. But Louise's temprament soon pushed her away from the meaty film roles she might have attained. She went to Berlin in 1926 to star in a dark tragedy for German director G.W. Pabst. She portrayed a flighty young dancer, romancing lovers, young and old, rich and penniless. She stands trial for an accidental murder, which occurs during one of her trysts. The proceedings go poorly, and she flees to London, with her young companion, played by Francis Lederer. Her life soon descends into poverty and despair, ending with a fateful meeting with none other than Jack the Ripper. The movie is rich in mood and mystery, featuring an ealy lesbian relationship(banned in the United States). The film was called "Pandora's Box". Brooks's last film(in 1937) was as a b-film co-star in a cowboy movie starring a newcomer named John Wayne. Brooks life took a turn for the worse as well. Her final interview, years later in a Manhattan flat, is breathtaking. Re-discovered by cinema historian James Card, Brooks served out her final days with grace and dignity. This marvelous DVD presents an accurate re-telling of the Hollywood career, and it's eventual pitfalls. Louise Brooks is a cinema icon. Would that this halcyon star might shine forever.

It is amazing that all the information provided about this one time potential star was ferreted out. She was a tremendously amazing lady. The narration by Shirley MacLaine sounds like she closely identifies with Louise's character. I just recently learned that Louise is my second cousin so I was "blown away" that there is so much on the Internet concerning Louise. Louise was my Mother's (Mary Brooks) first cousin and my Mother lived with Louise's parents in Wichita, KS in the early 40's. I was never told of Louise until recently as it was obviously unseemly to live the Free Spirited life that Louise obviously subscribed to. I am fascinated by this video as I have a daughter that has similar characteristics and we always wondered where the genes came from. Absolutely fascinating stuff from my vantage point and I will always wonder why I never heard anything about this marvelous woman until 3-4 years ago and I am 56 years old. What a bloody shame!!! A must read for anyone who entertains an interest in women with a zest for life. Killer Video!!!

Louise Brooks is without a doubt, the most beautiful woman ever to become involved in Hollywood films. It is too bad that Hollywood did not have the talent to realize what an asset she could be. Her claim to fame was the three films she made in Europe. (Two in Germany and one in France.) Once you have discovered Louise, you will reject all others.

This is a must see for anyone remotely interested in the cinema. Louise Brooks for me is the most beautiful creature ever captured by a camera and this biography follows her from a child to the end. Even as a child she was simply luminous. There are no actresses today who can hold a candle to her.

The biography is excellent - succinct, simple, straight forward, down to earth and to the point. It is not a star worship vehicle. We get Louise and all her problems. It is fascinating. It covers New York in the early 1920s (Louise was thrown out of a hotel for 'promiscuity'!), the introduction of the talkies, the flapper era, Berlin in the 1920s, Marlene Dietrich (who Louise does not appear to like!), and all her movies.

It is also horribly sad. All the people who disowned her - though Roddy McDowall comes over as a genuine friend.

It also proves that it isn't always the so called big stars of their day who become icons and are remembered. I wonder who we will look back on - Tom Cruise and the awful Sandra Bullock or someone we don't even appreciate right now?

It is also a dreadful warning to any young girl who wants to be a star. Louise was 17 when she made it big in New York and she was dreafully misunderstood and used. Child abuse was taboo back then and her adult behaviour was never treated or understood. Today we can see her behaviour as a direct result of the abuse she suffered.

But back to the video. It is beautifully presented. There are scenes from Louise's movies, stills, photos of her family, interviews with her relatives, and a rare interview with Louise herself. And while it does leave you desperate for more it is an excellent introduction and had me rushing out to by Kenneth Tynan's book and all her videos. It covers so much ground in a short time and while it may seem it is all over too quickly it's because the script is just so succinct. We learn as much about the advent of the talkies in 3 minutes as we do in the whole of Singing In The Rain, and about Berlin in 2 minutes than in the whole of Cabaret, and how the studios treated their actors and other actors treated their colleagues than all the other tomes I have read!

Also, Shirley Maclaine's narration is stunning. Matter of fact and very subtle. One of the best things she's ever done! I really do believe that Shirley had her heart in this project.

I have watched it over and over again. Even if you have never heard of Louise Brooks and aren't really bothered to find out about her, there are lessons for life in Louise's story and I am sure none of you will be disappointed.

This is a must see for anyone remotely interested in the cinema. Louise Brooks for me is the most beautiful creature ever captured by a camera and this biography follows her from a child to the end. Even as a child she was simply luminous. There are no actresses today who can hold a candle to her.

The biography is excellent - succinct, simple, straight forward, down to earth and to the point. It is not a star worship vehicle. We get Louise and all her problems. It is fascinating. It covers New York in the early 1920s (Louise was thrown out of a hotel for 'promiscuity'!), the introduction of the talkies, the flapper era, Berlin in the 1920s, Marlene Dietrich (who Louise does not appear to like!), and all her movies.

It is also horribly sad. All the people who disowned her - though Roddy McDowall comes over as a genuine friend.

It also proves that it isn't always the so called big stars of their day who become icons and are remembered. I wonder who we will look back on - Tom Cruise and the awful Sandra Bullock or someone we don't even appreciate right now?

It is also a dreadful warning to any young girl who wants to be a star. Louise was 17 when she made it big in New York and she was dreafully misunderstood and used. Child abuse was taboo back then and her adult behaviour was never treated or understood. Today we can see her behaviour as a direct result of the abuse she suffered.

But back to the video. It is beautifully presented. There are scenes from Louise's movies, stills, photos of her family, interviews with her relatives, and a rare interview with Louise herself. And while it does leave you desperate for more it is an excellent introduction and had me rushing out to by Kenneth Tynan's book and all her videos. It covers so much ground in a short time and while it may seem it is all over too quickly it's because the script is just so succinct. We learn as much about the advent of the talkies in 3 minutes as we do in the whole of Singing In The Rain, and about Berlin in 2 minutes than in the whole of Cabaret, and how the studios treated their actors and other actors treated their colleagues than all the other tomes I have read!

Also, Shirley Maclaine's narration is stunning. Matter of fact and very subtle. One of the best things she's ever done! I really do believe that Shirley had her heart in this project.

I have watched it over and over again. Even if you have never heard of Louise Brooks and aren't really bothered to find out about her, there are lessons for life in Louise's story and I am sure none of you will be disappointed.

Accidentally catching "Looking For Lulu" on television sparked my interest in Louise Brooks. This insightful documentary captures your attention beginning to end with wonderful silent film clips and interview clips from an elderly Louise. WONDERFUL!

'Looking For Lulu' is a well made documentary of silent star Louise Brooks. The film's makers have used the one hour running time to very good effect - there is no padding or wasted time on this DVD. The documentary is written by Barry Paris who has also penned highly acclaimed books of this great actress. But of course 60 minutes is not long enough to fully cover Ms Brooks' career, let alone her entire life. Ideally, I would have liked to see a documentary twice this length, but the hour we do get is extremely interesting. Shirley MacLaine does a fine job narrating the DVD, which is also scattered with movie clips, photos and anecdotes from those who knew Louise Brooks. The most fascinating feature is interview clips of Louise herself - filmed in 1976 when Ms Brooks was in her late sixties. These are quite revealing. On the technical side, I was slightly disappointed by the DVD's (lack of) special features. The only extra feature is a filmography - just a list of Louise Brooks' films with no additional information given. What would have made this disc really special is a gallery showing the photos used in the documentary plus any others the makers could get their hands on. One other aspect of the DVD that leaves you wanting more is the picture quality of some of the old silent film clips - they are truly exceptional. There is clearly the potential for video companies to release high quality prints of Louise Brooks' work. Let's hope some of her films appear on DVD soon.