Louise Brooks (November 14, 1906 August 8, 1985)

I was dutifully reminded by Miss Lisa Dabbs on my Facebook the other day that 27 years ago on this August 8th the great Louise Brooks was found dead of a heart broken down slowly by time. Normally I do something on her birthday -- such as last November when I impulsively watched all her films that I possessed -- but usually I don't think much about the day that people disappear from this world as it just seems a wee bit too sad. But the kernel had been planted and so I set about tracking down one of the only two films of hers that still exist that I hadn't seen and as luck would have it I managed a viewing of Prix de Beaute from 1930.

For reasons obvious to those with a smattering of knowledge of her films Prix de Beaute is a far better choice to my other unseen film the little trifle known as Overland Stage Raiders from 1938 which humorously has recently been released on Blu Ray of all things. Oh yes by all means...attend to minor quibbles because they starred a very young John Wayne and not pieces of art starring Miss Brooks that are forced to float around via crappy burned copies from film fans. Are you proud of yourselves now? Are You? Dumb ass punks...not that I wouldn't mind giving it a spin of course and for the record Miss Brooks despite her penchance at times for snootiness, found John Wayne to be a primal force of man hunky goodness. But then again though she considered herself very well educated and cultured, she did tend to highly prize people she felt were simple but honest in their intentions -- which lend itself to her high admiration for the emotionally fragile but blissfully pure Clara Bow.

Prix de Beaute was based on an idea by Rene Clair & G.W. Pabst and directed by Augusto Genina who does an outstanding job of not only constructing a solid film that belies its age with its subtle and restrained approach to acting, but he really knows how to shoot Louise Brooks in a manner in which only Pabst seem to be able. A large part of this is no doubt due to the presence of one of the best cinematographers ever to grace this planet namely Rudolph Maté a frequent collaborator with G.W. Pabst. Both these men really know how to allow Louise Brooks to alternatively light up the film with her lively, exuberant, personality just as effectively as they let her convey a contrasting tone of sorrow and disappointment through body posture and through something as simple as the sinking and dropping of the eyes allowing her character to convey much information which had heretofore been hidden. No small feat considering that apparently Miss Brooks somewhat overdid herself with the alcohol consumption on this particular film...but then this was a lifelong issue with her carried over from her rough early teen years.

Horrifically dubbed at the last second in order to be the first French talkie, the film's imagery is richly symbolic, stark, raw and primal and works infinitely better as a silent film and I found I enjoyed it a lot more if I simply turned off the sound and, as it's naturally dubbed in French, just let the subtitles act as a superior substitute for traditional intertitles used in the silent medium. The story is simple but effective in which Louise Brooks stars as bored typist Lucienne Garnier whose longs for a different life but her boyfriend André (Georges Charlia) is fine with a simple dutiful girlfriend. She impulsively enters a beauty contest and before she can reconsider her decision she quite naturally wins the local contest and goes on to easily win the ensuing larger beauty contest bringing with it many admirers and fame with various levels of desire and lust. But this sits very poorly with her boyfriend who greatly disapproves of the very idea of beauty contests and out of love she reconsiders but this decision ends up making her ultimately miserable. Eventually she is pulled back into the world of glamour...but her boyfriend is not quite willing to let her go leading up to a positively stunningly realized denouement.

Really an impressive film that, though it does have its faults, they seem minor in the face of its inherent beauty and overall superb execution -- especially that damn ending which is just incredible. Though simply plot, I think it's too easy to ignore the way in which the film deftly handles the ability to make nobody really the bad guy here and explore the inherent falsehood behind many dreams and wishes. Both Lucienne and Andre are mild egotists that want their dreams achieved but with not quite enough consideration towards how this will affect their partner. Obviously Andre has the much bigger problem with the nature of their relationship, but still it's important to note how false and possibly destructive Lucienne's naive lean towards fame bring with it.

Despite the bang-up ending that many who writer about the film tend to focus on for reasons that are obvious and fully understandable. Despite that bit of brilliance what struck me initially was early in the film when the young couple is having a novelty picture taken and without any explanation Louise Brooks eyes just drift away and sink as her face very slowly seems to collapse under the weight of her apparent unspoken unhappiness with the status of her life. It's just tiny moments like that which made me think highly of this film and it's easily one her best after those pesky works of art by Pabst quitenaturally. Not that Wellman's Beggars of Life is anything to sneeze at mind you but Louise just doesn't quite get enough to do in that film due to the very large presence of Wallace Beery. Wellman's film definitely has a far better story and some brilliant moments, but visually Prix de Beaute is far more compelling that allows Louise Brooks to fully express herself.

So happy right now to have watched the bloody film because I'm still typing and typing though I feel physically horrible but I just don't give a damn.

.