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Endlessly fascinating, dark and bright, The Red Shoes (1948)
employs every branch of the cinematic arts to sweep the audience
off its feet, invigorated by the transcendence of art itself, only
to leave them with troubling questions. Representing the climax of
Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's celebrated run of six
exceptional feature films, the film remains a beloved, if
unsettling and often divisive, classic. Pamela Hutchinson's study
of the film examines its breathtaking use of Technicolor, music,
choreography, editing and art direction at the zenith of Powell and
Pressburger’s capacity for ‘composed cinema’. Through a close
reading of key scenes, particularly the film's famous extended
ballet sequence, she considers the unconventional use of ballet as
uncanny spectacle and the feminist implications of the central
story of female sacrifice. Hutchinson goes on to consider the
film's lasting and wide-reaching influence, tracing its impact on
the film musical genre and horror cinema, with filmmakers such as
Joanna Hogg, Sally Potter, Martin Scorsese and Brian De Palma
having cited the film as an inspiration.
G.W. Pabst's 1929 silent classic Pandora's Box (Die Buchse der
Pandora), stars Hollywood icon Louise Brooks as the enigmatic
heroine whose erotic charms lead to disaster for the men drawn into
her web. Despite failing commercially upon release, it has evolved
into a cult film long after it should have been forgotten.
Pandora's Box captivates audiences with its libidinous, violent
story, and its mysterious heroine whose motivations, as well as
whose guilt or innocence, are difficult to determine. It is a
sophisticated adaptation of Frank Wedekind's Lulu plays, and
indisputably Louise Brooks' finest performance on film. In her
compelling study, Pamela Hutchinson traces Pandora's production
history and the many contexts of its creation and afterlife,
revisiting and challenging many assumptions made about the film,
its lead character and its star. Analysing the film act by act, she
explores the conflicted relationship between Brooks and the
director G.W. Pabst, the film's historical contexts in Weimar
Berlin, and its changing fortunes since its release.
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