Louise Brooks

See also: Brooks

Louise Brooks is a American actress , born the November 14th 1906 with Cherryvale (Kansas), and dead the August 8th 1985 of an heart attack with Rochester.

Biography

Born with Cherryvale (Kansas) in 1906, of its true name Mary Louise Brooks , this actress with the hair of an ebony black, with the so singular cut, is especially known for its roles in silent films of the Twenties with the the United States but also, for three of its films, in Europe in 1929 and 1930.

His/her parents are somewhat " absents" , and although they give him the taste of the books and the music - his/her mother was a pianist of talent, playing to him Debussy and Satie -, they cannot protect it from sexual abuses on behalf of a neighbor. That will have a major influence on its life and its career - she will affirm later to be unable to really like.

Still teenager, it begins her career from artist as dancer in the revolutionist modern company of dance of Denishawn, where are also Martha Graham, Ruth Saint Denis and Ted Shawn. After its departure because of an estrangement due to its too been obstinated character, it turns to her most influential friends and obtains soon a role of dancer in the Ziegfeld Follies with Broadway, where it is immediately pointed out by the American studios (at the time based with New York) by her great beauty. It signs at Paramount where it will pass most of its career. In 1925, it off obtains a role (not credited) in silent film The Street Forgotten Men . Soon, it obtains the first roles in a certain number of light comedies, playing in particular sides of Adolphe Menjou and W.C. Fields. It is pointed out in Europe thanks to its pivot role of a vamp in silent film of Howard Hawks, a girl in each port (1928).

It finds its best role American in one of last silent films, the Beggars of the life (1928), in the role of a girl of the countryside in escape, with Richard Arlen and Wallace Beery which interprets tramps that it crosses on the way. Rare fact for the time, most of this film is turned in outsides, and the microphonous boom is invented for this film by the realizer William Wellman who needs some to turn one of the first scenes speaking about the cinema.

At this period of its life, it is with the firmament. It is regularly invited in the billionaire William Randolph Hearst, in San Simeon. Its however single hairstyle starts a novel mode, and she is imitated soon by many women in the whole world.

Shortly after the turning of film, Louise, who keeps away carefully from the " milieu" Hollywood, words for silent film The Canary Murder Case refuses to record and leaves for Europe to turn under the direction of G.W. Pabst, celebrates it realizer German expressionnist, putting a term at its career in Hollywood.

In Spitz (1929), its role of Spitz, a miserable woman with the catches with Jack the eventror after a series of escapades salaces, made of it an icon of the life and death during the time jazzy. This film is famous for its believed treatment of sexual manners of then, including the first appearance with the screen of a lesbian. Louise plays then in the discussed sociodrames which are the Newspaper of a lost girl (1929) and Prix of beauty (1930), this last being turned to France and offering an end as shocking as attractive. All these films are largely censured, being very " adultes" in their matter and considered as shocking because of their posting of sexuality, without counting a sour criticism of the company. Although last unperceived at the time because of the success of talking films, these three films were recognized later like showpieces of the silent film, its character of Spitz being from now on mythical.

Louise is regarded as one of the first actresses " naturelles" cinema, its subtle and moderate play being compared to many actors of the silent film. The close-up was in vogue among realizers, and the face of Louise lent itself to it perfectly.

Louise was always egocentric person, sometimes of a difficult nature, and she did not hesitate to use of her acidulous liveliness when the opportunity arose some. Moreover, she had promised herself never not to smile vis-a-vis the camera, except if she were obliged there, and although the majority of its photographs show it with a neutral expression, one can sometimes see it raising a dazzling smile. Of its own consent, it was a released, inclined woman with the experiments, posing even naked for photographers, and its connections with many film stars are (rightly?) legendary.

It was also extravagant, but nice and generous towards her friends, almost with excess. When it goes back to Hollywood, it is on black list and cannot reconquer its success of antan. Rumors propagated by the studios imply that its voice is not adapted to talking films, which is false.

In 1938, after being humiliated to find itself in B films where the studios had put it to make him regret its scorn of antan, it withdraws show business, and turns over to Wichita (Kansas), the town of its childhood.

But it does not find peace there that it hoped there. She writes: " people of Wichita were jealous of my success, or scorned me for my failures. And all that really did not enchant me. I must recognize that a curse weighs on me: my close failure as an human being in this company. "

It turns over towards the East and works during a few years as saleswoman in a store Saks on the Fifth Avenue with New York, then lives at the expenses of various fortunate men. Alas, Louise always liked alcohol, it sinks there soon, but manages to exorcize her demons: it is the beginning of its second life. The French historians of the cinema redécouvrent its films with beginning of the year 50, claiming (often to joke) to see in it an actress whose talent exceeded even that of Marlene Dietrich and Greta Garbo, but that causes to attract a new public to him and rehabilitates it even in its own country.

James Card, the conservative of films of the George Eastman House, finds it recluse with New York and persuades it to follow it to Rochester. With its assistance, it becomes a recognized scenario writer. A collection of its writings, full with spirit and relevant, will appear in 1982 under the name of Loulou in Hollywood . The scenario writer Kenneth Tynan draws up of it an advantageous portrait in his test the Girl with the Black Helmet , whose title refers to its haircut so particular and become universally celebrates.

She seldom gave interviews, but was in good terms with John Kobal and Kevin Brownlow, two historians of the cinema, and they could lay down on paper certain aspects of its astonishing personality. She lived alone, of her own choice, during many years, and died peacefully in 1985 after having suffered a long time from arthritis and emphysema.

After its death, an excellent biographical film, Louise Brooks: Looking For Excentric , was carried out in 1998.

She Maria twice but never had children - she liked to describe like a arid brook (" Barren Brook" in English). Its first husband was the realizer Edward Sutherland which she divorced. The second was the millionaire of Chicago, Deering Davis which she married in 1933. Deering left it later 5 months, and they divorced in 1937.

Louise Brooks is still in all the memories. She is regarded as one of the largest actresses of the history of the cinema, and one of most beautiful the stars ever photographed. The French writer

The French writer, Christophe FIAT puts it in scene in its first novel " Ladies in the dark" (Editions Al Dante, Paris, 2001) in a chapter entitled: " All there is to his madnesses racket is to cool Be and look hot".

Selective catalog of films

silent films

talking films

Anecdotes

  • In 1991, the British group Orchestral Operations in the Dark pays to him homage in its album Sugar Tax . The song is called Pandora' S Box , in reference to the film Loulou (1929). The video clip shows many plans of Louise Brooks, all extracted from this film.
  • In 1998, a documentary heading Looking for Lulu is devoted to him. Realized by Hugh Munro Leely, with Shirley MacLaine as narrator, the film draws up a portrait of the actress through interviews of friends (Dana Delany, Francis Lederer, Roddy McDowall…)
  • One of the guitars (Fender Jaguar) of the singer of Placebo (Brian Molko) bears the name of " Louise" in the honor of Louise Brooks and is decorated with a sticker to its effigy.
  • Louise Brooks inspires with the Italian author of cartoon Guido Crepax the character of Valentina (1968). At the time of a correspondence with Crepax, she will tell him her pride to have been used as model not only in Valentina, but also to the character Dixie Dugan (1926-1966) in the homonymous series of John Striebel: And you began VALENTINA in 1965 as if you begin again to me when with its John death gave up me .

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