Lulu in Berlin (1984)

Louise Brooks, 25 July 2015

Lulu in Berlin is a really nice look back at the short film career of Louise Brooks. I'll be honest, until I watched The Canary Murder Case, I really didn't know much about Ms. Brooks. I did a little reading after watching that movie and found an interesting story of a woman who did Hollywood under her own terms. However, her decisions ultimately cost Ms. Brooks her career.

Anyway, Lulu in Berlin is fascinating to me because we hear the stories straight from the mouth of Ms. Brooks. At 78, she's still full of life and still has that twinkle in he eye. It's much better than a third person recount of her career. The documentary focuses on her time in Germany. The stories and the people involved are . . . well, fascinating (I hate to keep using that word). The stories of her many loves, the stories from the set, and the stories of her dealings with the studios held my interest throughout. I'm so glad Richard Leacock and Susan Woll had to foresight to put this together because Louise Brooks was gone within two years.

My 7/10 rating and not higher is due to wanting more and Leacok's interview style. If you're a fan of cinema history, be sure to check this out. It's fascinating.

7/10