I did a side-by-side comparison of the DVD and the 1990 VHS tape version and found that director G.W. Pabst had apparently shot two versions of some scenes -- one version being used on the 1990 VHS version, another on this DVD. Most of the differences are minute, such as actors standing on slightly different spots or posing or gesturing a little differently. For instance, at time 00:02:39 on the DVD, Thymian (Louise Brooks) is standing at the doorway with her arms bent. But in the 1990 VHS version, the same shot shows that her arms are straight. At time 00:03:43 of the DVD, Thymian bends forward (toward camera) to pick something up on the floor. In the 1990 VHS version, she bends sideways (to viewer's right) to pick it up. A few re-shot scenes, however, have more drastic differences, with the tone and mood of the scene altered considerably. At 00:04:50, Meinert raises his eyebrows and nods at Thymian, who returns a flirtatious smile. In the 1990 VHS version, however, Meinert only smiles softly, and Thymian's expression is more restrained. At 00:07:52 of the DVD, after Thymian sees what Meinert wrote in her diary, she turns her head slowly and stares incredulously at Meinert for a moment, then locks her diary. In the 1990 VHS version, she simply locks her diary and never looks at Meinert.
Kino emailed me a list of about 80 differences between the 1990 VHS version (which they call the "English version") and the new DVD version (which they call the "German version"). The list reveals there are actually some scenes on the 1990 VHS version that are not on this DVD. Regarding the re-shot scenes, the list is apparently not inclusive, for I've personally noticed a lot more re-shot footage on the DVD. For instance, the sequence in which Elizabeth the housekeeper begs Mr. Henning to let her stay but finally she has to leave is composed entirely of re-shot footage. (Note how amazing it is that these actors were able to give the same great performances twice! But since the two versions are nearly identical, one wonders why Pabst would bother re-shooting at all.)
And I haven't begun to mention the newly added footage -- scenes not on the 1990 VHS version at all, but on this DVD. The new scenes are sprinkled throughout the DVD, resulting in about 9 minutes of material, some of which quite startling. One shows the guard in the reformatory, after catching Erika putting on her makeup, uses her lipstick to write on his note book, "Punish Erika"; then he draws a heart shape next to it, revealing to us what he exactly means by "punish". Another rather risque scene shows Thymian in the brothel performs some gymnastics in a swimsuit in front of her clients.
The new DVD, which Kino calls the "German version", still uses English title cards. Their wordings and placements have been significantly changed compared to the 1990 VHS version. The differences in placements, of course, have resulted in the film being edited differently. Some title cards now have more explicit, even risque, wordings. One reads, "So you have had your way with the housekeeper too," alluding to the unspoken relation between Mr. Henning and Elizabeth. In the scene where Meinert tries to seduce Thymian, the title card shows him saying, "I'll tell you all about Elizabeth tonight, Thymian. BIG Thymian." The DVD has one incorrect title card. It shows what Meinert wrote in Thymian's diary to be "Meet me 11:30 tonight." The time should read 10:30, as indicated by a later shot of a clock. The 1990 VHS version does have the correct time on the title card.
I prefer the score used on the 1990 VHS version. The violin solo used on the VHS version brings out the feelings of loneliness and despair more effectively than the more elaborate orchestration used on the DVD. The old score is not included on this DVD.
The video transfer of the DVD came from new source material and it looks much less battered, sharper, more detailed, and better contrasted than that of the 1990 VHS version. Still, the improved picture of the DVD is nowhere near the sparkling image quality of, say, the Criterion DVD version of HAXAN or THE PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC.
The DVD also includes a rarely-seen sound film that stars Brooks, titled WINDY WILEY GOES HOLLYWOOD. The sound era was believed to have ended Brooks' acting career. But in this film, her voice sounds just fine to me. The video transfer of this 18-minute 1930 comedy film has a heavily-battered picture transfer and a very hissy soundtrack (not many prints of this film exist, we are told). And there are no subtitles or closed captioning. But all the dialogs register pretty clearly. This short film is available only on the DVD version, not on the 2001 VHS version (which is not to be confused with the out-of-print 1990 VHS version that I referred to throughout this review).
For those not in the know, Louise Brooks was the ultimate flapper girl of the 1920s. She was probably more famous for her haircut, beauty, and lifestyle than her films. But her film legacy is firmly established by two German films she made after leaving Hollywood briefly - Pandora's Box and Diary of a Lost Girl, both by G.W. Pabst (one of the legendary silent film directors). Both films, if you can find them, are absolute classics. The German expressionist style has rarely been more beautifully captured than in Pandora's Box (Hitchcock used this style too in a lot of his early black/white films). And I was lucky enough to find a beat-up VHS copy of Diary. If you like silent films, you can't go wrong with this film either! The imagery is stunning, Louise Brooks looks gorgeous and gives a moving performance a young lady who, having lost her virtue, is consequently shunned by society and has to learn to care for herself. I don't like to give away plots, so that's all I'll say, but I am looking forward to owning this film on DVD! Highly recommended!
The film is in true black & white (no tinting on this version), and the score is a very suitable composition that is quite appropriate here. The Kino DVD is a fine piece of work and I recommend it to any fan of Brooks or the silent era.
I'm just baffled as to why no one will produce a Region 1 version of "Pandora's Box" on DVD, and give us Diary of a Lost Girl, (somewhat inferior in quality to Pandora's), instead. If only one Louise Brooks film should be transferred to DVD, Pandora's Box must be the first!
But Diary of a Lost Girl is still a good film, and has one or two surprises up its sleeve. I will recommend it on this feature if for no other reason: there aren't many films I can name that are quite like this and Pandora's Box; they are truly unique and quite unlike any other in the history of film.
I also recommend this DVD for the extra short-film "Windy Riley Goes Hollywood". Not because the short is any good, (it's actually pretty lousy), but because it was the first "talkie" by Louise Brooks. I was thrilled when I bought this DVD and finally realized that I would finally get to hear Louise speak as well as watch her act. She was a remarkable natural!
