Diary of a Lost Girl [Blu-ray]

Director: G.W. Pabst, Georg W. Pabst G.W. Pabst

Overview

An abused and misused young woman is raped, incarcerated, forced into prostitution, gives birth to an illegitimate child, and undergoes assorted ill-advised love affairs, yet somehow continues to endure. G. W. Pabst's erotically-charged drama, originally intended as the first of two parts, was restored and rereleased on video in the 80s.

Product Details

Release Date:	10/20/2015
UPC:	0738329197025
Original Release:	1929
Rating:	NR
Source:	Kino Classics
Region Code:	A
Presentation:	[B&W]
Language:	English
Time:	1:52:00

Special Features

Mastered in HD from archival 35mm elements; Audio commentary by Thomas Gladysz, director, Louise Brooks Society; "Windy Riley Goes Hollywood" (1931, 18 min., featuring Louise Brooks); Promotional trailer (2015)

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Louise Brooks	Thymian
Fritz Rasp	Meinert
Josef Rovensky	Robert Henning
Andre Roanne	Count Nicolas Osdorff
Vera Pawlowa	Aunt Frida
Edith Meinhard	Erika
Arnold Korff	His Uncle
Andrews Engelmann	Director of the Reform School
Valeska Gert	His Wife
Franciska Kinz	Meta
Sybille Schmitz	Elizabeth,Elisabeth
Siegfried Arno	A Guest,A Guest
Kurt Gerron	Dr. Vitalis
Andrews Englemann	Director of the Reform School
Sylvia Torf	Actor
Michael von Newlinsky	Actor
Javier Perez deAzpeitia	Composer

Technical Credits

Rudolph Leonhardt

G.W. Pabst	Director,Producer,Director
Rudolph Leonhardt	Screenwriter

Editorial Reviews

While it has been touted as wildly erotic and controversial for its mature subject matter, don't expect anything racy in Diary of a Lost Girl. It's still a German silent film from 1929, no matter how you look at it. The story is difficult to follow and much of the action is implied, but the images are haunting all by themselves. Louise Brooks is the reason to see the movie, as her porcelain skin and white gowns radiate against the oppressive dark backgrounds. Her short, sleek haircut and black eye makeup are totally glamorous, especially with that flapper-girl slouch and pouting face. She also gives an amazingly nuanced performance, conveying her distress with her worried eyes rather than the usually overdone acting style of the time. Supporting characters are also well done, with Andrews Englemann appropriately hideous as the giant bald bad guy at the reform school. Thymiane (Brooks) is always shown in a sympathetic light as an innocent survivor of a repressive and unfair system. Unwilling to accept her punishment, Thymiane would rather give her inheritance money to her little half-sister than allow her to suffer the same fate that she endured. Even when Thymiane rises up in status, she doesn't forget her roots, choosing to side with her old friend Erika (Edith Meinhard) rather than crusade for righteousness with other so-called respectable women. The 2001 Kino release of the film is beautifully restored with a new score by Joseph Turrin and nine minutes of previously censored footage.