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In view of the enthusiastic response to the Hong Kong Film Archive's (HKFA) "Restored Treasures" series in November, an additional screening of German film director Georg Wilhelm Pabst's restored classic "Pandora's Box" (1929) will be held at 7pm on December 7 (Friday) at the Cinema of the HKFA.
A special feature of the screening is the live accompaniment provided by Wong Yan-kwai and a unique local group including strings, flute, percussion, bass, accordion, piano and other instruments. Wong's creative approach to musical accompaniment has been highly acclaimed in past performances and promises to make the screening especially enjoyable.
In "Pandora's Box" the iconic Louise Brooks plays the diva Lulu who is both an innocent sweetheart and a predator of men. Her charm and beauty and her realistic expression of jealousy, disappointment and satisfaction as a temptress have convinced audiences that such a diva can abandon man after man and yet remain loyal to her true love.
Acclaimed as a master of the silent era, the Austrian born director Pabst (1885-1967) had an acting and stage directing background before embarking on a career in cinema. Pabst's productions include comedy, tragedy, social satire and psycho-analytical exploration. His film debut in 1923 was "The Treasure", followed by "The Joyless Street" (1925) and "Secrets of a Soul" (1926). "Pandora's Box" and "Diary of a Lost Girl" (1929) are considered to be his masterpieces.
The digital restoration of the film was led by restoration expert Martin Koerber of the Filmmuseum Berlin, with George Eastman House as the co-ordinating archive and production by Big Sound LLC. The restoration went through a digital combination of three different source prints made available by Cinémathèque Française, Narodni Filmovy Archive and Gosfilmofond via Cineteca di Bologna. The newly restored version of 143 minutes contains 20 minutes more footage than the previous copy.
The film print is courtesy of the German film archive Deutsche Kinemathek - Museum für Film und Fernsehen. It has German intertitles and English subtitles.
Tickets for the additional screening are now available at URBTIX outlets. Tickets are priced at $50. Half-price concessionary tickets are available for senior citizens aged 60 and above, people with disabilities and their minders, full-time students and Comprehensive Social Security Assistance recipients. Credit card bookings can be made on 2111 5999, or on the Internet at www.urbtix.hk.
Detailed programme information can be found in "ProFolio 65", which is distributed at all performing venues of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department. For enquiries, please call 2739 2139 or 2734 2900, or browse the webpage: www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/CulturalService/filmprog/english/2011rt3/2011rt3_film.html .
Ends/Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Issued at HKT 17:45
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