Diary of a Lost Girl

Louise Brooks, a bright, vivacious supporting player in Hollywood, became an icon of the silent era thanks to her work with the great German filmmaker G.W. Pabst. In 1929's Diary of a Lost Girl, their second and final collaboration, Brooks plays Thymian, a naïve, wide-eyed innocent impregnated by her father's assistant (Fritz Rasp) and sent to a repressive reform school by the family that now spurns her. No better than a prison, the school is so spirit-crushing that she escapes and drifts into prostitution. Based on a novel by Margarete Böhme, the film is a beautiful and masterfully made social drama, directed with a mix of German Expressionism and poetic realism by Pabst and elevated by the luminescent performance of Brooks, who was a unique presence in silent cinema. Brooks even makes prostitution almost seem like a noble profession due to her good cheer at a high class bordello, although the film clearly presents the dark side of such a life. Censored upon its original release, this restored and remastered version features 15 minutes of footage that was unseen until a few years ago. Extras include audio commentary by Thomas Gladysz, director of the Louise Brooks Society, and the 1930 talkie short "Windy Riley Goes to Hollywood," starring Brooks. Recommended. (S. Axmaker)