Diary of a Lost Girl [Tagebuch einer Verlorenen] ***** (1929, Louise Brooks, André Roanne, Josef Rovenský, Fritz Rasp) – Classic Movie Review 8733

Director Georg Wilhelm Pabst’s deservedly much admired German late-period silent cult favourite 1929 Diary of a Lost Girl [Das Tagebuch einer Verlorenen] stars Louise Brooks as a sweet young rich gal Thymiane, who goes downhill rapidly from seduction, to becoming falling pregnant by a pharmacist and refusing to marry, to illegitimate motherhood, to being thrown out of her home, to being sent to a girls’ place of detention to ending up in a brothel.

The director and star’s follow-up to Pandora’s Box is atmospherically filmed, charismatically acted, and very much laid-on-the-line for its day, although it was so much censored that only the first half of the original script was made.

Based on the novel by Margarete Böhme, Diary of a Lost Girl is a sensual art object that is as perfectly stylish as its star.

Heavily cut versions circulated for many years but some presumed lost footage was found and the film was beautifully restored in 1984 in a complete 104 minutes version, with a new score by Timothy Brock.

Also in the cast are Fritz Rasp, Josef Rovenský, Edith Meinhard, Vera Pawlowa, Sybille Schmitz, André Roanne, Franziska Kinz, Arnold Korff, Andrews Engelmann, Valeska Gert, Edith Meinhard, Sig [Siegfried] Arno, Kurt Gerron, Hedwig Schlichter [Hedy Krilla], Emmy Wyda, Jara Fürth and Hans Casparius.

Diary of a Lost Girl [Das Tagebuch einer Verlorenen] is directed by Georg Wilhelm Pabst, runs 104 minutes, 100 minutes (restored) or 115 minutes (Kino print) minutes, is made by Pabst-Film and Hom-AG für Filmfabrikation, is written by Rudolf Leonhardt, is shot in black and white by Sepp Allgeier and Fritz Arno Wagner, is produced by Georg Wilhelm Pabst, is scored by Otto Stenzeel or Timothy Brock, and is designed by Emil Hasler.

It was released on DVD by Kino Video (2001) (US) and Eureka Entertainment (2007) (UK), and on (Blu-ray) by Kino Lorber (2015) (US).

© Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 8733

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