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Louise Brooks: Portrait of an Anti-Star
English, French (translation)
159 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1977
About the author
Roland Jaccard
67 books6 followersDocteur dès Sciences Sociales et Psychologiques. Chroniqueur au journal Le Monde depuis 1969.
Grand admirateur de Georges Devereux, Freud ou encore Norbert Elias, il déroule leur pensée dans son essai L'Exil intérieur : schizoïdie et civilisation (1975) qui aurait marqué toute une génération de lecteurs.
Essayiste, diariste dans l’âme et expert en nihilisme, Roland Jaccard dirige la collection Perspectives critiques aux PUF. Il est l’auteur de plusieurs essais dont L’Exil intérieur et La Tentation nihiliste (PUF), ainsi que d’une trilogie autobiographique (Grasset). Plusieurs de ses livres sont parus aux éditions Zulma dont Dictionnaire du parfait cynique.
Sugar Babies, illustré par des photographies de Romain Slocombe, reprend les principaux volumes d’écrits intimes de Roland Jaccard, en partie (Topologie du pessimisme, Flirt en hiver, Une fille pour l’été...) ou dans leur intégralité (le Rire du diable, Vertiges).
Grand admirateur de Georges Devereux, Freud ou encore Norbert Elias, il déroule leur pensée dans son essai L'Exil intérieur : schizoïdie et civilisation (1975) qui aurait marqué toute une génération de lecteurs.
Essayiste, diariste dans l’âme et expert en nihilisme, Roland Jaccard dirige la collection Perspectives critiques aux PUF. Il est l’auteur de plusieurs essais dont L’Exil intérieur et La Tentation nihiliste (PUF), ainsi que d’une trilogie autobiographique (Grasset). Plusieurs de ses livres sont parus aux éditions Zulma dont Dictionnaire du parfait cynique.
Sugar Babies, illustré par des photographies de Romain Slocombe, reprend les principaux volumes d’écrits intimes de Roland Jaccard, en partie (Topologie du pessimisme, Flirt en hiver, Une fille pour l’été...) ou dans leur intégralité (le Rire du diable, Vertiges).
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 3, 2017
LOUISE BROOKS: PORTRAIT OF AN ANTI-STAR is a collection of essays, articles, a letter from Ms. Brooks … and lots and lots of photographs. For that last collection alone, this would be well worth the purchase for fans of the actress.
Louise Brooks astonished Hollywood by walking away from its Star system. At one point, one of the writers in this book comments that she was never really a Star as she didn’t reach the level of a Garbo or a Dietrich. That is true, but lots of people went to see films featuring Louise Brooks, and her name appeared on the posters even if her time on screen was minor. To my mind, if they go to see the film because your name is in the cast list and featured on the posters, you’re a Star.
Why did she jettison her career? There are comments made in the book that she did not enjoy working in films, that she kept to herself on some movie sets (often spending the time reading), and that it came as a great relief when she could be alone. In fact, in her later years, she considered the way she had lived her life a failure, and indicated that she had always been unhappy … with the exception of when she was in France to make a movie and did not speak the language, so she had an excuse to stay by herself. This is in stark contrast to the young girl of 15 who wanted to leave home and be a dancer in New York City.
If all of this is true, it is very sad because she definitely had a natural performance ability, and there were many times that she sincerely appeared to be enjoying herself on film. The camera loved her and her voice transitioned easily from silent to sound films.
She certainly wanted to exercise control over her life (as most of us want to do). However, I do have a theory after reading this book and a number of other ones about her. I’m convinced that she never learned the basic skills of problem-solving and decision-making. When opportunities arose, she responded based on her emotional assessment at that moment. Consequences and strategies were unimportant or not even considered. I think this habit of “leading with her emotions” was responsible for the high caliber of her performances. Audiences knew what was going on in her mind. (On PANDORA’S BOX, many of the German cast were upset because she didn’t use the broad theatrical acting technique that was in vogue on screen at the time.) Today, seeing that real human being shine through her performances is what gives her presence such power.
Of course, all of that is just my belief, although I found nothing in the book to contradict it.
For those who are unfamiliar with Louise Brooks and want to learn more about her life, this book is little more than a very high-level introduction. Instead, I would recommend the book, LOUISE BROOKS by Barry Paris. However, if you are familiar with her and her existing films and want a bit more backstory, this should be very satisfying.
And, yes, there are all of those delightful photos.
Louise Brooks astonished Hollywood by walking away from its Star system. At one point, one of the writers in this book comments that she was never really a Star as she didn’t reach the level of a Garbo or a Dietrich. That is true, but lots of people went to see films featuring Louise Brooks, and her name appeared on the posters even if her time on screen was minor. To my mind, if they go to see the film because your name is in the cast list and featured on the posters, you’re a Star.
Why did she jettison her career? There are comments made in the book that she did not enjoy working in films, that she kept to herself on some movie sets (often spending the time reading), and that it came as a great relief when she could be alone. In fact, in her later years, she considered the way she had lived her life a failure, and indicated that she had always been unhappy … with the exception of when she was in France to make a movie and did not speak the language, so she had an excuse to stay by herself. This is in stark contrast to the young girl of 15 who wanted to leave home and be a dancer in New York City.
If all of this is true, it is very sad because she definitely had a natural performance ability, and there were many times that she sincerely appeared to be enjoying herself on film. The camera loved her and her voice transitioned easily from silent to sound films.
She certainly wanted to exercise control over her life (as most of us want to do). However, I do have a theory after reading this book and a number of other ones about her. I’m convinced that she never learned the basic skills of problem-solving and decision-making. When opportunities arose, she responded based on her emotional assessment at that moment. Consequences and strategies were unimportant or not even considered. I think this habit of “leading with her emotions” was responsible for the high caliber of her performances. Audiences knew what was going on in her mind. (On PANDORA’S BOX, many of the German cast were upset because she didn’t use the broad theatrical acting technique that was in vogue on screen at the time.) Today, seeing that real human being shine through her performances is what gives her presence such power.
Of course, all of that is just my belief, although I found nothing in the book to contradict it.
For those who are unfamiliar with Louise Brooks and want to learn more about her life, this book is little more than a very high-level introduction. Instead, I would recommend the book, LOUISE BROOKS by Barry Paris. However, if you are familiar with her and her existing films and want a bit more backstory, this should be very satisfying.
And, yes, there are all of those delightful photos.
December 23, 2022
A good collection of Louise Brooks Pictures.
This is mainly a picture book (90 photos) but there is the same substance as there a quite a few interviews and statements by Louise and people that knew her such as Lotte H. Eisner, Roland Jaccard, and Jean-Michael Palmier.
You have the standard Filmography and Articles by Louise Brooks.
This is mainly a picture book (90 photos) but there is the same substance as there a quite a few interviews and statements by Louise and people that knew her such as Lotte H. Eisner, Roland Jaccard, and Jean-Michael Palmier.
You have the standard Filmography and Articles by Louise Brooks.
March 24, 2021
Some great photos in this collection! And some great essays too, including many pages from Louise herself.
January 25, 2022
On Lou Andreas-Salome, whom Brooks embodied in Lulu ‘ she loved to compare herself to a tree that yearned to be struck by lightning and torn apart, and yet just like a tree, wanted to grow’
January 18, 2024
Sadly, this book was not about Louise Brooks, but more of a breakdown of the movie Lulu.
Anyway, I enjoyed all of the lovely photos. She was incredibly lovely. I wish I could have known her.
Anyway, I enjoyed all of the lovely photos. She was incredibly lovely. I wish I could have known her.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews