Louise Brooks Society Celebrates 10 Years Online
silentf...@yahoo.com
Pioneering Website Marks Decade in Cyberspace
The Louise Brooks Society (www.pandorasbox.com), the largest and most
popular website in the world devoted to any silent film star,
celebrates 10 years on the internet. Since its launch in August 1995,
millions of people have visited this pioneering site. The New York
Times said, "The Louise Brooks Society is an excellent homage to the
art of the silent film as well as one of its most luminous stars."
The LBS was founded as a fan-site, and over the years has evolved into
a comprehensive on-line archive and center for "all things Lulu."
This 250-page site features a wide array of information about the
actress including a filmography, commentary, links, bibliographies,
vintage articles and memorabilia, portrait galleries, a message board,
and contributions from fans from around the world. The LBS has a
long-running blog, as well as its own Louise Brooks themed radio
station, aptly named RadioLulu.
The mission of the Louise Brooks Society is to honor the actress by
stimulating interest in her life and films; by fostering and
coordinating research on her life, films and writings; by serving as a
repository for related material; and by advocating for the preservation
and restoration of Brooks' films. To date, the LBS has co-sponsored
events, mounted exhibits, "inspired" a documentary, and generated wide
spread media interest in the actress.
The site serves as home to the Louise Brooks Society - an
internet-based fan club and the first "virtual fan club in
cyberspace." Most all club activities - including its newsletter,
membership meetings, correspondence, and the participation of
individuals - take place over the internet. At last count, its 1000+
members hail from 46 countries on six continents. Such a joining
together by like-minded fans was only made possible by the advent of
the world wide web.
In its first ten years, the LBS has been widely praised, having been
written-up in publications from around the world including the "Sunday
Times" (London, England), "Stuttgarter Zeitung" (Stuttgart, Germany),
"Le Temps" (Paris, France), and "Melbourne Age" (Melbourne, Australia).
The LBS has also received coverage in the "San Francisco Chronicle,"
"Grand Rapids Press," "Atlanta Journal and Constitution," "Rochester
Democrat and Chronicle," and "USA Today.
The Louise Brooks Society - Highlights of 10 Years Online
1995 - The earliest pages of the Louise Brooks Society appear on the
world wide web. The LBS is the first site devoted to the actress, one
of the earliest devoted to any silent film star, and one of the
earliest "fan sites" on the internet.
1996 - The LBS receives its first reviews. "USA Today" notes
"Silent-film buffs can get a taste of how a fan club from yesteryear
plays on the Web. The Louise Brooks Society site includes interviews,
trivia and photos. It also draws an international audience." Later in
the year, a British computing magazine, "Net Directory," names the LBS
one of the five best sites in the world devoted to actresses.
1997 - Among its many web honors, the LBS is named a "Hollywood Site
of the Week" and a "Celebrity Site of the Day." The LBS makes
Yahoo's "Desert Island List" and is named part of the Microsoft
Network's "One Click Away" program.
1998 - Impressed by the popularity of the LBS, the television station
Turner Classic Movies (TCM) gives the go ahead to a documentary on the
actress. "Louise Brooks: Looking for Lulu" plays to great acclaim and
is nominated for an Emmy Award.
1998 - Pages from the LBS are referenced in a book on G.W. Pabst
(Brooks' director in Pandora's Box and Diary of a Lost Girl)
published by the Austrian Film Archive.
1999 - Numerous schools (from the junior high to university level)
adopt pages from the LBS as suggested reading. The LBS is named a
recommended site by the online version of the Encyclopedia Brittanica.
2000 - The University of Minnesota Press publishes "Lulu in Hollywood"
by Louise Brooks, and "Louise Brooks" by Barry Paris. Each book is
brought back into print following a petition campaign organized by the
LBS.
2001 - The "San Francisco Examiner" includes the LBS in an article
"Thirteen great film sites."
2002 - The LBS launches RadioLulu, a Louise Brooks-themed radio
station. This internet-based station features theme songs from the
films of Louise Brooks, vintage jazz, recordings by the actresses'
contemporaries and co-stars, as well as recent pop and rock music about
the silent film star (by Orchestral Manoeuvers in the Dark, Soul
Coughing, etc...).
2002 - Pages from the LBS are referenced in three books, "German
Expressionist Films" (Pocket Essentials); "Sex in the City"
(Universe); and "Photoplay Editions" (McFarland).
2003 - Site traffic continues to grow. Visitor logs show that
individuals have visited the LBS from more than 60 different countries
including every nation in Europe as well as scattered countries across
Asia and the Pacific, the Middle East, Africa and South America.
2004 - The bibliographies found on the website surpass 400 pages of
printed material, making them one of the largest such collections of
documentation so far assembled.