This page is part of an experiment in local film history. It presents a record of each documented screening of a particular Louise Brooks film in Northern California, from the time of its release through today. Recorded here are which city and at what venue and over what period of time (one week, three days, one day, etc…) any particular film was shown. Additionally noted are those occasions when a film was shown as part of a double bill, if there was a special guest appearance, or some other unusual circumstance, such as a benefit screening.
This page presents a record of screenings for Prix de beauté, which was officially released by SOFAR Film in France on August 20, 1930. The film first played in the United States in the early 1960s, and debuted in California sometime after that — likely in 1972. For more about this production, be sure and check out its Louise Brooks Society FILMOGRAPHY PAGE. ||| Or, click here to advance to the NEXT FILM in the Lulu by the Bay set of records.
Contemporary screenings 1970s to the present: Pacific Film Archive in Berkeley (Oct. 17, 1972); Palace Hotel in San Francisco (July 26, 1974 as part of Art Deco Film Festival); Pacific Film Archive in Berkeley (May 16, 1982 and June 12, 1982 as part of the series “Rediscovering French Film”); The Ghiradelli in San Francisco (April 15, 1983); Pacific Film Archive in Berkeley (Oct. 10, 1985 as part of the series “A Tribute to Louise Brooks (1906-1985)”); Castro in San Francisco (Feb. 26, 1987 as part of “Vamps” series); DDJ’s Movie Café in San Francisco (February 4, 1994 as part of “Friday in France” with Princess Tam Tam and Breathless); Pacific Film Archive in Berkeley (May 21, 2000); Castro in San Francisco (July 19, 2013 silent version as part of the San Francisco Silent Film Festival).
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If you live in Northern California and are curious to learn if a Brooks’ film played where you live, the 25 pages that comprise Lulu by the Bay — including this one, may be just the record to satisfy your curiosity. Want to know more about the non-Louise Brooks films which made the other half of a double bill? Try searching the Internet Movie Database, or IMDb. Additionally, if you are interested in finding out more about any of the theaters noted above, then be sure and check out Cinema Treasures. It’s a truly remarkable website with entries on more than 60,000 movie theaters from not only around California and the United States, but also around the world. Most every theater has its own page, which includes its location, a brief history, historic and contemporary images, and lots more. Cinema Treasures includes not just current theaters, but also those many venues which have closed, been converted to another use, or torn down. Notably, this crowd sourced website can be searched by theater name, location, or zip code.
Have a question or know of other screening not listed above? If so, please CONTACT the Louise Brooks Society.