In the role that made her a legend in Europe, and belatedly in America, Louise Brooks plays Lulu, the vamp who destroys all those who come under her spell but who falls victim to Jack the Ripper. A masterpiece of atmosphere, this is also one of the most sexually charged films ever made, due to Brooks's incendiary performance and the peculiar vision of director Pabst. The key to Lulu is the artless amorality with which she destroys all who come under her spell; her indifference is at once distancing and magnetic, qualities Pabst used ingeniously. In the most glowing scene, amid the feverish, shimmering sensuality of the backstage bustle, Brooks emerges, as Lotte Eisner has written, "like some pagan idol." Her impassive, enigmatic visage is a two-way mirror, a wide-eyed reflecting pool for the sexual depravity that, in the end, haunts her. (JB)