This page presents an annotated, worldwide bibliography of reviews, articles and other published material related to the 1930 film Prix de beauté (LBS filmography page). This French film includes Louise Brooks in the role of Lucienne Garnier. Under it’s French title, documented screenings of the film took place in Algeria, Belgium, Haiti, Sweden, Switzerland, and Turkey. Elsewhere, this motion picture was known to have been exhibited or written about under other-language titles including Vanidad (Argentina); Miss Europa (Czechoslovakia); Der Schönheitspreis (Czechoslovakia); Beauty Prize (England); Miss Europe (England); Miss Europa (Germany); Preis der Schönheit (Germany); Der Schönheitpreis (Germany); Fegurdardrottning Europu (Iceland); Miss Europa (Italy); Premio di bellezza (Italy); Regina di bellezza (Italy); Premija par skaistumu (Latvia); Miss Europa (Der Schonheitspreis) (Luxembourg); Miss Europa (The Netherlands); Schoonheidsprijs (The Netherlands); Skjønhetskonkurransen (Norway); Kobieto nie grzesz (Poland); Nagroda pieknosci (Poland); Nie Grzesz Kobieto (Poland); Prémio de Beleza (Portugal); Nagrada za lepoto (Slovenia); Zrtev velike ljubezni (Slovenia); Premio de belleza (Spain); Güzellik Ödülü (Turkey – contemporary); Приз за красоту (U.S.S.R.); Beauty Prize (United States); Miss Europe (United States); Vanidad (Uruguay); and Vanidad (Venez uela).
This page is a work in progress. The intention of this selective bibliography is to be both as comprehensive and as useful as possible. Most citations represent a substantial review or article. Shorter, capsule reviews — usually a paragraph or two in length — are so noted. Entries are arranged chronologically. Critical commentary regarding Brooks, or the film as a whole (excerpted from the material cited) are given as annotations. Some citations link to the material noted. Some links reside on the Louise Brooks Society, while others exist elsewhere on the web.
Much can be gleamed from a bibliography such as this. Besides what critics thought of the film, one can follow the path of the film’s distribution — where it showed and when. History, here, is in the details.
An * indicates that a copy of this citation is held in the archives of the LBS. This annotated bibliography has been compiled by Thomas Gladysz, and was last updated in November 2015. [Help wanted: If you know of additional citations, can provide further information on entries noted on this page, or can provide copies of citations not marked with an * but which are known to exist, please contact the LBS. The LBS would like to acquire additional material on the screening of this film.]
PRIX DE BEAUTE
released August 20, 1930
anonymous. Le Journal des Débats Politiques et Littéraires, March 30, 1929. (France)
— “René Clair, le brillant réalisateur de Chapeau de paille d’Italie, travaille actuellement au découpage de son nouveau: Prix de Beauté, qu’il va tourner pour la Sofar. Il compte prendre les premières prises de vues au début d’avril. On sait que la vedette féminine de cette production sera Louise Brooks, l’étonnant interprète de A girl in every port”
“Vous Verrez.” Ciné-Miroir, April 19, 1929. (France) *
— picture of Brooks announces the film
Doré, Claude. “Les projets de René Clair.” Ciné-Miroir, June 7, 1929. (France) *
— article and interview with René Clair about Prix de Beauté, along with a photo of Brooks and Clair
Vidi, Dario. “On a tourné pour Prix de Beauté.” Cinémonde, June 22, 1929. (France) *
— full page illustrated article
“Vous Verrez.” Ciné-Miroir, September 6, 1929. (France) *
— captioned picture of Brooks
“Prix de Beauté.” Cinémagazine, September 20, 1929. (France) *
— full page of images from the film
Vidi, Dario. “Le Cinéma Véridique.” Cinémonde, September 26, 1929. (France) *
— full page illustrated article (scroll down link document for article transcript)
“Pendant qu’on tourne Prix de Beauté.” Cinéa, October 1, 1929. (France) *
— three illustrations with captions
V., R. “Le Concous de Prix de Beauté.” Cinémagazine, October 4, 1929. (France) *
— full page article with illustration
author unknown. “Louise Brooks dans Prix de Beauté.” Minerva, October 13, 1929. (France)
— article
C. “Bilhetes de Paris.” Cinegrafia, October 31, 1929. (Portugal) *
— full page article with illustrations
Vidi, Dario. “Prix de Beauté.” Cinémonde, November 21, 1929. (France) *
— full page illustrated article
anonymous. “Prix de Beauté est tourné en 4 langues.” Cinématographie Française, November 23, 1929. (France) *
— brief article in French trade journal
anonymous. “Pnkax Cbity.” Kino, December, 1929. (U.S.S.R.) *
— brief write-up and scene still in Russian film journal
anonymous. “Prix de Beauté.” Cinématographie Française, December 14, 1929. (France) *
— brief article in French trade journal
anonymous. “Louise Brooks et Jean Bradin.” Ciné-Miroir, December 20, 1929. (France) *
— full page film still, with text
anonymous. “4 Grand Films Sonores dont la sortie est imminente.” Cinématographie Françcaise, December 21, 1929. (France) *
— brief article in French trade journal
anonymous. “Miss Europa – Der Schönheitspreis.” Reichsfilmblatt, December 21, 1929. (Germany) *
— small article on the film
anonymous. “Les Echoes.” Filma, January 18, 1930. (France) *
— brief article in French trade journal
anonymous. “Was in den Filmen geschieht.” Die Filmwoche, January 29, 1930. (Germany) *
— short film synopsis – along with a handful of stills from the film scattered throughout the issue
anonymous. “Informations Corporatives.” La Cinématographie Française, February 15, 1930. (France) *
— short article in French trade journal
anonymous. “Prix de Beauté.” Le Courrier Cinematographique, February 15, 1930. (France) *
— three short articles in French trade journal
anonymous. “Échos, Nouvelles, Information.” Le Cinéopse, March 1930. (France) *
— short article in French trade journal
anonymous. “Situation.” Der Filmspiegel, March 1930. (Germany) *
— Brooks and Prix de Beauté are pictured and discussed in this article and two others in German film journal
anonymous. “Miss Europa.” Corriere della Sera, April 13, 1930. (Italy) *
— author is likely Filippo Sacchi; “II film è pregevole specialmente nelle parti descrittive più adatte alle particolari qualità dello stile geniniano: le scene del concorso di bellezza, la fiera, certe notazioni d’ambiente e d’officina, sentono tutto il suo tipico realismo spontaneo e pulito. . . . Bisogna menzionare Ia trovata finale, esempio di ingegnosa applicazione dci metodi sonori.”
Bessy, Maurice. “Avec Georges Charlia.” Ciné-Miroir, April 25, 1930. (France) *
— interview with the star of Prix de Beauté
H., P. “Prix de Beauté.” Cinémonde, May 1, 1930. (France) *
— short article
Delapree, L. “Louise Brooks Prix de Beauté.” Pour Vous, May 1, 1930. (France) *
— illustrated article
D., L. “Prix de Beauté.” Cinématographie Française, May 3, 1930. (France) *
— article in French trade journal
anonymous. La Cinématographie Française, May 5, 1930. (France)
anonymous. “Prix de Beauté Avec Louise Brooks.” Cinémonde, May 8, 1930. (France) *
— illustrated full-page article; Brooks also appears the cover
anonymous. “Prix de Beauté.” L’Oeuvre, May 9, 1930. (France) *
— review in Paris newspaper
Jouet, Charles. “Trois Films Français.” Le Populaire, May 9, 1930. (France) *
— review with still in Paris newspaper
anonymous. “Prix de Beauté.” Cinématographie Française, May 10, 1930. (France) *
— brief article in French trade journal
anonymous. “Les Nouveaux Films.” La Cinématographie Française, May 12, 1930. (France) *
— review in French trade journal
anonymous. “Prix de Beauté.” Ciné-Miroir, May 16, 1930. (France) *
— two page illustrated spread devoted to the film (includes four photos); issue #267
Vinneuil, Francois. “Prix de Beauté.” L’Action Française, May 16, 1930. (France) *
— review in Paris newspaper
Jorgefelice, Cecil. “Prix de Beauté.” Le Courrier Cinematographique, May 17, 1930. (France) *
— article in French trade journal
anonymous. “Prix de Beauté.” Le Figaro, May 18, 1930. (France) *
— ” . . . Une très jolie femme – Louise Brooks – et une tr&ès jolie idée: l’artiste qu’une balle de revolver abat landis qu’elle chante sur l’écran, et vit, et sóurit, et que, truvée, sanglante, morte, continue, à trois mètres de là, sur l’écran, à chanter, à sourire, à vivre” – review with still in Paris newspaper (author may be Jean Pierre Bodin)
Da Costa, M.Me Buttuller. “Je n’ai qu’un amour, c’est toi. Ne sois pas jaloux, tais-toi…” Imagem, May 24, 1930. (Portugal) *
— two page illustrated article
Ct., J. “De Film en film.” Journal de Genève, May 27, 1930. (Switzerland) *
— brief review in film column; Geneva newspaper
Cinémagazine, June 1930. (France) *
— three page pictorial of images from the film
Mon-Cine, June, 1930. (France)
— three pages of photos
C., M. “Prix de beauté.” Cinémagazine, June 1930. (France) *
— review
Stenhouse, Charles E. “A British Eye on Paris.” Close Up, June, 1930. (England / Switzerland)
— Prix de Beauté is one a handful of films discussed
Wahl, Lucien. “Bilan des derniers jours.” La Revue du Cinéma, nr. 2, June 1930.
— article; (Italian translation in Giovanna Grignaffini, Patrizia Dogliani, and Leonardo Quaresima’s Avanguardia, realismo, populismo)
G., J. N. “Estreias.” Cinefilo, June 1, 1930. (Portugal) *
— short review
Vincent, Carl. “Prix de beauté.” L’Indépendance Belge, June 13, 1930. (Belgium) *
— article; “C’est Louise Brooks qui interprète le rôle de Lucienne. Elle le fait avec intelligence et le talent dont elle a fait preuve à travers plus d’un film américain et plus récemment dans deux oeuvres de Pabst: Loulou et Trois pages d’un journal.”
Gilbert, Morris. “Paris Cinema Chatter.” New York Times, June 15, 1930. *
— Brooks is mentioned as appearing in Prix de Beauté in article in New York City newspaper
Popular Film, June 18, 1930. (Spain) *
— full page of captioned photos
Chambel. “La Chanson et Le Film.” Le Courrier Cinematographique, June 21, 1930. (France) *
— article in French trade journal
C., M. “Les Films du Mois.” Cinémagazine, July 1930. (France) *
— half-page review
anonymous. Mon Ciné, July 24, 1930. (France)
— full page of text and pictures from the film
R. “Prix de Beauté.” Pour Vous, July 30, 1930. (France) *
— short review with scene still
anonymous. “Miss Europa.” Kinematograph, August 12, 1930. (Germany) *
— review; Berlin publication
H., H. “Miss Europa.” Lichtbild-Bühne, August 12, 1930. (Germany) *
— “Louise Brooks’ Spiel ist erfüllt von Anmut und Innerlichkeit . . . . Eine Meisterleistung der Regiekunst.”
n. “Miss Europa.” Film Kurier, August 12, 1930. (Germany) *
— “Und Louise Brooks, die bei jeder Geste auf den Regisseur angewiesen bleibt, vermag ihn gerade in diesen Momenten nicht zu unterstützen.” – Berlin publication
Flemming, Hans. “Miss Europa.” Berlin Tageblatt, August 14, 1930. (Germany) *
— review in Berlin newspaper
G., E. H. “Miss Europa.” Berlin Morganpost, August 16, 1930. (Germany) *
— review in Berlin newspaper
L. “Miss Europa.” Der Film, August 16, 1930. (Germany) *
— review in German trade publication
o., g. “Miss Europa.” Reichsfilmblatt, August 16, 1930. (Germany) *
— review in German trade publication
anonymous. “Schoonheidsprijs.” De Film, August 24, 1930. (Netherlands)
— two page illustrated article
Magnus. Variety, September 3, 1930. *
— “The acting is very good. Louise Brooks looks charming and she knows how to move.”
anonymous. “A Propos de Prix de Beauté.” Annuaire du Film, 1931. (France) *
— two page illustrated article; pages 42 – 43
anonymous. Jaarboek De Film, 1931. (Belgium)
— illustrated article in film annual
anonymous. “Ecos y noticias.” La Vanguardia, June 10, 1931. (Spain) *
— article in Barcelona newspaper
anonymous. “Premio de Belleza.” Popular Film, July 16, 1931. (Spain) *
— illustrated feature; “Dos escenas de Premio de belleza, el film ablado en francés con fragmentos y canciones en español, del programa Gaumont, estrenado con buen éxito en el elegante cinema Fantasio. Los principales intérpretes de Premio de belleza, son la gentil y bonita Louise Brooks y el excente galán George Charlia. La realización es de Augusto Genina”.
Palma, A. “Prix de Beauté.” La Rivista Cinématografica, March 30, 1932. (Italy)
— “Augusto Genina . . . da valoroso artista quale egli è, ha saputo intessere una appassionante trama per lo schermo dallo spunto offerto dall’annuale concorso di bellezza muliebre, e prescegliendo a protagonista Louise Brooks, la quale oltre a campione di bellezza si è dimostrata anche una valida interprete cinematografica . . . Ottima la recitazione della Brooks”
author unknown. Cinegazzettino, May 31, 1932. (Italy)
— article
author unknown. Il Messaggero, July 7, 1932. (Italy)
— article
De Johanna, Lino. “Miss Europa.” Popolo di Roma, July 7, 1932. (Italy) *
— review
Albertazzi, Alberto. Il Cinema Italiano, July 15, 1932. (Italy)
anonymous. “Miss Europa.” Scenario, August, 1932. (Italy)
— article
anonymous. “The Movie Star.” New York Times, November 15, 1959. *
— caption photo promoting screening in New York City newspaper
Archer, Eugene. “2 Theaters List Movie Revivals.” New York Times, March 31, 1961. *
— a screening is referenced in article in New York City newspaper
Kennedy, James. “National Film Theater Anthology.” Guardian, July 24, 1964. (England) *
— “Augusto Genina’s Prix de Beaute (1930), remarkable for the performance of Louise Brooks.” – mention in article in Manchester newspaper
anonymous. “Art Deco Film Series.” San Francisco Examiner, June 22, 1974. *
— referenced in article in San Francisco, California newspaper
Taylor, Robert. “Stage and Screen.” Oakland Tribune, June 26, 1974. *
— Brooks is pictured and a Kenneth Anger sponsored screening of Prix de Beauté is mentioned in column in Oakland, California newspaper
Miller, Jeanne. “Bringing back films of the Art Deco period.” San Francisco Examiner, July 15, 1974. *
— Brooks is pictured and a Kenneth Anger sponsored screening of Prix de Beauté is mentioned in San Francisco, California newspaper
anonymous. “Art Deco recalls jazzy elegance.” San Francisco Progress, July 20, 1974. *
— Brooks and Prix de Beauté are referenced in San Francisco, California newspaper
anonymous. “Art Deco Film Festival.” San Francisco Chronicle, July 23, 1974. *
— Brooks and Prix de Beauté are referenced in San Francisco, California newspaper
Dogliani, Patrizia and Grignaffini, Giovanna. (editors) Avanguardia, realismo, populismo nel cinema francese degli anni. Trenta: catalogo critico / . Modena: Comune di Modena: Amabasciata della Repubblica francese, 1980 . *
— contains a small entry on the film along with a still
Redi, Riccardo . “Il cinema francese degli anni Venti,” CSC, 1980. (Italy)
— article
Surowiec, Catherine Ann. “Prix de Beauté” in Rediscovering French Film 1930 – 1960. New York: The Museum of Modern Art, 1981. *
— extensive film notes from the film series; (reprinted by the Pacific Film Archive in 1982)
Shepard, Richard F. “Going Out Guide.” New York Times, January 1, 1982. *
— article in New York City newspaper
Surowiec, Catherine Ann. “Film Notes – Prix de Beauté.” Pacific Film Archive, May 16, 1982. *
— brief program notes from the PFA Film Series “Rediscovering French Film” – Berkeley, California (follow this link to access text)
Surowiec, Catherine Ann. “Film Notes – Prix de Beauté.” Pacific Film Archive, June 12, 1982. *
— brief program notes from the PFA Film Series “Rediscovering French Film” – Berkeley, California (follow this link to access text)
anonymous. “Hazards of a career.” New York Daily News, June 22, 1983. *
— brief article with still; New York City newspaper
Canby, Vincent. “Screen: Louise Brooks.” New York Times, June 22, 1983. *
— article in New York City newspaper
Sarris, Andrew. “Score One for the Avant-Garde.” Village Voice, June 28, 1983. *
— one of four films discussed – Brooks is also pictured on another page; New York City publication
Kauffmann, Stanley. “Prix de Beauté.” New Republic, July 4, 1983. (United States)
— capsule review
Lundegaard, Bob. “Prix de Beauté offers quintessential Brooks.” Minneapolis Tribune, October 21, 1983. *
— “But we don’t go to a Brooks film for plausible character studies. We go to see la Brooks, and for that purpose Prix de Beaute doesn’t dissapoint.” – Minneapolis, Minnesota newspaper
author unknown. L’Humanité, February 8, 1984. (France)
— Paris publication
author unknown. Le Quotidien de Paris, February 8, 1984. (France)
— article
author unknown. Révolution, February 10, 1984. (France)
— article
Vitoux, Frédéric “Prix de beauté.” Le Nouvel Observateur, February 10-16, 1984. (France) *
— Paris publication
author unknown. Le Matin, February 11, 1984. (France)
— article
S., J. “La dernière fois qu’on a vu Loulou.” Le Monde, February 12-13, 1984. (France) *
— article with a drawing by Mazuel; author is Jacques Siclier
Chevrie, Marc. “Louise Brooks secrétaire.” Cahiers du Cinéma, April 1984. (France)
— comments on French cinema in the 30’s contained in the column “L internationale et la voix”
anonymous. “Film Notes – Prix de Beauté (Beauty Prize / Miss Europe).” Pacific Film Archive, October 10, 1985. *
— brief program notes from the PFA program “Louise Brooks in France” – Berkeley, California (follow this link to access text)
Germani, Sergio G. and Martinelli, Vittorio. Il Cinema di Augusto Genina. Le Giornate del Cinema Muto, Museo Nazionale del Cinema, 1989. *
— scene stills and mention of Brooks in passages on Prix de beauté
Sarris, Andrew. “Prix de Beauté.” Video Review, December, 1989. *
— two page article
Vaughan, Bonnie. “Fallen Angels.” Guardian, October 18, 1980 (England) *
— article in Manchester newspaper
Franck, Stefan. “Prix de Beauté.” Andere Sinema, November – December, 1990. (Belgium) *
— review of video release
anonymous. “Premio de belleza.” El Pais, February 20, 1992. (Spain)
— briefly mentioned regarding a television showing – “La primera pelìcula de sonoro francés no es precisamente una joya cinématografica. La moraleja es tan ingenua que puede resultar entrañable, pero tampoco es como para echar las campanas al aire.”
Rapp, Bernard and Lamy, Jean Claude (editors). Dictionnaire des films. Paris: Larousse, 1995. *
— includes a very brief entry (cast, credits and plot)
Pellizzari, Lorenzo. “Miss Europa di Augusto Genina.” Cineforum, May, 1996. (Italy) *
— four page illustrated article
Boschi, Alberto. “La canzone fatale di Louise. Su silenzi e sonoro in Prix de beauté.” Cinegrafie no. 11., 1998 (Italy) *
— article in Italian film magazine
Maltin, Leonard. Leonard Maltin’s Movie & Video Guide. New York: Signet, 1998. *
— capsule review; “Brooks is the whole show in this, her first sound film (and last major screen role). The story may be clichéd–a melodrama in which she’s cast as a typist who becomes a beauty queen–but Brooks is as lovely and sensuous as ever. The final sequence is truly memorable. René Clair, originally scheduled to direct, had a hand in the script.”
Mathews, Tom Dewe. “The first lady of film.” The Guardian, October 29, 1999. (England)
— article on a screening at the London Film Festival on November 13, 1999 in Manchester newspaper
Conway, Kelley. The Chanteuse at the City Limits: Femininity, Paris and the Cinema. Los Angeles, California: University of California, Los Angeles, 1999. *
— unpublished doctoral dissertation which served as the basis of the author’s 2004 book published
Clark, Juliet. “Film Notes – Prix de Beauté.” Pacific Film Archive, May 21, 2000. *
— brief program notes from the PFA Film Series “Cinémathèque Française Presents” (follow this link to access text)
Dashiell, Chris. “Prix de Beauté.” CineScene.com, July, 2000. *
— “Louise Brooks is such a luminous presence – her intense charisma blows everyone else off the screen. She expresses such vulnerability with her face and movements, combined with the sense of a real intelligent presence, that it seems a tragedy that her career in films was so brief.”
Morandini, Morando. Dizionario dei film. Bologna, Italy: Zanichelli, 2000. *
— includes a brief entry on the film
Gregersen, Erik. “Prix de Beauté (Alfredo Genina, 1930).” Revenge of the Audience, 200?. * (United States)
— capsule review on the web; “The last film that Louise Brooks did in Europe forms an interesting unintentional trilogy with Pandora’s Box and Diary of a Lost Girl. Lucienne Garnier (Brooks) enters a newspaper beauty contest over her jealous husband’s objections, wins and is crowned Miss Europe. As usual, Brooks has as much idea of the effect of her Edenic beauty, now magnified by the media, on fallen man as a four-year-old does of the effects of a loaded pistol. This production switched over from silent to sound in midstream and like M and Deserter, uses a torrent of urban noise and overlapping voices to create a fabulous symphony of pure sound. Although I would choose Diary of a Lost Girl as the best of Brooks’ European trilogy, the final scene surpasses anything in Pabst’s films by being the last word on the combination of sex, death, cinema and Louise Brooks.”
Rosenberg, Joel. “What you ain’t heard yet: the languages of The Jazz Singer.” Prooftexts: A Journal of Jewish Literary History. January 1, 2002. *
— “In truth, it is more interesting to speak of liminality in the plural, for in these transitional years there were, properly speaking, many dozens of films worldwide that variously heralded, emblematized, problematized, artistically manipulated, and, in some cases, resisted or subverted the new technology. One thinks of the remarkable finale to Augusto Genina’s Prix de beauté, where the heroine (Louise Brooks), shot by a jealous lover, dies beneath her film image as it sings (dubbed by a French chanteuse) in synchronized sound.” – reference to the film
Cox, Tracy. “Consuming distractions in Prix de beauté.” Camera Obscura. September 2002. *
— long examination of the film
Crisp, Colin. Genre, Myth, and Convention in the French Cinema, 1929–1939. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press, 2002. *
— “Louise Brooks’s arrival the previous year to star in Prix de beauté had been reported in similar terms in Ciné Miroir: ‘On the platform, crowded with a mass of people, [were] journalists, photographers, women bearing masses of flowers; if there had been policemen there, it would have seemed like the arrival of a monarch; feverishly the army of journalists and photographers charges along the platform, looking for her face [ . . . ]. Finally, there she is! Flowers rain down, photographers crowd around, flashbulbs explode.
Marshall, Harry. “Prix de Beauté (1930).” Harry’s Stuff, 2003. (England) *
— website review
Conway, Kelley. Chanteuse in the City. Berkeley, California: University of California Press, 2004. *
— contains a seven page section on the film, as well as other references and images
Pozzi, Davide. “Un canon sans poudre. A propos de Prix de Beauté d’Augusto Genina.” 1895, April, 2005. (France) *
— long article in French film journal; the article is accompanied by a second piece Prix de Beauté: l’atelier d’écriture de René Clair
Musetto, V.A. “Bubbling Brooks.” New York Post. January 15, 2006. *
— brief article about the Kino DVD release
Lasalle, Mick. “DVD Reviews.” San Francisco Chronicle. February 19, 2006. *
— brief review of the Kino DVD release
Atkinson, Michael. “Louise Brooks’s Swan Song to Stardom.” Village Voice. April 7, 2006. *
— article on the Kino DVD release