Michael Garcia Mujica
"Currer Bell is neither man nor woman, but an abstract thing, an artist." • Michael Garcia Mujica, Lead Educator in Arts and Film History. Echoing the sentiment about Charlotte Brontë's pseudonymous voice, Michael lends his expertise not only as a writer and visual artist but also as a Lead Educator in arts and film history. Based in Coral Gables, Florida, he is the principal of Vintage Brooks, Inc., where he passionately revitalizes the legacy of silent film star Louise Brooks. His acclaimed blog, Naked on My Goat, serves as a living tribute to Brooks's enduring influence in film, her profound writing, and her broad appreciation for the arts. Just as Brontë made an indelible mark in literature despite the societal constraints of her time, Michael accentuates Brooks's trailblazing spirit within the film industry. In his role, he ensures that Brooks's iconic voice continues to resonate within the cultural lexicon of the 21st century, celebrating the intricate victories of women in the arts, both past and present. Explore more about the abstract persona of Charlotte Brontë in Michael's piece, "The Abstract Persona: Understanding Charlotte Brontë's Pseudonymous Journey as Currer Bell." “I am satisfied that if a book is a good one, it is so whatever the sex of the author may be. All novels are or should be written for both men and women to read, and I am at a loss to conceive how a man should permit himself to write anything that would be really disgraceful to a woman, or why a woman should be censured for writing anything that would be proper and becoming for a man.” • Anne Brontë, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall
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Legends of Dance, Ruth St. Denis, Martha Graham, Isadora Duncan, and Denishawn
When talking about the world’s greatest dancers, the names of Ruth St. Denis, Martha Graham, and Isadora Duncan come to mind. These women took the dance floor by storm and in the halls of memory, have performed some of the most exquisite dances the world has ever seen. Here’s what dance enthusiasts should know about these extraordinary dancers, and how these souls influenced dance. We will also touch on the Denishawn school of dance and the impact it made. What Is Denishawn? Denishawn School of Dancing and Related Arts was an advanced and respected dance school that was founded by legendary dancer Ruth St. Denis. The name is a derivation…
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The Relation of “Lulu in Hollywood” to “Alice in Wonderland”
Anyone looking to delve into the thoughts of the legendary actress Louise Brooks can find some delightful insights into the similarities between Lulu in Hollywood, Alice in Wonderland, and Through the Looking Glass. The big connection between the two is that Lulu’s Hollywood is a version of Alice’s Wonderland, seeing that all of the good people are sucked in under the power of producers. Comparing Lulu and Alice Perhaps one of the most direct most palpable connections between Lulu in Hollywood, Alice in Wonderland, and Through the Looking Glass is the portrayal of Hollywood as a realistic sort of Wonderland. Anyone who has ventured to the streets of Hollywood can…
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Parallels in Film, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me, Blue Velvet, Lolita, Diary of a Lost Girl, and Pandora’s Box
For those of us who seek to explore the history of film looking for patterns, we have to go deep into cinematographic history. We must go all the way back to the silver screen and leave no stone unturned. We can discover some form of commonality between the five distinct films. As we shall discover, there are certain shared attributes between the films Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me, Blue Velvet, Lolita, Diary of a Lost Girl, and Pandora’s Box. What Are the Patterns in These Films? Perhaps the most discernible and pronounced pattern that connects these five films, is the current of psychoanalytical thought coupled with themes of irrepressible…
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The Mystery Surrounding Louise Brooks and “Naked on My Goat”
The legendary, yet tragically overlooked silver-screen actress, Louise Brooks was mostly admired for her hauntingly graceful beauty. For those looking to find a deeper appreciation for this woman of remarkable talents, there is certainly more than meets the eye. Louise Brooks was much greater than her mere physical appearance alone. It is her intellectual talents that are the most underappreciated. Here, we take a look at her impressive intellect. The Actress who Read Proust and Schopenhauer When growing up, Louise Brooks’ father was such an avid collector of books that he was literally sinking the family home with the weight of his cavernous private library. Her father would often retreat…
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Influence of Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud on filmmakers G.W. Pabst and David Lynch
The great Austrian director G.W. Pabst graced the film world with some of the most thought-provoking movies to hit the silver screen. Some of his most intriguing works featured sophisticated inclusion of the kind of psychoanalytical thought that was prevalent at the time. Here’s what connoisseurs of silent films with a penchant for the intellectual should know about Pabst’s use of figures like Sigmund Freud. We will also visit the influence of Carl Jung in David Lynch’s work. Secrets of the Soul There is, perhaps, no other film in Pabst’s portfolio that borrows so heavily from the psychoanalytical thinking of the times than Secrets of the Soul. What Pabst left us within…
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On Louise Brooks’ “The Fundamentals of Good Ballroom Dancing”
For those fortunate enough to know the name Louise Brooks, the very mention of her stir the curiosities like one would stir a Manhattan. Many would be pleased to know that Louise Brooks, a woman of many talents, went far beyond the confines of acting. She was also an accomplished and exceptionally talented dancer and writer. Here we will cover one of her most delectable publications, The Fundamentals of Good Ballroom Dancing. Louise Brooks, the Starlet Shrouded in Mystery Many will know Louise Brooks for her outstanding work in silent film. Movies like Pandora’s Box still carry great importance and are deserving of study today, nearly 100 years later. If…
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Meet G.W. Pabst, One of Austria’s Greatest Directors
In the blur of the sands of time, certain ghosts from the silver screen rise and fall in and out of obscurity. For those with the gumption to delve into the past, the greats of the silent film world can impart priceless insights. Whether for the sake of filmography research or out of genuine interest in the people themselves, there is always something to discover. Every now and again we like to knock the dust off of the giants of the silver screen and bring them back to life. One such individual, is the mysterious and prolific director, G.W. Pabst. The Great Mr. Pabst Hailing from the heavily forested and…
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Louise Brooks wasn’t just brainy, she was Schopenhauer-brainy
The Unlikely Orbits of Louise Brooks and Arthur Schopenhauer Collide in Time and Space For Every Action… There is an Equal and Opposite Reaction Imagine a silent film actress. Imagine a wildly beautiful silent film actress. Imagine a wildly beautiful silent film star on the set of G.W. Pabst‘s lurid, cult classic Pandora’s Box. Between takes, she picks up her worn copy of Schopenhauer’s essays. It is a dense, heady, German Idealist philosophy from the mid-19th century. How does his powerful prose color her experience of the film set? What refractions does she find through that lens? This was Louise Brooks. She possessed a singular drive along with an abundance…
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Louise Brooks – Exclusive Artwork & Memorabilia
All About Brooksie: Discovering the Art of Lulu While Louise Brooks was a symbol of the silent film era, her talents extended beyond the stage and movie set. She was also a writer and accomplished dancer, as well as a symbol of beauty and rebellion. Writer, Dancer, Actress Mary Louise Brooks was born in Cherryvale, Kansas, on November 14, 1906. Brooksie, as she was known throughout her childhood, began dancing with the Denishawn Dancers in 1922 when she was just 16 years old. She was dismissed in 1924 and became a chorus girl in a Broadway series called Scandals. In 1924, Louise left for Europe before returning to New York the…
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Louise Brooks, Lolita, and Nabokov: Names, Titles, & Secret Muses
What does compelling evidence amount to in the absence of outright proof? How far does mere suspicion carry you without a frank confession? In a court of law, evidence and suspicion are typically inadequate where securing a desired verdict is concerned. But the court of public opinion is a quite separate phenomenon, indeed. This brings us to the legendary Silent Era film star Louise Brooks (1906-1985), to her brief but monumental on-screen career, to the famous work of literature which may well have drawn inspiration from her captivating persona, and to her unpublished memoir Naked on my Goat, which she inexplicably incinerated after having devoted considerable time to its completion. As…
