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"Pandora's Box" is a German silent film that Paris Hilton could relate to. She wouldn't like the way it ends, though.

A steamy tale of a fluttering socialite who thinks she can get the world to wilt under her lusty gaze, the movie is stunning in the ways it takes on sexual themes so openly. It would take Hollywood more than 40 years to catch up.

The movie itself can be sort of a bore in parts, but it commands your attention if only by the raw allure of Louise Brooks, a Hollywood bad girl who made for Germany after she had burned her bridges stateside. With come-hither eyes and a knowing smile that declares she hides mysteries well worth solving, Brooks flaunted her sexuality onscreen the way Angelina Jolie does today. Brooks seemed to be so thoroughly aware of the effect on men that seduction was as effortless as drawing a curtain.

It wasn't too much of a leap to play Lulu, the lead character of "Pandora's Box." An untamed force of nature, she jaunts from adventure to adventure, dashing through the lives of suitors just long enough to make them want to throw their lives away for the chance to play moth to her flame.

Lulu enjoys being looked at, longed for, obsessed over. The kind of girl who doesn't wear underwear when she goes out clubbing.

Directed by German great G.W. Pabst (1885-1967), "Pandora's Box" was bold for the way it featured a strong, decisive female character, and innovative for the way it broke down stereotypes and barriers. The film is credited for containing the first onscreen depiction of a lesbian character in Countess Anna (Alice Roberts), who dreams of Lulu's touch.

The countess faces competition in the form of Schigolch (Carl Goetz), a creepy old man who seems to be Lulu's pimp. Lulu has also drawn the devotion of Schön (Fritz Kortner), a powerful newspaper publisher who gives up on his engagement to marry Lulu. Schön's son, Alwa (Francis Lederer), also falls under Lulu's spell. Lulu's adventures take her to a wild party on a gambling ship and the shrouded streets of London. At one point, someone attempts to "sell" Lulu like a slave.

Her final seduction is an infamous historical figure who emerges from the fog to send a lump in your throat. To Lulu, he's another dude to play around with, and you watch in amazement as her powers of persuasion literally disarm him.

"Pandora's Box" has been released on a lavish Criterion DVD that includes multiple orchestral scores and a commentary track with historians who seem to know every in and out of the obscure film and make up the rest. I recommend watching it first on your own, gathering your own thoughts, until you begin to lose interest, then start it over the next day with the commentary on.

The first time you watch, it's difficult and nonsensical. It's a different movie the second time around, when you've adapted to the archaic flow of the period and calibrated your expectations and have a better idea of what to watch out for.

Once you've opened the box, there's no turning away from Lulu's eyes.