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Kevin Brownlow Books

    Kevin Brownlow is a filmmaker and film historian who has dedicated his career to documenting and restoring cinema, with a particular focus on the silent era. His profound interest in silent film, sparked in his youth, led him to rescue numerous forgotten works and their histories. Through extensive interviews with elderly, largely forgotten film pioneers in the 1960s and 1970s, he preserved an invaluable legacy of cinematic art. Brownlow's efforts offer a crucial window into the formative years of filmmaking, safeguarding vital historical context for future appreciation.

    Pioniere des Films
    The search for Charlie Chaplin = Alla ricerca di Charlie Chaplin
    The Parade's Gone By
    The West, The War, and The Wilderness
    Clarence Brown

    • Clarence Brown

      • 454 pages
      • 16 hours of reading
      4.2(5)Add rating

      Greta Garbo named him her favorite director, and actors felt at ease under his guidance, delivering powerful performances. Clarence Brown (1890–1987), an Academy Award-nominated director, collaborated with Hollywood legends like Clark Gable, Joan Crawford, and Katharine Hepburn. Dubbed the "star maker," he nurtured Elizabeth Taylor's early career and discovered Academy Award-winning child star Claude Jarman Jr. for The Yearling (1946). Over his career, he directed more than fifty films, including Possessed (1931), Anna Karenina (1935), and National Velvet (1944), captivating audiences with glamorous narratives, family tales, and hard-hitting dramas. Despite admiration from peers like Jean Renoir and Frank Capra, Brown's contributions to classic cinema remain underappreciated. This first full-length account of his life and career reveals how his hardworking family influenced his entrepreneurial spirit. Initially an engineer and World War I aviator, he abandoned a successful car dealership in Alabama to pursue filmmaking. Known for his innovative lighting and composition, Brown was nominated for five Academy Awards and directed ten actors in Oscar-nominated roles. Despite his significant impact, he has largely been overlooked by film scholars. This exploration delves into the complexities of a man who left an indelible mark on cinema.

      Clarence Brown