Kevin Brownlow facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kevin Brownlow
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Brownlow in 2019
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Robert Kevin Brownlow
2 June 1938 Crowborough, Sussex, England
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| Nationality | British |
| Education | Haileybury |
| Occupation | Film historian, television documentary-maker, filmmaker, film preservationist, author, and film editor |
| Years active | 1953–present |
| Known for | It Happened Here (1964); Winstanley (1975); Hollywood (1980); the restoration of dozens of silent films such as Napoléon (1927) |
| Spouse(s) | Virginia Keane (1969–present) |
| Relatives | Peggy Fortnum (aunt) Molly Keane (mother-in-law) |
Kevin Brownlow (born Robert Kevin Brownlow on June 2, 1938) is a famous British film expert. He is a film historian, a person who studies the history of movies. He also makes TV documentaries, directs films, writes books, and edits movies.
Kevin Brownlow is best known for his amazing work with silent films. These are movies made before sound was added. He became interested in silent films when he was just eleven years old. This interest grew into a career where he saved and shared the history of these old movies. He has rescued many silent films and their stories. In the 1960s and 1970s, he interviewed many older film pioneers. These were people who helped create early movies. His efforts saved a lot of important history about early entertainment. In 2010, he received a special Academy Honorary Award. This award recognized his important work in film preservation. It was the first time this award was given to someone for saving films.
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Kevin Brownlow's Early Life
Kevin Brownlow was born in Crowborough, Sussex, England. He was the only child of Thomas Brownlow and Ninya Fortnum. His father was an artist who made movie posters for big companies like The Rank Organisation and Disney. His mother was also an artist. Kevin grew up in north London.
He first saw films at his prep school. They would rent movies and show them to the students. He went to Haileybury school. When he was 11, he started collecting silent films. At 15, he began working in the British film industry. He started as an office boy. Within five days, he became a trainee assistant editor. By 1958, he was a full editor, working on many documentaries. He also wrote letters to silent film directors. This helped him connect with important people from the silent movie era.
Making Movies: It Happened Here and Winstanley
Kevin Brownlow was very interested in the Second World War. This led him to create a unique film called It Happened Here. The movie imagined what would happen if the Nazis had taken over Britain. Brownlow started working on this film when he was 18. Soon, he teamed up with his 16-year-old friend, Andrew Mollo.
The Story of It Happened Here
It took eight years to finish It Happened Here. The movie's story changed a lot during this time. It was finally completed in 1964 with help from Tony Richardson. The film was shown at many film festivals in the UK. A major film company, United Artists (UA), decided to distribute it.
However, some parts of the film caused controversy. Some Jewish groups complained about certain scenes. In October 1965, UA's American president said the film would not be released unless those parts were cut. Brownlow and Mollo tried to keep the film complete, but they were not successful. The movie finally started showing in theaters in May 1966, without the disputed scenes. It was shown in cities like London, New York, and Paris. Critics generally liked the film. After its run, UA told Brownlow and Mollo that all the money from ticket sales had been used for advertising. The filmmakers did not earn any money from the movie.
In 1968, Brownlow wrote a book called How It Happened Here. This book explained how the film was made. It also discussed the strong reactions the movie received. The book showed how two teenage boys made a feature film. It also explored the difficult social issues the film brought up. Brownlow had allowed real British Fascists to act as themselves in the movie. This made some Jewish organizations upset. The book included nearly 100 pictures and an introduction by film critic David Robinson. A new version of the book was published in 2007.
Creating Winstanley
After It Happened Here, Mollo and Brownlow started another film project. This one was called Winstanley. It was about Gerrard Winstanley and the Diggers. The Diggers were a group of people who formed a commune after the English Civil War. The two filmmakers spent several years trying to get support for the movie. After a long and difficult filming process, Winstanley was released in 1975. In 2009, a book about the making of Winstanley was published. Brownlow had written it shortly after finishing the film, but it was not published until 34 years later.
Saving Film History
Kevin Brownlow's first book about silent films was The Parade's Gone By..., published in 1968. This book included many interviews with famous actors and directors from the silent movie era. This book started his career as a film historian.
Restoring Napoléon
He spent twenty years working to get support for the restoration of a French epic film. This film was Napoléon (1927) by Abel Gance. It was a very important film that used many new movie techniques. However, it was damaged over time. Brownlow's efforts helped restore the film. A new musical score was created by Carl Davis. The restored version was shown in London in 1980. It was shown again in London in 2013 with a live orchestra. Abel Gance lived long enough to see his restored film receive great praise.
Documentaries and Collaborations
Brownlow also started working with David Gill. Together, they made several documentaries about the silent era. Their first project was Hollywood (1980). This was a 13-part TV series about the history of silent films in Hollywood. It was produced by Thames Television.
They then made other documentaries about famous silent film stars:
- Unknown Chaplin (1983) about Charlie Chaplin
- Buster Keaton: A Hard Act to Follow (1987) about Buster Keaton
- Harold Lloyd: The Third Genius (1989) about Harold Lloyd
- Cinema Europe: the Other Hollywood (1995) about European cinema
They also restored and released many classic silent films. These were part of the Thames Silents series. They often had new music scores by Carl Davis. A book about the making of Unknown Chaplin was published in 2010.
After David Gill passed away in 1997, Brownlow continued his work. He kept making documentaries and restoring films with Patrick Stanbury. Some of these projects include:
- Lon Chaney, A Thousand Faces (2000)
- Garbo (2005), a documentary about actress Greta Garbo
- I Am King Kong (2005) about filmmaker Merian C. Cooper
In August 2010, Kevin Brownlow received an Honorary Academy Award. This award recognized his important role in saving film and cinema history.
In November 2016, Brownlow was featured on a radio show called The Film Programme. The episode was about Abel Gance's 1927 film Napoléon. It explained how Brownlow spent 50 years putting together the lost parts of this silent movie. It also talked about his meeting with Gance when Brownlow was still a schoolboy. In August 2018, Brownlow was on the show again. He discussed how It Happened Here was made and how people first reacted to it. In April 2019, Brownlow was honored at a film festival in Hollywood. This was at a special screening of It Happened Here.
Kevin Brownlow's Personal Life
Kevin Brownlow is married to Virginia Keane. Her mother is the writer Molly Keane.
Kevin Brownlow's Filmography
Directing Films
Feature Films
- It Happened Here (1964) - He was a co-director, co-writer, cinematographer, and editor.
- Winstanley (1975) - He was a co-director, co-producer, and co-writer.
Cinema Documentaries
- The World of Josef Von Sternberg (1967)
- Abel Gance: The Charm of Dynamite (1968)
- Hollywood: A Celebration of the American Silent Film (13 episodes, 1980)
- Unknown Chaplin (3 episodes, 1983)
- Buster Keaton: A Hard Act to Follow (3 episodes, 1987)
- Harold Lloyd: The Third Genius (2 episodes, 1989)
- D. W. Griffith: Father of Film (3 episodes, 1993)
- Cinema Europe: The Other Hollywood (6 episodes, 1996)
- Universal Horror (1998)
- Lon Chaney: A Thousand Faces (2000)
- The Tramp and the Dictator (2002)
- Cecil B. DeMille: American Epic (2 episodes, 2004)
- So Funny It Hurt: Buster Keaton & MGM (2004)
- Garbo (2005)
- I'm King Kong!: The Exploits of Merian C. Cooper (2005)
Other Documentaries
- Nine, Dalmuir West (1962) - About the last tram in Glasgow.
- Millay at Steepletop (1983) - About Edna St. Vincent Millay.
Editing Films
Short Films
- Band Wagon (1958)
- Ascot, a Race Against Time (1961)
- Eye Doctor on Safari (1962)
- I Think They Call Him John (1964)
- Turkey the Bridge (1966)
- The White Bus (1967)
Feature Films
- The Charge of the Light Brigade (1968)
See also
In Spanish: Kevin Brownlow para niños
