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 2 June 1938) is a British expert on films. He is a film historian, a filmmaker, and a writer. He also makes TV documentaries and edits films.
Kevin Brownlow is famous for his work on 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 long career. He has spent his life finding and saving old films. He also helps tell the stories of early filmmakers. In the 1960s and 1970s, he interviewed many older film pioneers. This helped save important information about early movies. In 2010, he received an Academy Honorary Award. This special award honored his work in film preservation. It was the first time this award went to someone for saving films.
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Early Life and Film Start
Kevin Brownlow was born in Crowborough, Sussex, England. His father, Thomas Brownlow, was an artist. He made posters for movie companies like The Rank Organisation and Disney. His mother, Ninya, was also an artist.
Kevin grew up in north London. He first saw films at his prep school. He started collecting silent films when he was 11. At 15, he began working in the British film industry. He started as an office boy. Soon, he became a trainee assistant editor. By 1958, he was a film editor. He worked on many documentaries. He also wrote letters to silent film directors. This helped him connect with people from the early days of cinema.
Making It Happened Here
Kevin Brownlow was very interested in the Second World War. This led him to create a film called It Happened Here. It imagined what would happen if the Nazis had won the war and taken over Britain. Brownlow started this film when he was 18. He worked with his 16-year-old friend, Andrew Mollo.
They worked on the film for eight years. The story changed a lot during this time. It was finally finished in 1964. Filmmaker Tony Richardson helped them at the very end. The film was shown at many film festivals in the UK. A big movie company, United Artists (UA), decided to distribute it.
Some people had strong reactions to parts of the film. Some groups were concerned about how certain characters were shown. In 1965, UA said the film would not be shown in theaters unless some parts were cut. Brownlow and Mollo tried to keep the film complete. But they could not convince UA. The film was released in May 1966 with the disputed scenes removed. It was shown in cities like London and New York. Many reviews were positive.
In 1968, Brownlow wrote a book called How It Happened Here. It told the story of making the film. It also talked about the important social issues the film brought up. The book had many pictures from the movie. A new version of the book was published in 2007.
Winstanley and Other Projects
After It Happened Here, Brownlow and Mollo started a new film. It was called Winstanley. This movie was about Gerrard Winstanley and the Diggers. They were a group of people who formed a commune after the English Civil War. The filmmakers spent several years getting support for the project. The filming was long and difficult. The movie was released in 1975.
In 2009, a book about making Winstanley was published. It was called Winstanley: Warts and All. Brownlow had written it shortly after finishing the film. But the manuscript stayed on a shelf for 34 years before it was published.
Saving Cinema History
Kevin Brownlow's first book about silent films was The Parade's Gone By.... It came out in 1968. This book included many interviews with famous silent film actors and directors. It marked the beginning of his career as a film historian.
Brownlow worked hard to restore the silent film Napoléon (1927). This film was directed by Abel Gance. Brownlow's efforts were successful. The restored version of Napoléon had a new musical score by Carl Davis. It was shown in London in 1980. Gance lived to see his restored film praised.
Brownlow also started working with David Gill. Together, they made several documentaries about the silent era. Their first was Hollywood (1980). This was a 13-part TV series about the history of silent films in Hollywood. It was made by Thames Television.
They also made 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)
Brownlow and Gill also restored and released many classic silent films. They did this through the Thames Silents series. These films often had new music scores by Carl Davis.
After David Gill passed away in 1997, Brownlow continued his work. He now makes documentaries and restores films with Patrick Stanbury. Some of their projects include:
- Lon Chaney, A Thousand Faces (2000)
- Garbo (2005), 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 work in preserving film history.
Personal Life
Kevin Brownlow is married to Virginia Keane. Her mother is the writer Molly Keane.
Films Directed
Kevin Brownlow has directed or co-directed many films and documentaries.
Feature Films
- It Happened Here (1964) – He was also a co-writer, cinematographer, and editor.
- Winstanley (1975) – He was also a co-producer and co-writer.
Documentaries
- Abel Gance: The Charm of Dynamite (1968)
- Hollywood: A Celebration of the American Silent Film (TV series, 1980)
- Unknown Chaplin (TV series, 1983)
- Buster Keaton: A Hard Act to Follow (TV series, 1987)
- Harold Lloyd: The Third Genius (TV series, 1989)
- D. W. Griffith: Father of Film (TV series, 1993)
- Cinema Europe: The Other Hollywood (TV series, 1996)
- Lon Chaney: A Thousand Faces (2000)
- Garbo (2005)
- I'm King Kong!: The Exploits of Merian C. Cooper (2005)
Films Edited
Kevin Brownlow has also worked as an editor on several films.
Short Films
- Band Wagon (1958)
- Ascot, a Race Against Time (1961)
- I Think They Call Him John (1964)
- The White Bus (1967)
Feature Films
- The Charge of the Light Brigade (1968)
See also
In Spanish: Kevin Brownlow para niños
