Osmond Borradaile facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Osmond H. Borradaile
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Edythe Chapman, director Sam Wood, Alfred Gilks, and Osmond Borradaile at right; set of Beyond the Rocks (1922)
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| Born |
Osmond Hudson Borradaile
17 July 1898 |
| Died | 23 March 1999 (aged 100) |
| Occupation | cinematographer |
| Awards | Order of Canada |
Osmond Hudson Borradaile OC (born July 17, 1898 – died March 23, 1999) was a talented Canadian cameraman and cinematographer. A cinematographer is the person in charge of photography for a film. He helped create many movies, from silent films to "talkies" (movies with sound). He also served in both World War I and World War II.
Life and Career
Osmond Borradaile was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, in 1898. He moved around a lot as a child, growing up in Alberta. When he was seven years old, he saw one of his first movies in Medicine Hat.
He started his career in Hollywood, working on silent movies. During this time, he filmed famous actors like Rudolph Valentino, Gloria Swanson, and Lillian Gish. Later, he moved on to "talkies," which were movies with sound. He worked closely with director Cecil B. DeMille on many films.
Borradaile was known for filming amazing outdoor scenes. He even filmed the aerial (flying) parts for Howard Hughes' movie Hell's Angels. Howard Hughes himself was the pilot for these scenes! This type of outdoor filming became his special skill.
He traveled to many natural places to film backgrounds and extra footage for movies. He spent a lot of time in Africa, where he filmed the daily lives and traditions of different tribes. He also worked on films starring Sabu, like Elephant Boy, The Drum, and The Four Feathers. The Four Feathers was even nominated for an Academy Award for its beautiful color cinematography.
In the late 1940s, Borradaile went to Antarctica to film scenes for Scott of the Antarctic. This was a very challenging and ambitious film project for its time.
In 1957, the Government of British Columbia asked him to make a documentary film. This film would celebrate the province's 100th birthday. The movie, called The Tall Country, came out in 1958. It won the Canadian Film Award for Best Theatrical Short Film in 1959.
In 1982, Osmond Borradaile was given the Order of Canada. This is one of Canada's highest honors for civilians. He passed away in Vancouver in 1999, at the age of 100.
Selected Films
- Say It with Music (1932)
- Sanders of the River (1934)
- Elephant Boy (1937)
- The Drum (1938)
- The Lion Has Wings (1939)
- The Overlanders (1946)
- Scott of the Antarctic (1948)
- Saints and Sinners (1949)
- I Was a Male War Bride (1949)
