Karl Brown (cinematographer)
Encyclopedia
Karl Brown was a pioneer American cinematographer
who had a close association with director D. W. Griffith
. Brown also became a noteworthy director and screenwriter
. The most successful film he worked on as cinematographer was The Covered Wagon
. Brown's first directorial effort, Stark Love
(1927), is today considered a rural cinematic masterpiece. Brown was cinematographer on Wallace Reid
's very last film, Thirty Days. In the 1970s Brown was one of the Hollywood pioneers interviewed by Kevin Brownlow
for his 1980 television series, Hollywood
. In the series Brown talked at length about Reid's addiction and death.
Cinematographer
A cinematographer is one photographing with a motion picture camera . The title is generally equivalent to director of photography , used to designate a chief over the camera and lighting crews working on a film, responsible for achieving artistic and technical decisions related to the image...
who had a close association with director D. W. Griffith
D. W. Griffith
David Llewelyn Wark Griffith was a premier pioneering American film director. He is best known as the director of the controversial and groundbreaking 1915 film The Birth of a Nation and the subsequent film Intolerance .Griffith's film The Birth of a Nation made pioneering use of advanced camera...
. Brown also became a noteworthy director and screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
. The most successful film he worked on as cinematographer was The Covered Wagon
The Covered Wagon
The Covered Wagon is an American silent Western film released by Paramount Pictures. The film was directed by James Cruze based on a novel by Emerson Hough about a group of pioneers traveling through the old West from Kansas to Oregon. J...
. Brown's first directorial effort, Stark Love
Stark Love
Stark Love is a feature film directed by Karl Brown and released by Paramount Pictures. The film is a maverick production in both design and concept, is a beautifully photographed mix of lyrical anthropology and action melodrama from director Karl Brown. “Man is absolute ruler...
(1927), is today considered a rural cinematic masterpiece. Brown was cinematographer on Wallace Reid
Wallace Reid
Wallace Reid was an actor in silent film referred to as "the screen's most perfect lover".-Early life:Born William Wallace Reid in St...
's very last film, Thirty Days. In the 1970s Brown was one of the Hollywood pioneers interviewed by Kevin Brownlow
Kevin Brownlow
Kevin Brownlow is a filmmaker, film historian, television documentary-maker, author, and Academy Award recipient. Brownlow is best known for his work documenting the history of the silent era. Brownlow became interested in silent film at the age of eleven. This interest grew into a career spent...
for his 1980 television series, Hollywood
Hollywood (documentary)
Hollywood is a 1980 documentary series produced by Thames Television which explored the establishment and development of the Hollywood studios and its impact on 1920s culture....
. In the series Brown talked at length about Reid's addiction and death.
Selected Filmography
- Gasoline GusGasoline GusGasoline Gus is a 1921 comedy film starring Fatty Arbuckle.-Cast:* Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle - Gasoline Gus* Lila Lee - Sal Jo Banty* Charles Ogle - Nate Newberry* Theodore Lorch - Dry Check Charlie* Wilton Taylor - Judge Shortridge...
(1921) - The DictatorThe Dictator (1922 film)The Dictator is a 1922 silent film comedy drama produced by Famous Players-Lasky and distributed through Paramount Pictures. James Cruze was the director and the star Wallace Reid. The basic story of this film had been filmed in 1915 with John Barrymore who had played a supporting part in the 1904...
(1922) - Thirty DaysThirty Days (1922 film)Thirty Days is a 1922 silent farce produced by Famous Players-Lasky and distributed by Paramount Pictures. It is based on a play by Thirty Days by A.E. Thomas and Clayton Hamilton which apparently didn't see Broadway. The film was directed by James Cruze and stars idol Wallace Reid in his last...
(1922) - HollywoodHollywood (1923 film)Hollywood was a silent comedy film directed by James Cruze, co-written by Frank Condon and Thomas J. Geraghty, and released by Paramount Pictures.The film has become famous as having featured cameos of more than thirty famous Hollywood stars...
(1923) - The Covered WagonThe Covered WagonThe Covered Wagon is an American silent Western film released by Paramount Pictures. The film was directed by James Cruze based on a novel by Emerson Hough about a group of pioneers traveling through the old West from Kansas to Oregon. J...
(1923) - The Fighting CowardThe Fighting CowardThe Fighting Coward is a 1924 comedy produced by Famous Players-Lasky, released by Paramount Pictures and directed by James Cruze. The film stars Ernest Torrence, Mary Astor, Noah Beery, Sr., Phyllis Haver and Cullen Landis...
(1924) - Merton of the MoviesMerton of the MoviesMerton of the Movies is a 1919 book written by Harry Leon Wilson. In 1922, it was adapted into a Broadway play by George S. Kaufman and Marc Connelly. A 1924 silent movie version was directed by James Cruze and starred Glenn Hunter who had created the role on Broadway...
(1924) - The Pony ExpressThe Pony Express (1925 film)The Pony Express is a silent 1925 Western film produced by Famous Players-Lasky and distributed by Paramount Pictures. The film was directed by James Cruze and starred his wife Betty Compson along with Ricardo Cortez, Wallace Beery, and George Bancroft. Prints of this film survive but it hasn't...
(1925) - Beggar on HorsebackBeggar on HorsebackBeggar on Horseback is a play by George S. Kaufman and Marc Connelly.A parody of the expressionistic parables that were popular at the time, it rails against the perils of trading one's artistic talents for commercial gain. At its core is Neil McRae, a poor, young classical composer...
(1925) - MannequinMannequin (1926 film)Mannequin is a 1926 silent film romance produced by Famous Players-Lasky and distributed by Paramount Pictures. James Cruze directed and Alice Joyce, Warner Baxter and Dolores Costello were the stars...
(1926) - Stark LoveStark LoveStark Love is a feature film directed by Karl Brown and released by Paramount Pictures. The film is a maverick production in both design and concept, is a beautifully photographed mix of lyrical anthropology and action melodrama from director Karl Brown. “Man is absolute ruler...
(1927)(*as director) - Under The Big TopUnder The Big TopUnder the Big Top is a 1938 American film directed by Karl Brown.- Cast :*Marjorie Main as Sara Post*Anne Nagel as Penny*Jack La Rue as Ricardo Le Grande*Grant Richards as Pablo Le Grande*Fred 'Snowflake' Toones as Juba*Betty Compson as Marie...
(1938)(*as director)