Clarence Brown
Clarence Brown ( born May 10, 1890 in Clinton, Massachusetts, † August 17, 1987 in Santa Monica, California ) was an American film director and film producer.
Life
Brown began his Hollywood career in 1915 as an editor and assistant to the French director Maurice Tourneur. As Tourneur 1920 ill during the filming of The Last of the Mohicans, Brown was the director and finished the film. Since then he has worked as a self-responsible director. Clarence Brown was a talented craftsman, but never found the recognition as an author filmmakers.
He became known as the innovaten use of close-up, after 1925 he moved into the film The Eagle at a love scene between Rudolph Valentino and Vilma Banky from the long shot in a so-called close-up. The possibility of emotions and moods was to project directly onto the canvas from him in his first collaboration with Greta Garbo in 1927, it was perfected. Together with John Gilbert, the actress has been shown in some extreme close-ups. In the many other collaborations with Garbo, the nicknamed " Garbo's director," for which he made it to Brown a rule to make the face of the Swede prominently in the center of the drama.
In the next few years at MGM Brown was established as a popular woman director who staged numerous love films and romantic melodramas with established stars like Norma Shearer, Joan Crawford and, as already mentioned, Greta Garbo. Despite the change of George Cukor and Mervyn LeRoy MGM his star did not sink in the studio and he focused mainly since the middle of the decade to routinely made films with high budget. Maria Walevska with Greta Garbo, Idiot 's Delight with Norma Shearer and The White Cliffs of Dover, an even Heimatfronepos with Irene Dunne as a long suffering war bride brought the studio prestige and sometimes considerable profit. Brown also came the rather dubious honor of producing the favorite film of Louis B. Mayer: And life goes on, a sentimental story from 1943 on the home front. The varied fortunes of the residents of a small town are all about the telegram messengers, are played by Mickey Rooney, interwoven. From the rave reviews in 1944, his film Little girl, big heart, who made a child star from Elizabeth Taylor and Anne Revere gave the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. The best artistic achievement brought Brown towards the end of the decade with two unusual films. Firstly, The Yearling in 1946, which made a serious actress Jane Wyman. The film was started about five years, directed by King Vidor with Spencer Tracy and Ann Harding in the lead roles, but never completed. Brown occupied all roles and newly started from scratch. To date, very up his film is Intruder in the Dust, which gave 1949 a shocking insight into the everyday racism in the United States. In both films, Claude Jarman Jr. worked with a then well-known child actor.
Since In golden chains from the year 1934 to Plymouth Adventure 1952 Brown often worked with the cutter Robert together core. After 1952, Brown joined only as a producer of It started in Moscow in appearance. The rapid end of his career after 1952 may also be related to that broke away with the end of the studio system, the need for large-scale productions for female stars.
Clarence Brown was 1930-1946 five times nominated for an Oscar for best director, including a double nomination at the Academy Awards 1930 (November), without receiving the coveted trophy. He was married four times, including with Alice Joyce.
A star on the Walk of Fame, height 1752 Vine Street, reminiscent of Clarence Brown.
Filmography (selection)
Awards
Oscar for best director
- Academy Awards 1930 (November): nomination for Anna Christie and Romance
- Oscars 1931: Nominations for The courage to happiness
- Oscars 1944: Nominations 1ür .. and life goes on
- Oscars 1945: Nominations for nomination for Little Girl, Big Heart
- Academy Awards 1947: call for nominations The Wilderness