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Clarence Brown: Hollywood's Forgotten Master

by Gwenda Young
Univ. of Kentucky. Nov. 2018. 464p. illus. notes. index. ISBN 9780813175959. $60; ebk. ISBN 9780813175973. FILM
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Clarence Brown directed some of the most beloved U.S. movies of the first half of the 20th century, including National Velvet, Anna Karenina, and The Yearling. He was nominated for five Academy Awards, and ten of the actors he directed won Oscars as well, but he has been largely forgotten. Young (film history, Univ. Coll., Cork, Ireland) rectifies that with this well-annotated, comprehensive, academic biography. Despite Brown's quiet nature and love of engineering, he eventually became known as the "star maker" for his ability to coax exceptional performances from the most demanding of actors. Greta Garbo, for example, demanded that walls be built around her scenes, through which Brown would direct her.
VERDICT Highly recommended to anyone interested in the history of early American cinema, star power in early Hollywood, or Clarence Brown.
Reviewed by Todd Spires, Bradley Univ. Lib., Peoria, IL , Oct 15, 2018
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