Herbert Brenon (born Alexander Herbert Reginald St. John Brenon; 13 January 1880 – 21 June 1958) was an Irish-born U.S. film director, actor and screenwriter during the era of silent films through 1940. Brenon was among the early filmmakers who, before the rise of corporate film production, was a genuine "auteur", controlling virtually all creative and technical components in crafting his pictures.Koszarski, 2008 pp. 35-36: Koszarski includes the roles of casting director, story and script writer, cameraman, film editor and "general studio operations". The quality of Brenon's artistic output rivaled that of film pioneer D. W. Griffith.Higham, 1973 p. 45: "Among those many directors who at once rivaled Griffith and emulated aspects of his style were Herbert Brenon and James Cruze.": Though "not as well known to you as D.W. Griffith or Cecil B. DeMille, his movies probably are..."
Brenon was among the first directors to achieve celebrity status among moviegoers for his often spectacular cinematic inventions.Koszarski, 1976 p. 123: "Brenon was one of the first great names behind the camera to gain a wide personal following [as a director]..." Among his most notable films are Neptune's Daughter (1914), Peter Pan (1925), A Kiss for Cinderella (1925), and the original film version of Beau Geste (1926).
Early life Brenon was born at 25 Crosthwaite Park, in Kingstown (now Dún Laoghaire), Dublin to Edward St. John Brenon, a journalist, poet, and politician, and his wife, Frances ( Harris).: "He was born Herbert Alexander Charles Reginald St. John Brenon in Dublin, Ireland."
In 1882, the family moved to London, where Herbert was educated at St Paul's School and at King's College London. In 1896, at age 16, Brenon emigrated to the United States and became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1918.Slide, 1970 p. 90: THE USA became his “adopted” country.: "Brenon became a naturalized citizen in New York in 1918."
Film career
In his late teens, Brenon served as an office boy for the theatrical agent Joseph Vivian and as a call boy at Daly's Theatre on Broadway.Slide, 1970 p. 90: "Brenon’s first job was as an office boy for Joseph Vivian, the theatrical agent. Following this Brenon became a call boy at Daly's Theatre." While still in his twenties, and before becoming a film director, he performed in vaudeville and operated a small-town nickelodeon.Koszarski 1976 p. 123 : "...a call boy for Augustin Daly’s Theater Company in New York in 1896."
Brenon married Helen Violette Oberg (1885-1955) on 18 February 1904 while they were both working vaudeville circuits. Their son, Herbert Cyril Brenon, was born in 1906.: Brenon married Helen Violette Oberg on 18 February 1904.
IMP: 1909–1914 At the age of 29, Brenon advanced to screenwriting and film editing for the Independent Moving Pictures Company (IMP), later to become Universal Studios. In 1911, he directed his first film, the one-reeler, All For Her (1912), starring George Ober.Slide, 1970 p. 90: "In 1909 he became a writer cum editor with the IMP. company. It was three years before he directed his first film, All For Her (1912), a one-reel story of the love and sacrifice of two old musicians for a small girl, featuring George Ober."Koszarski, 1976 p. 123: "His film career proper began in 1909 with Carl Laemmle's IMP company (later Universal Pictures)..." In 1913, he directed another short silent film, Kathleen Mavourneen, starring Jane Fearnley as the eponymous heroine.
Brenon acted in many of the films he directed for IMP, including the studio's first three-reel production Leah the Forsaken (1909), starring Leah Baird.Slide, 1970 p. 92: "Brenon both acted and directed many IMP productions, including the Company's first three-reeler ... with Leah Baird.": "His foray into the moving picture business began when he got a job as a scenario writer for The Old Imperial Company ... Carl Laemmle gave him his first directing opportunity in 1909 with a film called, All For Her."
Brenon took his IMP production unit to Europe in 1913, and made a number of films in England, France and Germany. The most "spectacular" of these was his adaptation of Sir Walter Scott's novel Ivanhoe, starring celebrity aviator Claude Graham-White as Ivanhoe and filmed at Chepstow Castle. The journal Illustrated Films Monthly bestowed fulsome praise on the production, declaring that "Ivanhoe, as a film, will prove epoch-making in the history of cinematography in [Great Britain] and over the whole world'."Slide, 1970 p. 92: "In May 1913, Brenon and his leading man King Baggot, came to England, and here they filmed two productions, Across the Atlantic (1914) and Ivanhoe (1913). The former featured a famous aviator of his day Claude Graham White. Ivanhoe was a very spectacular production, filmed at Monmouth, and based, rather loosely, on the novel by Sir Walter Scott. King Baggot portrayed the title role, Leah Baird was Rebecca and Herbert Brenon himself played Isaac of York."Koszarski, 1976 p. 123: “He directed a noteworthy Ivanhoe (1913) in Great Britain.” Brenon proceeded to continental Europe to film Absinthe (1914) in France and several films in Germany, starring William E. Shay.Slide, 1970 p. 92: In 1913-1914, "Brenon continued on his filmmaking tour of Europe, and in Paris filmed Absinthe (1914), again with King Baggot, and then moved to Germany to make three films with William E. Shay."
Neptune's Daughter (1914): Brenon’s final and most spectacular film for IMP studios was his 1914 Neptune’s Daughter. This Annette Kellerman vehicle, at seven-reels in length and filmed in Bermuda, established both director and actress among the earliest silent film celebrities.Slide, 1970 p. 92: "Brenon's most famous film for the IMP company was Neptune's Daughter (1914), which was to make a star of Annette Kellerman. Seven reels in length, Neptune's Daughter was shot over a period of three months in Bermuda at the cost of $50,000."Koszarski, 1976 p. 123: "He directed...the spectacular Neptune's Daughter (1914) with Annette Kellerman."
Brenon left IMP In 1914 to create his own short-lived production company, Tiffany Film Corporation.Slide, 1970 p. 92: In December of 1914 Brenon parted with IMP. and formed his own producing company, Tiffany”
Fox: 1915–1916 The following year, Brenon and Kellerman contracted with William Fox’s production company. There, Brenon directed actress Theda Bara in The Two Orphans (1915) and The Kreutzer Sonata (1915). Both Brenon and Bara would have a major impact in elevating the stature of the Fox Company.Slide, 1970 p. 90 "...like Theda Bara, Brenon was to have a very important influence on the success of the Fox Company." And: p. 92: "[In 1915] Brenon joined the William Fox organization, for whom he first directed two Theda Bara vehicles [The Two Orphans and The Kreutzer Sonata, both 1915]."
A Daughter of the Gods (1915): In the summer of 1915, Brenon and leading lady from their IMP collaborations, Kellerman, travelled to Jamaica to make the “elaborate” and “spectacular” A Daughter of the Gods (1916).Slide, 1970 p. 92: "It was not until August 1915 that Brenon embarked on his most ambitious production yet...Brenon sailed for Jamaica to direct A Daughter of the Gods (1916) [starring Annette Kellerman, Stuart Holmes and William Shay]. Nine months were taken for the shooting of the picture."Koszarski, 1976 p. 123: “Brenon and Kellerman quickly jumped to Fox Company and produced on location in the West Indies one of the most elaborate or early photoplays A Daughter of the Gods (1916)." His extravagant expenditures filming the picture led to immense cost overruns, outraging producer William Fox. That, and Brenon's emerging celebrity status among movie critics led Fox to seize the footage and edit it himself, excising Brenon from the screen credits. Film historian Richard Koszarski describes the clash between producer and director.:Koszarski, 1976 p. 123: "Quarrels over production excesses and, surprisingly, Brenon's personal publicity, resulted in Fox editing the film himself and removing Brenon’s name from the credits, a move prefigured the studio suppression of directors - Erich von Stroheim for example - a decade later."
After his failed litigation with Fox, Brenon continued to direct films for various studios, then moved to Paramount where he made some of his finest pictures.Slide, 1970 p. 95: "Herbert Brenon went on to work for other companies, and directed, amongst others, War Brides (1916) with Alla Nazimova, The Passing of the Third Floor Back (1918) with Sir Johnston Forbes-Robertson..."Koszarski, 1976 p. 123: "By the 1920s Brenon had established himself at Paramount as a craftsman of the highest order".
Paramount Pictures: 1923–1926 Brenon reached the apogee of his creative powers while at Paramount during the late silent period, emerging as "a craftsman of the highest order" and for his renowned cinematic style.Koszarski, 1976 p. 123
Two films most characteristic of “the Brenon style” were his adaption of two J. M. Barrie fantasies, the highly theatrical renditions of Peter Pan (1924), starring Betty Bronson and A Kiss for Cinderella (1925).Slide, 1970 p. 95: “the delicate and sentimental style of directing, ‘the Brenon style’ And: "...two fantasies with Betty Bronson: Peter Pan and A Kiss for Cinderella."Higham, 1973 p. 45-46: Brenon’s "critically successful record" [includes] J. M. Barrie's Peter Pan (1925) and A Kiss for Cinderella (1926) ... essentially theatrical and uninventive."Robinson, 1970 p. 101: “Brenon’s inclination was always towards subjects of more retiring charm, and particularly adaptations of sentimental stage plays…” And: "characteristic" works Brenon enlisted the talents of James Wong Howe and J. Roy Hunt to achieve outstanding cinematography and lighting effects.Koszarski, 2008 p. 55: “Brenon paid special attention to the quality of his cinematography. James Wong Howe shot many of his most important early films…”Robinson, 1970 p. 10: "...skillfully made, beautifully lit by James Wong Howe and J. Roy Hunt respectively..." Biographer Charles Higham provides these critiques of the films: Film historian Richard Koszarski offers this appraisal of A Kiss for Cinderella:
Perhaps Brenon's most highly successful commercial effort at Paramount was Beau Geste (1926), with actor Ronald Colman.Robinson, 1970 p. 101: "...big commercial picture…"Koszarski, 2008 p. 55-57: "...highly successful…"
Richard Koszarski observes approvingly that Beau Geste is “notable for its intelligence and controlled sentiment ... especially strong in the richness of the performances.”Koszarski, 1976 p. 123Robinson, 1970 p. 101: "Characteristic of his later big commercial films were The Garden of Allah (1921), The Spanish Dancer (1923) and Beau Geste] (1926)."
Film historian Charles Higham issued this appraisal of Brenon's Beau Geste:
Style and personality Brenon's reputation as a director who reliably extracted fine performances from "temperamental" actors was widely acknowledged. Indeed, Brenon praised the virtues of “temperament” in an article from Motion Picture Magazine (February 1926) entitled "Must They Have Temperament?":
Richard Koszarski adds that "Pola Negri, Lon Chaney, Nazimova and Norma Talmadge had some of their finest moments in Brenon’s films, (while carrying on uncontrollably elsewhere) ... his directorial success with the widest range of silent stars remains unparalleled."Koszarski, 1976 p. 123;
Brenon, described once as an "Irish curmudgeon" while on the set, was typical of the old-school “auteur” directors of the early film era, but this behavior became anachronistic when corporate studio executives were ascendant in the 1920s.Koszarski, 2008 pp 35-36: See here for comments Allan Dwan related to Brenon.Koszarski, 2008 p. 55: "Irish curmudgeon".