A Few Words From A Fan

Kevin Brownlow.  If it wasn't for this man I doubt I would have had an interest in film, let alone silent film.  When one is dragged, screaming and kicking, into a documentary viewing and finding themselves completely absorbed in a matter of moments, into the subject, and the story, that is the work of a very great person who not only is (and I consider MY teacher) a great educator and someone who is not only interested in the subject, but gifted enough to make others fascinated, too.
His books are available online and in libraries.  Every page is gold.  Even if you only have a passing interest in silent film, his, "The Parades Gone By" will pull you into a world and memories of the people Kevin had the foresight to interview the pioneers that made film in the earliest part of this century and put every word on paper.  The book is a magical time machine, it will in fact, wrap around you on a nice cold night and warm you with the wealth of memories of another time, when people just went out and said, "We'll make a movie," and did it quite wonderfully.  It was not a business, it was an expression from the very heart of artists that were tasting a new wine called film.   It did make them quite drunk, indeed, and took a small town, streets lined and scented with orange trees, into the massive city it is now.

More people owe Kevin Brownlow a debt for the priceless gift he has given us all of himself, his memories and his joy and enthusiasm for a period of our wonderful film history that I find totally magical and amazing.   I usually try to read something of his several times a year, even though I have probably memorized the words many times over.  If you get a chance and want to have a wonderful two hours or more, go to You Tube and pop his name in with the magical word 'documentary' and you will meet, sincerely, Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, Charlie Chaplin at his most wonderous, and so many more.  Lon Chaney, Sr., David Wark Griffith, and all the hundreds of others you will learn about. I envy anyone seeing these films for the first time.  What a gift Kevin has, for sharing a part of his heart and head.