Tod Browning

Charles Albert “Tod” Browning (born the July 12th 1880 with Louisville in the Kentucky with the the United States and dead the October 6th 1962) was a realizer, scenario writer, producer and American actor.

It is in particular known to have carried out Freaks, the monstrous parade, in 1932.

Biography

It is the second wire and the third child of Charles Leslie Browning and Lydia Jane Fitzgerald Browning.

It is very early attracted by the entertainment world. Various events organized in the town of Louisville, whose great annual demonstration The Satellites off Mercury , is certainly a source of inspiration. According to the legend, Browning leaves its family in 1898 at the time of the passage of an itinerant troop. It seems to thus follow the example of the character Toby Tyler of the novel of James Otis Kaler Toby Tyler, gold, Ten Weeks with has circus (1881), very popular work at the end of the 19th century, in which Toby succeeds in escaping from the influence of his/her authoritative uncle and binds friendship with members of a troop of phenomena of fair.

Browning traverses during several years the south of the United States, but returns regularly in Louisville. It Marie with Amy Louise Stevens in 1906, but that does not last very a long time: the Divorce is marked four years later. In 1913, Browning off plays in a burlesque part The Whirl Mirth which has a certain success. It is at that time that the actor Charlie Murray presents Browning to David Wark Griffith; this last engages it and the fact of playing in two comedies Scenting has Terrible Crime (1913) and has Fallen Hero (1913). Browning and Lionel Barrymore follow Griffith to Los Angeles.

In 1914, Browning plays in An Interrupted Séance , its first film on the west coast. One year later, it carries out its first film, The Lucky Transfer . Other achievements follow: Slavic The Girl (1915), Year Image off the Past (1915), The Living room Death (1915) and The Burned Hand (1915). These the last two melodramas approach already recurrent themes in the work of the realizer: relations tended between father and girl, physical mutilations.

Browning Marie second once, with Alice Lillian Houghton in 1917. After having turned a certain number of films for Triangle and Pictures Subway, it makes two meetings essential for its career in Universal: Irving Thalberg, director of Universal and Lon Chaney, actor, born deaf and dumb parents. The first film of Tod Browning and Lon Chaney is The Wicked Darling (1919) in which Chaney plays the part of a gangster. In 1925, after a series of films carried out for Universal and Gothic pictures and of serious problems of Alcoholism, Browning carries out The Unholy Three , novel of Clarence Aaron “Tod” Robbins, with Lon Chaney as main actor, thanks to the support of Thalberg. The film is a phenomenal success. Chaney plays thereafter in several films of Browning: The Blackbird (1926), The Road to Mandalay (1926), The Unknown (1927) London after Midnight (1927), The Big City (1928), West off Zanzibar (1928), Where East is East (1929). One finds in these works the expensive subjects with Tod Browning: the shady world, the macabre one, the infirmity.

Although it is a silent film, West off Zanzibar integrates nevertheless certain sound elements in order to persuade a public already familiarized with the talking films ( The Jazz Singer leaves in 1927). Where East is East is last collaboration between Chaney and Browning (Lon Chaney dies in 1930). Appear then in films of Browning Bela Lugosi ( Dracula , 1931, Mark off the Vampire , 1935), Edward G. Robinson ( Outside the Law , 1930) or Lionel Barrymore ( Mark off the Vampire , Headstocks of the devil , 1936).

Freaks (1932) remains the film which holds a very detailed attention during this period. Based on a news of Clarence Aaron “Tod” Robbins entitled Spurs , the history has initially seems it communicated to Browning by Harry Earles, actor playing the part of one of the burglars in The Unholy Three .

The film puts in scene people equipped with physical malformations; these characters considered as monsters make proof of more than humanity than the beings known as normal. Freaks counterirritates the public and the critic; it is a bitter failure for the scenario writer. He carries out only four films thereafter; Miracles for Sale (1939) is the last.

He moves with Alice with Malibu after having sold their house of Beverly Hills. Alice dies the May 12th 1944. Tod Browning starts to living as recluse. In 1946, it becomes acquainted with Doctor Harold Snow, young person veterinary, who undertakes in the Années 1940 and 1950 to look after his two dogs, Toby and Dusty. The Snow couple proposes in Browning to live with them, which it ends up accepting.

He then consults a doctor who diagnoses a Cancer Larynx. In June 1962, Browning undergoes an ablation of the larynx, cruel irony of the destiny for a film producer dumb men. Tod Browning dies the October 6th 1962.

Heritage

Freaks had a very important impact in the imaginary popular one and was used as inspiration for several works, on many supports.

With the cinema, the film of Tod Browning influenced many realizers. It is advisable to quote, of course, The Elephant Man (1980) of David Lynch or more recently the Brothers Falls of Mark and Michael Polish on two Siamese Twins which received the price of the jury of Deauville in 1999. Jodie Foster projects to carry out Flora Plum , history of a monster of fair which falls in love with an young girl come to work in the circus of which it is the high-speed motorboat. Grooved Haig, defective director visual currently works on the scenario of a feature-length film also inspired by Freaks.

To the Theater in 1988, Genevieve de Kermabon, actress and acrobat of formation, presented to Avignon a theatrical adaptation of Freaks. The spectacle shocks part of the public. The text of the part was published at Actes Sud in 1992.

In the music, the group French Strasbourg eois, Weepers Circus, founded in the Years 1980, pays homage to Freaks by entitling their fifth album the monstrous parade (2005).

In the Cartoon, one can quote in particular:

Blondeau, Muriel, Foerster, Philippe. Monstrous Parade . Casterman (January 11th 2006). Doctor Balibar meets Gus Filochet, the child-fish and immediately proposes with his parents money to be able exhiber their son in his itinerant circus… The couple is in misery; the father enivre regularly to forget cruel reality: his/her oldest son is a covered being of scales. In the tread, the two parents persuade Balibar to also carry Miquet their junior, kid strange who spends his days to draw…
Kraehn, Jean-Charles. End of man, the integral . Glénat (October 1st 1997). The second volume is entitled the parade of the monsters .

Catalog of films

; Like realizer

Miracles for Salts (1939)
The Devil-Fraud (Headstocks of the devil) (1936)
Mark off the vampire (the Mark of the Vampire) (1935)
Fast Workers (1933)
Freaks (Freaks, the monstrous parade) (1932)
Iron Man (1931)
Dracula (1931)
Outside the Law (Revolted) (1930)
The Thirteenth Chair (1929)
Where East Is East (the Road of Mandalay) (1929)
West off Zanzibar (1928)
London after Midnight (London after midnight) (1927)
The Unknown (the Unknown) (1927)
The Show (1927)
The Blackbird (1926)
Dollar Down (1925)
The Mystic (1925)
The Unholy Tree (the Club of the three) (1925)
Silk Stocking Sal (1924)
The Dangerous Flirt (1924)
White Tiger (1923)
The Day off Faith (1923)
Drifting (1923)
Under Two Flags (1922)
Man Under Cover (1922)
The Wise Kid (1922)
No Woman Knows (1921)
Outside the Law (1920)
The Virgin off Stamboul (1920)
The Petal one the Current (1919)
The Unpainted Woman (1919)
The Exquisite Thief (1919)
The Wicked Darling (1919)
Set Free (1918)
The Deciding KIS (1918)
Revenge (1918)
The Eyes off Mystery (1918)
The Brazen Beauty (1918)
The Legion off Death (1918)
Which Woman? (1918)
The Jury off Fate (1917)
Peggy, the Will O' the Wisp (1917)
Hands Up! (1917)
has Coils off Sublimates (1917)
Jim Bludso (1917)
Puppets (1916)
Everybody' S Doing It (1916)
The Fatal Knell Beer (1916)
The Woman from Warren' S (1915)
The Burned Hand (1915)
The Electric Alarm (1915)
The Spell off the Poppy (1915)
The Story off has Story (1915)
The Highbinders (1915)
Year Image off the Past (1915)
Slavic The Girl (1915)
The Lucky Transfer (1915)
Little Marie (1915)
The Living room Death (1915)
By the Sun' S Rays (1914)

; As scenario writer

London After Midnight (2002) (TV)
Inside Job (1946)
The Devil-Fraud ( Headstocks of the devil ) (1936)
Dracula (1931)
Outside the Law Revolted (1930) the
Where East Is East (the Road of Mandalay) (1929)
The Big City (1928)
London after Midnight (London after midnight) (1927)
The Unknown (1927)
The Road to Mandalay (1926)
The Blackbird (1926)
The Mystic (1925)
White Tiger (1923)
Drifting (1923)
Under Two Flags (1922)
No Woman Knows (1921)
Outside the Law (1920)
The Virgin off Stamboul (1920)
Bonnie Bonnie Lassie (1919)
Set Free (1918)
has Coils Sublimates (1917)
Jim Bludso (1917)
Atta Boy' S Last Race (1916)
Puppets (1916)
The Mystery off the Leaping Fish (1916)
Sunshine Dad (1916)
Acquitted (1916)

; As producer

The Devil-Fraud (Headstocks of the Devil) (1936)
Mark off the Vampire (the Mark of the Vampire) (1935)
Freaks (Freaks, the monstrous parade) (1932)
Dracula (1931)
Outside the Law (Revolted) (1930)
The Thirteenth Flesh (1929)
West off Zanzibar (1928)
London after Midnight (London after midnight) (1927)
Outside the Law (1920)

; As actor

Dracula (1931)
The Mother and the Law (1919)
Intolerance: Love' S Struggle Through the Old ( Intolerance) (1916)
Ethel' S New Dress (1915)
Ethel' S Doggone Luck (1915)
Bill Gives has Smoker (1915)
has Costly Exchange (1915)
Bill Turns Valet (1915)
Cupid and the Pest (1915)
Ethel' S First Case (1915)
Bill and Ethel At the Ball (1914)
has Corner in Hats (1914)
Ethel Has Steady (1914)
Ethel' S Roof Party (1914)
Casey' S Vendetta (1914)
Dizzy Joe' S Career (1914)
Bill Spoils has Vacation (1914)
Bill Manages has Prize Fighter (1914)
Bill Organizes has Union (1914)
Bill Saves the Day (1914)
Ethel' S Teacher (1914)
Bill Takes has Lady Out to Lunch… Never Again (1914)
Wrong All Around (1914)
Bill' S Job (1914)
The White Slave Catchers (1914)
The Deceiver (1914)
An Exciting Courtship (1914)
has Race for has Bride (1914) off
The Scene His Crime (1914)
After Her Dough (1914)
The Last Drink off Whiskey (1914)
Out Again, In Again (1914)
has Physical Culture Lovesong (1914)
Bill Unite the Band (1913)
Ethel' S Luncheon (1909)

Sources

; Monographs

David J. Skal, Elias Savada. Dark Carnival: Secret The World off Tod Browning: Hollywood' S Master off the Macabre . Anchor Books, 1995. The most complete biographical study on the author.
Stuart Rosenthal ." Tod Browning ". The Hollywood Professionals volume 4 , 1975.

; Periodicals

Positive n°476, October 2000

Gerard Lenne, " Melodrama and illusion at Tod Browning"
Bret Wood, " Secret passions of Tod Browning"
Alain Garsault, " Unknown, Sets of hands… "

Books of the Cinema n°550, October 2000

Stephan Delorme, " Body and mélodrame"
Patrick Brion, " A life in the fantastique"
Charles Tesson, " Disappearance révélée"

Before scene Cinema n°264 Freaks/Tod Browning, March 15th, 1981

Jacques Goimard, " The day when the cursed ones took the parole"

Odd n°24-25 terror: cinema of the fantastic, 3rd quarter 1962

Michel Laclos, " The screen of the maniaques"
Jean-Claude Romer, " Tod Browning"

; Videotex

Laurent Préyale, Tod Browning . Minute-Color-Mono France-26. Sylph, 1997. Documentary biographical which proposes film extracts of Browning and particularly underlines collaboration between Tod Browning and Lon Chaney. Patrick Brion and Eric Rohmer bring some explanations on the life and the work of the scenario writer. Patrick Brion on several occasions proposed cycles Tod Browning and Lon Chaney within the framework of the Cinéma of Midnight on the third French chain.
Laurent Préyale, Couples & duets . Spads, TPS cinema, 2001.

Four documentary 26 minutes written and realized by Laurent Préyale including one devoted to Lon Chaney and Tod Browning

Tod Browning, Freaks, the monstrous parade . DVD.107 minutes. Warner, 2005. This edition offers the audio comments of David Skal, documentary on the slides as well as fine the alternatives.
Tod Browning, The Devil Fraud/Mark off the Vampire . DVD.78 & 60 minutes. Warner, 2006. Included in the box " Legends off Horror" appeared in the United States, these editions offer audio comments of Kim Newman and Steve Jones.

External bonds

a version of the news '' Spurs '' under Creative license Commons

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