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{{Short description|Belfast-born film director (1895–1986)}}
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{{Infobox person
'''Brian Desmond Hurst''' (12 February 1895 &ndash; 26 September 1986) was a Belfast-born ]. With over thirty films in his filmography, Hurst was Ireland's most prolific film director during the 20th century,{{fact|date=February 2019}} and hailed as Northern Ireland's best film director.<ref name="ReferenceMC">Screening will honour 'NI's best film director' News Letter 12 February 2015 Mike Catto, film critic, BBC and Radio Ulster</ref> He is perhaps best known for the 1951 '']'' adaptation ].
| name = Brian Desmond Hurst
| image = Brian Desmond Hurst. Allan Warren.jpg
| alt = <!-- descriptive text for use by speech synthesis (text-to-speech) software -->
| caption = Brian Desmond Hurst in 1976 (portrait by ])
| birth_name = <!-- only use if different from name -->
| birth_date = 12 February 1895
| birth_place = ], Ireland
| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=y|26 September 1986|12 February 1895}}
| death_place = London, UK
| nationality = British
| occupation = ]
| years_active =
| known_for =
| notable_works = '']'' (1941) <br />] (1951) <br /> '']'' (1953)
}}

'''Brian Desmond Hurst''' (12 February 1895 &ndash; 26 September 1986) was an ] ]. With over thirty films in his filmography, Hurst was hailed as Northern Ireland's best film director by BBC film critic Mike Catto.<ref name="ReferenceMC">Screening will honour 'NI's best film director' News Letter 12 February 2015 Mike Catto, film critic, BBC and Radio Ulster</ref> He is perhaps best known for the 1951 '']'' adaptation ].


==Early life== ==Early life==
Hurst was born Hans Hurst at 23, Ribble Street, ] into a working-class family. Hurst attended the New Road School, a public elementary school, on the junction of the ] and Hemp Street in East Belfast.<ref name="ReferenceA">Theirs is the Glory- 65th Anniversary of the making of the film, Ministory number 106, author Allan Esler Smith, published by Friends of the Airborne Museum Oosterbeek, November 2010</ref> Hurst was born at 23 Ribble Street, ], into a working-class family. He attended the New Road School, a public elementary school in East Belfast.<ref name="ReferenceA">Theirs is the Glory- 65th Anniversary of the making of the film, Ministory number 106, author Allan Esler Smith, published by Friends of the Airborne Museum Oosterbeek, November 2010.</ref>


Brian Desmond Hurst's father (Robert, senior) and brother (Robert, junior) were iron-workers in the ] shipyard. In August 1914, at the outbreak of ], Hurst enlisted as a private in the ] and changed his name from Hans to Brian soon afterwards. He saw service with the 6th Battalion ] at the battle of ] in ], the ] and the ]. At the battle of Chunuk Bair his regiment were "battle virgins when they were thrown into the Turkish machine gun fire for the first time on 10 August 1915".<ref>Malta Story (released 1953) - The Director's Cut page 16 by Allan Esler Smith, Treasures of Malta, number 48, Summer 2010, Vol. XVI No 3 published by Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti in association with the Malta Tourism Authority</ref> "They had set out a few hours before for the Chunuk Bair with twenty officers and over 700 men. Several stragglers and those who had lost their way returned to base in the hours that lay ahead but by the evening of 10 August the Hampshires and the Rifles had been broken in what amounted to a cruel massacre".<ref>Phillip Orr ''Field of Bones: An Irish Division at Gallipoli'', Lilliput Press, 2006, p.144</ref> Hurst's father, Robert senior, and brother, Robert junior, were iron-workers in the ] shipyard. In August 1914, at the outbreak of ], Hurst enlisted as a private in the ]. He saw service with the 6th Battalion ] at the battle of ] in ], the ] and the ]. At Chunuk Bair his regiment were "battle virgins when they were thrown into the Turkish machine gun fire for the first time on 10 August 1915".<ref>Malta Story (released 1953) - The Director's Cut page 16 by Allan Esler Smith, Treasures of Malta, number 48, Summer 2010, Vol. XVI No 3 published by Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti in association with the Malta Tourism Authority</ref> "They had set out a few hours before for the Chunuk Bair with twenty officers and over 700 men. Several stragglers and those who had lost their way returned to base in the hours that lay ahead but by the evening of 10 August the Hampshires and the Rifles had been broken in what amounted to a cruel massacre".<ref>Phillip Orr ''Field of Bones: An Irish Division at Gallipoli'', Lilliput Press, 2006, pg. 144.</ref>


Hurst was interviewed by '']'' magazine in 1969 and the article contained Hurst's quote "'I would fight for England against anybody except Ireland' he says, Why for England? 'Because an Englishman is worth twenty foreigners.' Why not against Ireland? 'Because an Irishman is worth fifty Englishmen.'" In the same article when commenting about his experiences of fighting at Gallipoli in a Battalion that was from a mixed religious background with recruiting offices in ] and ], the article comments "Catholic-Protestant antagonism vanished in this holocaust".<ref name="WD69">Wilfred De'ath, ''Punch'', 8 October 1969, p.575, 576</ref> Hurst was interviewed by '']'' magazine in 1969. The article includes Hurst's statement that "I would fight for England against anybody except Ireland" and it continues: "Why for England? 'Because an Englishman is worth twenty foreigners.' Why not against Ireland? 'Because an Irishman is worth fifty Englishmen.'"<ref name="WD69">Wilfred De'ath, ''Punch'', 8 October 1969, pp. 575-76</ref>


Returning from ] Hurst found life in Belfast constraining and he took a government grant to emigrate to ] sometime in 1920. He wanted to follow his artistic ambition and enrolled at the ] College of Art. After two years he left and went to ] to study art at ] in ]. Returning from ] Hurst found life in Belfast constraining and he took a government grant to emigrate to ] sometime in 1920. He enrolled at the ].{{citation needed|date=November 2023}}


==Early film career== ==Early film career==
{{More citations needed|section|date=September 2022}}
Hurst then moved to Hollywood where he quickly rose from set artwork to film production. Under the expert guidance of ], sometimes claimed to have been Hurst's cousin,<ref>Brian McFarlane (ed) ''The Encyclopedia of British Film'', BFI/Methuen, 2003, p.329</ref> he learnt the new skills of set management. Hurst even made one screen appearance as an extra in Ford's '']'' (1928) where he briefly appears<ref name="Hill">John Hill "'Purely Sinn Fein Propaganda': the banning of Ourselves Alone", ''Historic Journal of Film, Radio and Television'', University of Ulster, p.317, 327</ref> alongside a college footballer gaining his first break - ]. Hurst's skills, however, were behind the camera where his artist training allowed him to capture faces and expressions with a unique flair. These skills were honed under Ford who remained a lifelong friend. Hurst was with Ford and helped advise him when he brought Hollywood to Ireland when making '']'' (1952).
Under the guidance of ], sometimes referred to as Hurst's cousin although the two were unrelated by blood,<ref>Brian McFarlane (ed) ''The Encyclopedia of British Film'', BFI/Methuen, 2003, pg. 329</ref> Hurst learned about set management. Hurst made a cameo appearance as an extra in Ford's '']'' (1928) where he briefly appears<ref name="Hill">John Hill. "'Purely Sinn Fein Propaganda': the banning of Ourselves Alone", ''Historic Journal of Film, Radio and Television'', University of Ulster, pp. 317, 327</ref> alongside a young ]. Hurst was with Ford and helped advise him when he brought Hollywood to Ireland when making '']'' (1952).


By 1933 Hurst was ready to return to the UK and settled in ] from the 1930s to his death in 1986 although often returning to ] to visit relatives for "a spiritual bath".<ref name="WD69"/> By 1933, Hurst was ready to return to the UK and settled in ], where he lived from the 1930s to his death in 1986, although he often returned to ] to visit relatives for "a spiritual bath".<ref name="WD69"/>


His early Irish work is attracting historic interest with ]'s '']'' (1935) and the ] love story '']'' (1936) proving to be historically important. Hurst's ''Irish Hearts'' (1934) "is certainly one of the main contenders for the first Irish sound feature film".<ref name="McIlroy">Brian McIlroy "British Filmmaking in the 1930s and 1940: The Example of Brian Desmond Hurst", in Wheeler Winston Dixon (ed.) ''Re-viewing British Cinema 1900 - 1992: Essays and Interviews'', State University of New York Press, 1994, p.28, 33, 35, 35</ref> Hurst's early Irish work is ]'s '']'' (1935) and the ] love story '']'' (1936). ''Irish Hearts'' (1934) "is certainly one of the main contenders for the first Irish sound feature film".<ref name="McIlroy">Brian McIlroy "British Filmmaking in the 1930s and 1940: The Example of Brian Desmond Hurst", in Wheeler Winston Dixon (ed.) ''Re-viewing British Cinema 1900 - 1992: Essays and Interviews'', State University of New York Press, 1994, pp. 28, 33-35</ref> ''Riders to the Sea'' was shot in ] where Hurst used the actors of the ] in Dublin and "the film reflects the disparity between the two, with the actors delivering their lines in a highly technical manner whilst the camera revels in the bleak, natural beauty of the coastline and sky. Hurst's visuals are invariably compared with those of his mentor, John Ford and the opening shots of Riders... are markedly Fordian in their elementary quality".<ref>Ruth Barton ''Irish National Cinema'', Routledge, 2004, pp. 52-53</ref>


''Ourselves Alone'' was banned in ] at the time of its release in 1936 although it has now achieved the recognition it deserved and is shown in museums and other public access points in Northern Ireland. It appears to have been misunderstood. At the time Hurst pointed out the original story had been written by a British Army officer and Hurst claimed that the film was "pro-British".<ref name="Hill"/>
''Riders to the Sea'' was shot in ] where Hurst used the actors of the ] in Dublin and "the film reflects the disparity between the two, with the actors delivering their lines in a highly technical manner whilst the camera revels in the bleak, natural beauty of the coastline and sky. Hurst's visuals are invariably compared with those of his mentor, John Ford and the opening shots of Riders... are markedly Fordian in their elementary quality".<ref>Ruth Barton ''Irish National Cinema'', Routledge, 2004, p.52, 53</ref>


Hurst's earliest English films include '']'' (1934), '']'' (1936) and '']'' (1937). In 1937, Hurst was retained by ] to direct a film about ] and he co-wrote a screenplay for it with Miles Malleson and Duncan Guthrie, but the project was obstructed by the British administration in ] before Hurst, himself an Arabic-speaker, could scout locations.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Keely |first1=Alexander |last2=Richards |first2=Jeffrey |last3=Pepper |first3=James |title=Filming TE Lawrence - Korda's Lost Epics |date=1997 |publisher=IB Tauris and Co |location=London |pages=6, 33–127}}</ref>
''Ourselves Alone'' was banned in ] at the time of its release in 1936 although it has now achieved the recognition it deserved and is shown in museums and other public access points in Northern Ireland. It appears to have been misunderstood. At the time Hurst pointed out the original story had been written by a British Army officer and Hurst claimed that the film was 'pro-British'.<ref name="Hill"/>


'']'' is regarded as one of the early examples of British ]. Released in December 1939 at the outbreak of the ] and set in ], it charts the slow moral destruction of a barber following his theft of some money. Film critic David Quinlan described the film as "grim but gripping".
Hurst's earliest English films include '']'' (1934), '']'' (1936) and '']'' (1937).


Andrew Spicer, in his book European Film Noir, wrote: ''"A riveting psychological study. With its sustained doom-laden atmosphere, Krampf’s expressive cinematography, its adroit mixture of location shooting and Gothic compositions and ]'s wonderful performance as a lower middle class Everyman, 'On the Night of the Fire' clearly shows that an achieved mastery of film noir existed in British cinema."''
In 1937 Hurst was retained by ] on a project to direct a film about ] ('Lawrence of Arabia'). In "Filming TE Lawrence - Korda's Lost Epic" it is noted that "Hurst was a Northern Irishman who could speak ]... Hurst was about to leave on a trip to ] to scout locations when Korda cancelled the trip, saying that the ] government refused to permit large gatherings of Arabs and they could not make the film without crowds of Arab extras."<ref>Alexander Kelly, Jeffrey Richards & James Pepper ''Filming TE Lawrence - Korda's Lost Epics'', London: IB Tauris and Co Ltd, 1997, p.6</ref> The last version of Hurst's screenplay (co-written with Miles Malleson and Duncan Guthrie) dated 4 October 1938 is reprinted in "Filming TE Lawrence Korda's Lost Epic", pages 33 to 127.


Also in 1939, Hurst and Korda co-directed '']'' (1939) featuring Richardson. It was described by one critic as "Hurst's most celebrated film of the 1930s".<ref name="McIlroy"/> Hurst went on to make four more propaganda films from 1940 to 1942 and continued to make films set in the Second World War until 1956.
'']'' is regarded as one of the early examples of British film noir. Released in December 1939 at the outbreak of the ] and set in ] it charts the slow moral destruction of a barber following his theft of some money. The film critic David Quinlan describes the film as "grim but gripping". Andrew Spicer, in his book European Film Noir, writes: "A riveting psychological study. With its sustained doom-laden atmosphere, Krampf’s expressive cinematography, its adroit mixture of location shooting and Gothic compositions and ]’s wonderful performance as a lower middle class Everyman, ''On the Night of the Fire'' clearly shows that an achieved mastery of film noir existed in British cinema".

Hurst then had the distinction of being selected by Alexander Korda to help co-direct Korda's bit for the war effort '']'' (1939) featuring Ralph Richardson which was described by one critic as "Hurst's most celebrated film of the 1930s".<ref name="McIlroy"/> The historic importance of the film is understood when it is realised that Korda was a close friend of ] and had made a promise to Churchill to get this film out within a month of war being declared.


==Later years== ==Later years==
{{more citations needed|section|date=September 2022}}
'']'', in its obituary of Hurst in 1986, commented that '']'' (1941) was "his best known picture", "a big popular success" which "launched a cycle of pictures with concerti as their theme music"<ref>''The Times'', 2 October 1986</ref> because of its successful utilisation of ]'s '']''.
'']'', in its obituary of Hurst in 1986, commented that '']'' (1941) was his best-known movie, "a big popular success" which "launched a cycle of pictures with concerti as their theme music"<ref>''The Times'', 2 October 1986</ref> because of its successful utilisation of ]'s '']''.


Hurst worked for the ] during the Second World War for whom his films included '']'' (1940), '']'' (1940) and his homeland film '']'' (1943) where Hurst and ] (as scriptwriter) and his fellow Ulsterman and Assistant Director ] created a film "promoting a sense of community"<ref name="McIlroy"/> between the people of Northern Ireland and over one hundred thousand troops from the USA based in Northern Ireland at the time. Brian McIlroy explained that "Hurst was able to persuade one Catholic and one Protestant soldier to write letters home, explaining their impressions of their stay. From these letters, Terence Young, the scriptwriter, was able to construct a sequence of activities that revealed the different traditions of Ireland."<ref name="McIlroy"/> Hurst worked for the ] during the Second World War, for whom his films included '']'' (1940), '']'' (1940) and his homeland film '']'' (1943), where Hurst and ] (as scriptwriter) and his fellow Ulsterman and Assistant Director ] created a film "promoting a sense of community"<ref name="McIlroy"/> between the people of Northern Ireland and over one hundred thousand troops from the America based in Northern Ireland at the time. Brian McIlroy explained that "Hurst was able to persuade one Catholic and one Protestant soldier to write letters home, explaining their impressions of their stay. From these letters, Terence Young, the scriptwriter, was able to construct a sequence of activities that revealed the different traditions of Ireland."<ref name="McIlroy"/>


Hurst's '']'' (1944) sees a young ] obtaining his first credited role (playing Tommy Draper). Hurst's '']'' (1944) sees a young ] in his first credited role. Hurst directed scenes in '']'' (1945) where he provided ] with his first film role and then helped pay for Moore to attend ].
For '']'' (1946), Hurst took 200 members of the 1st Airborne back to ] and ] to direct and "remake" their role in the ]. Every person in the film served with the 1st Airborne or was a civilian from Oosterbeek or Arnhem. Hurst said, "The film is my favourite because of the wonderful experience of working with soldiers and because it is a true documentary reconstruction of the event. I say without modesty it is one of the best war films ever made".<ref name="ReferenceA"/>


The premiere of ''Theirs is the Glory'' was on the second anniversary of the battle in September 1946 and was attended by the Prime Minister. ] commanded a private screening at ]. ''Theirs is the Glory'' and '']'' were compared in the battlefields magazine Against All Odds and the comparison is stark and revealing "''A Bridge Too Far'' is a slow moving epic, well worth a viewing with some authentic scenes, but is unconvincing in its portrayal of the battle of Oosterbeek... ''Theirs is the Glory'' is the only feature film currently released that accurately portrays the events at Oosterbeek in atmospheric and chronological terms, despite its jerky portrayal of events. This is a film to watch.".<ref>''Against the Odds. Heroic battles in the Face of Adversity'' by Robert Kershaw. 11 October 2010; {{ISBN|978-0-7110-3639-0}}</ref>
Hurst directed scenes in '']'' (1945) where he provided ] with his first film role and then helped pay for Moore to attend RADA.


Hurst's post-war career included producing and directing the Christmas film '']'' (1951) which is the "best of the many screen versions of Dickens's warm-as-mince-pies ], with ] as Scrooge incarnate: his miserly humbuggery is a delight. So is ]'s ghostly Jacob Marley and the snowy, atmospheric photography of ]".<ref>Paul Howlett , ''The Guardian'', 18 December 2009.</ref>
For '']'' (1946), Hurst took 200 members of the 1st Airborne back to ] and ] to direct and 'remake' their role in the ]. Every person in the film served with the 1st Airborne or was a civilian from Oosterbeek or Arnhem. Hurst said, "The film is my favourite because of the wonderful experience of working with soldiers and because it is a true documentary reconstruction of the event. I say without modesty it is one of the best war films ever made".<ref name="ReferenceA"/>


Hurst produced '']'' (1951) and directed the box office success '']'' (1953) featuring ] as an RAF pilot helping to defend Malta. "The combination of an A list cast, the portrayal of the iron reliance of the Maltese people, the gallantry of the RAF pilots and a tragic love story were the four components of its success".<ref>Malta Story (released 1953) - The Director's Cut page 15 by Allan Esler Smith, Treasures of Malta, number 48, Summer 2010, Vol. XVI No 3 published by Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti in association with the Malta Tourism Authority.</ref>
The premiere of ''Theirs is the Glory'' was on the second anniversary of the battle in September 1946 and was attended by the Prime Minister. ] commanded a private screening at ]. ''Theirs is the Glory'' and '']'' were compared in the battlefields magazine Against All Odds and the comparison is stark and revealing "''A Bridge Too Far'' is a slow moving epic, well worth a viewing with some authentic scenes, but is unconvincing in its portrayal of the battle of Oosterbeek... ''Theirs is the Glory'' is the only feature film currently released that accurately portrays the events at Oosterbeek in atmospheric and chronological terms, despite its jerky portrayal of events. This is a film to watch.".<ref>Against the Odds. Heroic battles in the Face of Adversity. Author Robert Kershaw. Published 11 October 2010 {{ISBN|978-0-7110-3639-0}}</ref>


Hurst went on to direct '']'' (1955) featuring ] and ] and '']'' (1956) featuring ], ] and ] again. The Black Tent was based on a short story of the same title by Robin Maugham. Hurst's '']'' (1958) sees a young ] obtaining her first credited role (alongside her father, Sir ]).
Hurst's post-war career included producing and directing the definitive Christmas film '']'' (1951) which is the "best of the many screen versions of Dickens's warm-as-mince-pies ], with ] as Scrooge incarnate: his miserly humbuggery is a delight. So is ]'s ghostly Jacob Marley and the snowy, atmospheric photography of ]".<ref>Paul Howlett , ''The Guardian'', 18 December 2009</ref>


Hurst's only excursion into farce was ] (1961) and saw a strong cast of ] joining the carry-on stalwarts ], ] and ] supported by ]. In 1962, in his late 60s, Hurst returned to ] and adapted the script and produced and directed '']'', his last film.
Hurst produced '']'' (1951) and directed the box office success '']'' (1953) featuring ] as an RAF pilot helping to defend Malta. "The combination of an A list cast, the portrayal of the iron reliance of the Maltese people, the gallantry of the RAF pilots and a tragic love story were the four components of its success".<ref>Malta Story (released 1953) - The Director's Cut page 15 by Allan Esler Smith, Treasures of Malta, number 48, Summer 2010, Vol. XVI No 3 published by Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti in association with the Malta Tourism Authority</ref>


Hurst gave early film roles to Richard Attenborough, Roger Moore and Vanessa Redgrave. The first four scriptwriting roles of later Bond director ] were on the Hurst directed films '']'' (1939), '']'' (1940),'']'' (1941) and '']'' (1942). They worked together again on the scripts of '']'' (1946) and '']'' (1947) and remained good friends.
Hurst went on to direct '']'' (1955) featuring ] and ] and '']'' (1956) featuring ], ] and ] again.


==Personal life==
Hurst's '']'' (1958) sees a young ] obtaining her first credited role (alongside her father ]).
Hurst was gay.<ref name="Forgotten">{{cite news |last1=Coleman |first1=Maureen |title=Brian Desmond Hurst: Forgotten son of east Belfast who rose to top in Hollywood |url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/entertainment/film-tv/forgotten-son-of-east-belfast-who-rose-to-top-in-hollywood-40750519.html |access-date=18 December 2021 |work=Te Belfast Telegraph |date=14 August 2021}}</ref>


He died on 26 September 1986 at Delaware Nursing Home in London.<ref name="DIB">{{cite journal |last1=Patrick |first1=Maume |title=Hurst, Brian Desmond |url=https://www.dib.ie/biography/hurst-brian-desmond-a9623 |website=Dictionary of Irish Biography |access-date=18 December 2021 |doi=10.3318/dib.009623.v1 |date=December 2013}}</ref> He was cremated and his ashes were scattered on his older brother Robert's grave in Dundonald Cemetery.<ref>Hurst on Film 1928- 1970, Caitlin Smith and Stephen Wyatt. Published April 2022{{ISBN|978-1-916377080}}</ref>
Hurst's only excursion into farce was ] (1961) and saw a strong cast of ] joining the carry-on stalwarts ], ] and ] supported by ].
In 1962, in his late '60s, Hurst returned to ] and adapted the script and produced and directed '']'', his last film.

In the same way that John Ford had mentored Hurst it seems that Hurst was able to mentor and help many leading lights in the film business and, among others, Hurst gave vital early film roles to Richard Attenborough, Roger Moore and Vanessa Redgrave. The first four scriptwriting roles of later Bond director ] whose subsequent credits include directing Dr No, From Russia With Love and Thunderball were on the Hurst directed films '']'' (1939), '']'' (1940),'']'' (1941) and '']'' (1942). They worked together again on the scripts of '']'' (1946) and '']'' (1947) and remained the greatest of friends.
== War films ==
Theirs is the Glory: Arnhem, Hurst and Conflict on Film takes Hurst's Battle of Arnhem epic as its centrepiece and then chronicles Hurst's life and experiences during the First World War and looks in- depth at his work chronicling conflict over four decades from the 1920s to the 1950s. It sets out the case that Hurst, as a trained artist, "was an enigma, but a master of the genre, and at his very best when focusing on the subject of conflict on the vast canvas of film"."<ref>{{ISBN|978-1-911096-63-4}}. Theirs is the Glory. Arnhem, Hurst and Conflict on Film. Concluding words on dust jacket summary of the book. Publisher Helion and Company and co-authored by David Truesdale and Allan Esler Smith and a foreword by Sir Roger Moore.</ref> Hurst's ten conflict films were:

* '']'' (1936)- the 1920's conflict in Ireland.
* '']'' (1939- jointly with Michael Powell)- conflict at the end of the 1930s and preparing the nation for the war ahead and the vital role of the RAF.
* '']'' (1940) - a rallying call for war production and to get more women to work in the factories.
* '']'' (1940)- preparing, but not alarming, the nation for an invasion by Germany.
* ''] (1941)- the fall of Poland and how her airmen came to the rescue of Britain.
* '']'' (1942)- about the US army training for the Second World War in Northern Ireland.
* '']'' (1946) - veterans of the Battle of Arnhem retold their story.
* '']'' (1953) - the isolated island of Malta in the Second World War.
* '']''- Kenya,the Mau Mau and the end of colonial rule in the 1950s.
* '']'' (1956) which is about the Second World War in the North African desert and a brother's loss and his adventure to find the truth.


==Recognition and honours== ==Recognition and honours==
The ] installed a blue plaque at Queens Film Theatre in Belfast for Brian Desmond Hurst, unveiled on 13 April 2011 by the Irish film producer ].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.dggb.org/blueplaques.php |title=DGGB: Blue Plaques |access-date=19 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130909201538/http://dggb.org/blueplaques.php |archive-date=9 September 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref> On the same date the ] unveiled a blue plaque at Hurst's birthplace, 23 Ribble Street, East Belfast. This plaque was relocated in the summer of 2016 to the nearby Strand Arts Centre and Cinema on 152-154 Holywood Road, Belfast, BT4 1NY.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ulsterhistory.co.uk/130411.html |title=Blue plaque unveiling for Briam Desmond Hurst - 13 April 2011 |access-date=2011-09-29 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111103075737/http://www.ulsterhistory.co.uk/130411.html |archive-date=3 November 2011 }}</ref>


On 10 October 2012 the First Minister and deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland officially launched an £8.3m extension to Titanic Studios (originally known as the ])<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.4rfv.co.uk/industrynews/4425/paint_hall_studios_launched|title=PAINT HALL STUDIOS LAUNCHED - UK Broadcast News &#124; 13/12/2000|website=4rfv.co.uk}}</ref> adding two new sound stages, at the ]. The stages have been named after Hurst and the director
The ] installed a blue plaque at Queens Film Theatre in Belfast for Brian Desmond Hurst, unveiled on 13 April 2011 by the Irish film producer ].<ref>http://www.dggb.org/blueplaques.php</ref> On the same date the ] unveiled a blue plaque at Hurst's birthplace, 23 Ribble Street, East Belfast. This plaque was relocated in the Summer of 2016 to the nearby Strand Arts Centre and Cinema on 152-154 Holywood Road, Belfast, BT4 1NY.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ulsterhistory.co.uk/130411.html |title=Archived copy |accessdate=2011-09-29 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20111103075737/http://www.ulsterhistory.co.uk/130411.html |archivedate=3 November 2011 |df=dmy }}</ref>
].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.iftn.ie/production/production_news/?act1=record&only=1&aid=73&rid=4285472&tpl=archnews&force=1|title=Titanic Studios Expands as Northern Irish Filmmakers Honoured &#124; The Irish Film & Television Network|website=iftn.ie}}</ref>

On 10 October 2012 the First Minister and deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland officially launched an £8.3m extension to Titanic Studios (originally known as the ])<ref>http://www.4rfv.co.uk/industrynews.asp?id=4425</ref>adding two new sound stages, at the ]. The stages have been named after Hurst and the director
].<ref>http://www.iftn.ie/production/production_news/?act1=record&only=1&aid=73&rid=4285472&tpl=archnews&force=1</ref>


==Books on Hurst== ==Books on Hurst==
''The Empress of Ireland'' (Scribner, 2004) by Christopher Robbins is a memoir of Hurst's later years.


''Theirs is the Glory: Arnhem, Hurst and Conflict on Film'' (Helion and Company, 2016) by David Truesdale and Allan Esler Smith is about Hurst's Battle of Arnhem film, his life, and his other war films.
He was the subject of an acclaimed memoir, ''The Empress of Ireland'' (2004), written by Christopher Robbins.


''Hurst on Film 1928-1970'' (Quartertoten Productions Limited, 2021) edited by Caitlin Smith and Stephen Wyatt, consists of Hurst's memoirs, written in 1976–1977, combined with the first detailed overview of his life and work, and features extensive material drawn from his family archives.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.euppublishing.com/doi/full/10.3366/jbctv.2024.0702|title=''Hurst on Film'' and ''The Last Bohemian'' review|website=Journal of British Cinema and Television|date=January 2024|author=Barton, Ruth}}</ref>
''Theirs is the Glory: Arnhem, Hurst and Conflict on Film'' (2016) by David Truesdale and Allan Esler Smith and a foreword by Sir Roger Moore.


''The Last Bohemian: Brian Desmond Hurst, Irish Film, British Cinema'' (], 2021) by Lance Pettitt, is based on "dedicated research, deep and wide, into his life and films".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.estudiosirlandeses.org/reviews/the-last-bohemian-brian-desmond-hurst-irish-film-british-cinema/|title=''The Last Bohemian: Brian Desmond Hurst, Irish Film, British Cinema'' review|website=E studios Irlandeses|date=17 March 2024|author=Barr, Charles}}</ref>
In February 2013 Allan Esler Smith, administrator of the Hurst Estate, made an announcement at the ] Southbank screening of Hurst's '']'' about working on publishing Hurst's own personal memoirs as written in 1976/77 by Brian, with the assistance of Dr. Stephen Wyatt.{{fact|date=February 2019}}

''Brief Encounters: Lesbians and Gays in British Cinema 1930-71'' (], 1996) and ''Fighting Proud: The Untold Story of the Gay Men Who Served in Two World Wars'' (], 2017), both by ], contain chapters on Hurst.


==Documentaries on Hurst== ==Documentaries on Hurst==
On 6 August 2011 RTÉ Radio One's Documentary on One series broadcast ''An Irishman Chained to the Truth'', a 40-minute documentary about Brian Desmond Hurst. RTÉ explain "Brian Desmond Hurst was the most prolific Irish film director of the 20th century" and the documentary can be heard again on http://www.rte.ie/radio1/doconone/radio-documentary-irishman-chained-to-the-truth-brian-desmond-hurst.html On 6 August 2011, ]'s ] series broadcast ''An Irishman Chained to the Truth'', a 40-minute programme about Hurst.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rte.ie/radio/doconone/646821-radio-documentary-irishman-chained-to-the-truth-brian-desmond-hurst |title=An Irishman Chained to the Truth|website=] |publisher=] |date=18 July 2011}}</ref>


''The Human Blarney Stone: The Life and Films of Brian Desmond Hurst'' was released as a 40-minute feature with VCI DVDs 60th Anniversary 'Diamond' edition of '']''. ''The Human Blarney Stone: The Life and Films of Brian Desmond Hurst'' (2011) documentary was included as an extra on several US releases of '']'' from VCI.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dvdcompare.net/comparisons/film.php?fid=206|title=Scrooge (1951) DVD comparison|website=DVDCompare.net}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dvdcompare.net/comparisons/film.php?fid=19443|title=Scrooge (1951) Blu-ray comparison|website=DVDCompare.net}}</ref>


==Filmography== ==Filmography==
Line 99: Line 103:
* '']'' (1931) * '']'' (1931)
* '']'' (1934) * '']'' (1934)
* '']'' (1934) * '']'' (1934)
* '']'' (1936) * '']'' (1936)
* '']'' (1936) * '']'' (1936) - the 1920s conflict in Ireland.
* '']'' (1936) * '']'' (1936)
* '']'' (1936) * '']'' (1936)
* '']'' (1937) * '']'' (1937)
* '']'' (1938) * '']'' (1938)
* '']'' (1939) * '']'' (1939)
* '']'' (1939), co-directed with Michael Powell: the film depicts conflict at the end of the 1930s and foreshadows the coming war and the vital role of the ].
* '']'' (1939)
* '']'' (1940) * '']'' (1940) - a rallying call for war production and to get more women to work in the factories.
* '']'' (1940) * '']'' (1940): preparing the nation for an invasion by Germany.
* '']'' (1941) * '']'' (1941): the fall of Poland and how her airmen came to the rescue of Britain.
* '']'' (1942) * '']'' (1942): about the U.S. Army training for the Second World War in Northern Ireland.
* '']'' (1942) * '']'' (1942)
* ''] (1944) * '']'' (1944)
* ''] (1945) directing scenes but taking no formal credit * '']'' (1945): Hurst directed some scenes, but took no credit.
* '']'' (1946) * '']'' (1946): veterans of the Battle of Arnhem retell their story.
* '']'' (1947) * '']'' (1947)
* '']'' (1947) * '']'' (1947)
* '']'' (1949) * '']'' (1949)
* '']'' (1951) * '']'' (1951)
* '']'' (1951) as a producer * '']'' (1951) as producer
* '']'' (1953) * '']'' (1953): the fate of the isolated island of Malta during the Second World War.
* '']'' (1955) * '']'' (1955): Kenya,the Mau Mau and the end of colonial rule in the 1950s.
* '']'' (1956) * '']'' (1956): a brother's loss and his search for the truth, set in the North African desert during the Second World War.
* '']'' (1957) * '']'' (1957)
* '']'' (1958) * '']'' (1958)
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==External links== ==External links==
*{{IMDb name|0221423|Brian Desmond Hurst}} * {{IMDb name|0221423|Brian Desmond Hurst}}
* ] channel
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* * on ]
* (2011) featurette
*

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*{{YouTube|rOi4vxcivgc|Revisiting A Letter From Ulster - short film commemorating the 70th Anniversary of US Troops in Northern Ireland and 25th Anniversary of the death of director Brian Desmond Hurst}}
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{{Brian Desmond Hurst}} {{Brian Desmond Hurst}}
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Latest revision as of 21:49, 20 December 2024

Belfast-born film director (1895–1986)

Brian Desmond Hurst
Brian Desmond Hurst in 1976 (portrait by Allan Warren)
Born12 February 1895
Belfast, Ireland
Died26 September 1986(1986-09-26) (aged 91)
London, UK
NationalityBritish
OccupationFilm director
Notable workDangerous Moonlight (1941)
Scrooge (1951)
Malta Story (1953)

Brian Desmond Hurst (12 February 1895 – 26 September 1986) was an Irish film director. With over thirty films in his filmography, Hurst was hailed as Northern Ireland's best film director by BBC film critic Mike Catto. He is perhaps best known for the 1951 A Christmas Carol adaptation Scrooge.

Early life

Hurst was born at 23 Ribble Street, Belfast, into a working-class family. He attended the New Road School, a public elementary school in East Belfast.

Hurst's father, Robert senior, and brother, Robert junior, were iron-workers in the Harland and Wolff shipyard. In August 1914, at the outbreak of World War I, Hurst enlisted as a private in the British Army. He saw service with the 6th Battalion Royal Irish Rifles at the battle of Chunuk Bair in Gallipoli, the Balkans and the Middle East. At Chunuk Bair his regiment were "battle virgins when they were thrown into the Turkish machine gun fire for the first time on 10 August 1915". "They had set out a few hours before for the Chunuk Bair with twenty officers and over 700 men. Several stragglers and those who had lost their way returned to base in the hours that lay ahead but by the evening of 10 August the Hampshires and the Rifles had been broken in what amounted to a cruel massacre".

Hurst was interviewed by Punch magazine in 1969. The article includes Hurst's statement that "I would fight for England against anybody except Ireland" and it continues: "Why for England? 'Because an Englishman is worth twenty foreigners.' Why not against Ireland? 'Because an Irishman is worth fifty Englishmen.'"

Returning from World War I Hurst found life in Belfast constraining and he took a government grant to emigrate to Canada sometime in 1920. He enrolled at the Toronto College of Art.

Early film career

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Under the guidance of John Ford, sometimes referred to as Hurst's cousin although the two were unrelated by blood, Hurst learned about set management. Hurst made a cameo appearance as an extra in Ford's Hangman's House (1928) where he briefly appears alongside a young John Wayne. Hurst was with Ford and helped advise him when he brought Hollywood to Ireland when making The Quiet Man (1952).

By 1933, Hurst was ready to return to the UK and settled in Belgravia, where he lived from the 1930s to his death in 1986, although he often returned to Ulster to visit relatives for "a spiritual bath".

Hurst's early Irish work is John Millington Synge's Riders to the Sea (1935) and the Irish War of Independence love story Ourselves Alone (1936). Irish Hearts (1934) "is certainly one of the main contenders for the first Irish sound feature film". Riders to the Sea was shot in Connemara where Hurst used the actors of the Abbey Theatre in Dublin and "the film reflects the disparity between the two, with the actors delivering their lines in a highly technical manner whilst the camera revels in the bleak, natural beauty of the coastline and sky. Hurst's visuals are invariably compared with those of his mentor, John Ford and the opening shots of Riders... are markedly Fordian in their elementary quality".

Ourselves Alone was banned in Northern Ireland at the time of its release in 1936 although it has now achieved the recognition it deserved and is shown in museums and other public access points in Northern Ireland. It appears to have been misunderstood. At the time Hurst pointed out the original story had been written by a British Army officer and Hurst claimed that the film was "pro-British".

Hurst's earliest English films include The Tell-Tale Heart (1934), The Tenth Man (1936) and Glamorous Night (1937). In 1937, Hurst was retained by Alexander Korda to direct a film about T. E. Lawrence and he co-wrote a screenplay for it with Miles Malleson and Duncan Guthrie, but the project was obstructed by the British administration in Palestine before Hurst, himself an Arabic-speaker, could scout locations.

On the Night of the Fire is regarded as one of the early examples of British film noir. Released in December 1939 at the outbreak of the Second World War and set in Newcastle upon Tyne, it charts the slow moral destruction of a barber following his theft of some money. Film critic David Quinlan described the film as "grim but gripping".

Andrew Spicer, in his book European Film Noir, wrote: "A riveting psychological study. With its sustained doom-laden atmosphere, Krampf’s expressive cinematography, its adroit mixture of location shooting and Gothic compositions and Ralph Richardson's wonderful performance as a lower middle class Everyman, 'On the Night of the Fire' clearly shows that an achieved mastery of film noir existed in British cinema."

Also in 1939, Hurst and Korda co-directed The Lion Has Wings (1939) featuring Richardson. It was described by one critic as "Hurst's most celebrated film of the 1930s". Hurst went on to make four more propaganda films from 1940 to 1942 and continued to make films set in the Second World War until 1956.

Later years

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The Times, in its obituary of Hurst in 1986, commented that Dangerous Moonlight (1941) was his best-known movie, "a big popular success" which "launched a cycle of pictures with concerti as their theme music" because of its successful utilisation of Richard Addinsell's Warsaw Concerto.

Hurst worked for the Ministry of Information during the Second World War, for whom his films included A Call for Arms (1940), Miss Grant Goes to the Door (1940) and his homeland film A Letter From Ulster (1943), where Hurst and Terence Young (as scriptwriter) and his fellow Ulsterman and Assistant Director William MacQuitty created a film "promoting a sense of community" between the people of Northern Ireland and over one hundred thousand troops from the America based in Northern Ireland at the time. Brian McIlroy explained that "Hurst was able to persuade one Catholic and one Protestant soldier to write letters home, explaining their impressions of their stay. From these letters, Terence Young, the scriptwriter, was able to construct a sequence of activities that revealed the different traditions of Ireland."

Hurst's The Hundred Pound Window (1944) sees a young Richard Attenborough in his first credited role. Hurst directed scenes in Caesar and Cleopatra (1945) where he provided Roger Moore with his first film role and then helped pay for Moore to attend RADA.

For Theirs is the Glory (1946), Hurst took 200 members of the 1st Airborne back to Arnhem and Oosterbeek to direct and "remake" their role in the Battle of Arnhem. Every person in the film served with the 1st Airborne or was a civilian from Oosterbeek or Arnhem. Hurst said, "The film is my favourite because of the wonderful experience of working with soldiers and because it is a true documentary reconstruction of the event. I say without modesty it is one of the best war films ever made".

The premiere of Theirs is the Glory was on the second anniversary of the battle in September 1946 and was attended by the Prime Minister. King George VI commanded a private screening at Balmoral Castle. Theirs is the Glory and A Bridge Too Far were compared in the battlefields magazine Against All Odds and the comparison is stark and revealing "A Bridge Too Far is a slow moving epic, well worth a viewing with some authentic scenes, but is unconvincing in its portrayal of the battle of Oosterbeek... Theirs is the Glory is the only feature film currently released that accurately portrays the events at Oosterbeek in atmospheric and chronological terms, despite its jerky portrayal of events. This is a film to watch.".

Hurst's post-war career included producing and directing the Christmas film Scrooge (1951) which is the "best of the many screen versions of Dickens's warm-as-mince-pies A Christmas Carol, with Alastair Sim as Scrooge incarnate: his miserly humbuggery is a delight. So is Michael Hordern's ghostly Jacob Marley and the snowy, atmospheric photography of C.M. Pennington-Richards".

Hurst produced Tom Brown's Schooldays (1951) and directed the box office success Malta Story (1953) featuring Alec Guinness as an RAF pilot helping to defend Malta. "The combination of an A list cast, the portrayal of the iron reliance of the Maltese people, the gallantry of the RAF pilots and a tragic love story were the four components of its success".

Hurst went on to direct Simba (1955) featuring Dirk Bogarde and Donald Sinden and The Black Tent (1956) featuring Donald Pleasence, Anthony Steel and Donald Sinden again. The Black Tent was based on a short story of the same title by Robin Maugham. Hurst's Behind the Mask (1958) sees a young Vanessa Redgrave obtaining her first credited role (alongside her father, Sir Michael Redgrave).

Hurst's only excursion into farce was His and Hers (1961) and saw a strong cast of Terry Thomas joining the carry-on stalwarts Kenneth Williams, Joan Sims and Kenneth Connor supported by Oliver Reed. In 1962, in his late 60s, Hurst returned to John Millington Synge and adapted the script and produced and directed The Playboy of the Western World, his last film.

Hurst gave early film roles to Richard Attenborough, Roger Moore and Vanessa Redgrave. The first four scriptwriting roles of later Bond director Terence Young were on the Hurst directed films On the Night of the Fire (1939), A Call For Arms (1940),Dangerous Moonlight (1941) and A Letter From Ulster (1942). They worked together again on the scripts of Theirs is the Glory (1946) and Hungry Hill (1947) and remained good friends.

Personal life

Hurst was gay.

He died on 26 September 1986 at Delaware Nursing Home in London. He was cremated and his ashes were scattered on his older brother Robert's grave in Dundonald Cemetery.

Recognition and honours

The Directors Guild of Great Britain installed a blue plaque at Queens Film Theatre in Belfast for Brian Desmond Hurst, unveiled on 13 April 2011 by the Irish film producer Redmond Morris. On the same date the Ulster History Circle unveiled a blue plaque at Hurst's birthplace, 23 Ribble Street, East Belfast. This plaque was relocated in the summer of 2016 to the nearby Strand Arts Centre and Cinema on 152-154 Holywood Road, Belfast, BT4 1NY.

On 10 October 2012 the First Minister and deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland officially launched an £8.3m extension to Titanic Studios (originally known as the Paint Hall Studios) adding two new sound stages, at the Titanic Quarter. The stages have been named after Hurst and the director William MacQuitty.

Books on Hurst

The Empress of Ireland (Scribner, 2004) by Christopher Robbins is a memoir of Hurst's later years.

Theirs is the Glory: Arnhem, Hurst and Conflict on Film (Helion and Company, 2016) by David Truesdale and Allan Esler Smith is about Hurst's Battle of Arnhem film, his life, and his other war films.

Hurst on Film 1928-1970 (Quartertoten Productions Limited, 2021) edited by Caitlin Smith and Stephen Wyatt, consists of Hurst's memoirs, written in 1976–1977, combined with the first detailed overview of his life and work, and features extensive material drawn from his family archives.

The Last Bohemian: Brian Desmond Hurst, Irish Film, British Cinema (Syracuse University Press, 2021) by Lance Pettitt, is based on "dedicated research, deep and wide, into his life and films".

Brief Encounters: Lesbians and Gays in British Cinema 1930-71 (Cassell, 1996) and Fighting Proud: The Untold Story of the Gay Men Who Served in Two World Wars (Bloomsbury, 2017), both by Stephen Bourne, contain chapters on Hurst.

Documentaries on Hurst

On 6 August 2011, RTÉ Radio One's Documentary on One series broadcast An Irishman Chained to the Truth, a 40-minute programme about Hurst.

The Human Blarney Stone: The Life and Films of Brian Desmond Hurst (2011) documentary was included as an extra on several US releases of Scrooge from VCI.

Filmography

References

  1. Screening will honour 'NI's best film director' News Letter 12 February 2015 Mike Catto, film critic, BBC and Radio Ulster
  2. ^ Theirs is the Glory- 65th Anniversary of the making of the film, Ministory number 106, author Allan Esler Smith, published by Friends of the Airborne Museum Oosterbeek, November 2010.
  3. Malta Story (released 1953) - The Director's Cut page 16 by Allan Esler Smith, Treasures of Malta, number 48, Summer 2010, Vol. XVI No 3 published by Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti in association with the Malta Tourism Authority
  4. Phillip Orr Field of Bones: An Irish Division at Gallipoli, Lilliput Press, 2006, pg. 144.
  5. ^ Wilfred De'ath, Punch, 8 October 1969, pp. 575-76
  6. Brian McFarlane (ed) The Encyclopedia of British Film, BFI/Methuen, 2003, pg. 329
  7. ^ John Hill. "'Purely Sinn Fein Propaganda': the banning of Ourselves Alone", Historic Journal of Film, Radio and Television, University of Ulster, pp. 317, 327
  8. ^ Brian McIlroy "British Filmmaking in the 1930s and 1940: The Example of Brian Desmond Hurst", in Wheeler Winston Dixon (ed.) Re-viewing British Cinema 1900 - 1992: Essays and Interviews, State University of New York Press, 1994, pp. 28, 33-35
  9. Ruth Barton Irish National Cinema, Routledge, 2004, pp. 52-53
  10. Keely, Alexander; Richards, Jeffrey; Pepper, James (1997). Filming TE Lawrence - Korda's Lost Epics. London: IB Tauris and Co. pp. 6, 33–127.
  11. The Times, 2 October 1986
  12. Against the Odds. Heroic battles in the Face of Adversity by Robert Kershaw. 11 October 2010; ISBN 978-0-7110-3639-0
  13. Paul Howlett "Christmas and new year TV films", The Guardian, 18 December 2009.
  14. Malta Story (released 1953) - The Director's Cut page 15 by Allan Esler Smith, Treasures of Malta, number 48, Summer 2010, Vol. XVI No 3 published by Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti in association with the Malta Tourism Authority.
  15. Coleman, Maureen (14 August 2021). "Brian Desmond Hurst: Forgotten son of east Belfast who rose to top in Hollywood". Te Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 18 December 2021.
  16. Patrick, Maume (December 2013). "Hurst, Brian Desmond". Dictionary of Irish Biography. doi:10.3318/dib.009623.v1. Retrieved 18 December 2021.
  17. Hurst on Film 1928- 1970, Caitlin Smith and Stephen Wyatt. Published April 2022ISBN 978-1-916377080
  18. "DGGB: Blue Plaques". Archived from the original on 9 September 2013. Retrieved 19 October 2012.
  19. "Blue plaque unveiling for Briam Desmond Hurst - 13 April 2011". Archived from the original on 3 November 2011. Retrieved 29 September 2011.
  20. "PAINT HALL STUDIOS LAUNCHED - UK Broadcast News | 13/12/2000". 4rfv.co.uk.
  21. "Titanic Studios Expands as Northern Irish Filmmakers Honoured | The Irish Film & Television Network". iftn.ie.
  22. Barton, Ruth (January 2024). "Hurst on Film and The Last Bohemian review". Journal of British Cinema and Television.
  23. Barr, Charles (17 March 2024). "The Last Bohemian: Brian Desmond Hurst, Irish Film, British Cinema review". E studios Irlandeses.
  24. "An Irishman Chained to the Truth". RTE.ie. Doc on One. 18 July 2011.
  25. "Scrooge (1951) DVD comparison". DVDCompare.net.
  26. "Scrooge (1951) Blu-ray comparison". DVDCompare.net.

External links

Films directed by Brian Desmond Hurst
Categories: