Brian Desmond Hurst (12 February 1895 – 26 September 1986) was a Belfast-born film director. With over thirty films in his filmography, Hurst has been hailed as Northern Ireland's best film director.Screening will honour 'NI's best film director' News Letter 12 February 2015 Mike Catto, film critic, BBC and Radio Ulster He is perhaps best known for the 1951 '' A Christmas Carol'' adaptation ''Scrooge''.

Early life

Hurst was born at 23 Ribble Street,

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...

, into a working-class family. He attended the New Road School, a public elementary school in East Belfast.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. Hurst's father, Robert senior, and brother, Robert junior, were iron-workers in the

Harland and Wolff Harland & Wolff is a British shipbuilding company based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It specialises in ship repair, shipbuilding and offshore construction. Harland & Wolff is famous for having built the majority of the ocean liners for the W ...

shipyard. In August 1914, at the outbreak of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Hurst enlisted as a private in the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

. He saw service with the 6th Battalion

Royal Irish Rifles The Royal Irish Rifles (became the Royal Ulster Rifles from 1 January 1921) was an infantry rifle regiment of the British Army, first created in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 83rd (County of Dublin) Regiment of Foot and the 86th (Royal County D ...

at the battle of Chunuk Bair in Gallipoli, the

Balkans The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

and the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europ ...

. 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.'"Wilfred De'ath, ''Punch'', 8 October 1969, pp. 575-76 Returning from

Hurst found life in Belfast constraining and he took a government grant to emigrate to

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

sometime in 1920. He enrolled at the Toronto College of Art. After two years he left and went to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

to study art at the

École des Beaux Arts École may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée) * École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing in région Île-de-France * École, Savoi ...

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

Early film career

Under the guidance of

John Ford John Martin Feeney (February 1, 1894 – August 31, 1973), known professionally as John Ford, was an American film director and naval officer. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers of his generation. He ...

, 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 appearsJohn Hill. "'Purely Sinn Fein Propaganda': the banning of Ourselves Alone", ''Historic Journal of Film, Radio and Television'', University of Ulster, pp. 317, 327 alongside a young John Wayne. Hurst was with Ford and helped advise him when he brought Hollywood to Ireland when making ''

The Quiet Man ''The Quiet Man'' is a 1952 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by John Ford. It stars John Wayne, Maureen O'Hara, Barry Fitzgerald, Ward Bond and Victor McLaglen. The screenplay by Frank S. Nugent was based on a 1933 ''Saturday Ev ...

'' (1952). By 1933, Hurst was ready to return to the UK and settled in

Belgravia Belgravia () is a district in Central London, covering parts of the areas of both the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Belgravia was known as the 'Five Fields' during the Tudor Period, and became a dang ...

, where he lived from the 1930s to his death in 1986, although he often returned to

Ulster Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label= Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kin ...

to visit relatives for "a spiritual bath". Hurst's early Irish work is John Millington Synge's ''

Riders to the Sea ''Riders to the Sea'' is a play written by Irish Literary Renaissance playwright John Millington Synge. It was first performed on 25 February 1904 at the Molesworth Hall, Dublin, by the Irish National Theater Society with Helen Laird playing Ma ...

'' (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".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 ''Riders to the Sea'' was shot in

Connemara Connemara (; )( ga, Conamara ) is a region on the Atlantic coast of western County Galway, in the west of Ireland. The area has a strong association with traditional Irish culture and contains much of the Connacht Irish-speaking Gaeltacht, ...

where Hurst used the actors of the

Abbey Theatre The Abbey Theatre ( ga, Amharclann na Mainistreach), also known as the National Theatre of Ireland ( ga, Amharclann Náisiúnta na hÉireann), in Dublin, Ireland, is one of the country's leading cultural institutions. First opening to the p ...

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 Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

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 Sir Alexander Korda (; born Sándor László Kellner; hu, Korda Sándor; 16 September 1893 – 23 January 1956)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 World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

and set in

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...

, 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 ''The Lion Has Wings'' is a 1939 British, black-and-white, documentary-style, propaganda war film that was directed by Adrian Brunel, Brian Desmond Hurst, Alexander Korda and Michael Powell. The film was produced by London Film Productions and ...

'' (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

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...

'', 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 ''Theirs Is the Glory'' (also known as ''Men of Arnhem''), is a 1946 British war film about the British 1st Airborne Division's involvement in the Battle of Arnhem (17 to 25 September 1944) during Operation Market Garden in the Second World W ...

'' (1946), Hurst took 200 members of the 1st Airborne back to

Arnhem Arnhem ( or ; german: Arnheim; South Guelderish: ''Èrnem'') is a city and municipality situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands about 55 km south east of Utrecht. It is the capital of the province of Gelderland, located on both ban ...

and

Oosterbeek Oosterbeek is a village in the eastern part of Netherlands. It is located in the municipality of Renkum in the province of Gelderland, about west of Arnhem. The oldest part of Oosterbeek is the Benedendorp (Lower Village), on the northern bank ...

to direct and "remake" their role in the

Battle of Arnhem The Battle of Arnhem was a battle of the Second World War at the vanguard of the Allied Operation Market Garden. It was fought in and around the Dutch city of Arnhem, the town of Oosterbeek, the villages Wolfheze and Driel and the vicinity f ...

. 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 Alastair George Bell Sim, CBE (9 October 1900 – 19 August 1976) was a Scottish character actor who began his theatrical career at the age of thirty and quickly became established as a popular West End performer, remaining so until his ...

as Scrooge incarnate: his miserly humbuggery is a delight. So is

Michael Hordern Sir Michael Murray Hordern Commander of the Order of the British Empire, CBE (3 October 19112 May 1995)Morley, Sheridan"Hordern, Michael Murray (1911–1995)" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004, online e ...

's ghostly Jacob Marley and the snowy, atmospheric photography of C.M. Pennington-Richards". Hurst produced ''

Tom Brown's Schooldays ''Tom Brown's School Days'' (sometimes written ''Tom Brown's Schooldays'', also published under the titles ''Tom Brown at Rugby'', ''School Days at Rugby'', and ''Tom Brown's School Days at Rugby'') is an 1857 novel by Thomas Hughes. The stor ...

'' (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 Simba is a fictional character and the protagonist of Disney's ''The Lion King'' franchise. Introduced in the 1994 film ''The Lion King'', Walt Disney Animation's 32nd animated feature, the character subsequently appears in '' The Lion King II: ...

'' (1955) featuring Dirk Bogarde and

Donald Sinden Sir Donald Alfred Sinden (9 October 1923 – 12 September 2014) was a British actor. Sinden featured in the film ''Mogambo'' (1953), and achieved early fame as a Rank Organisation film star in the 1950s in films including ''The Cruel Sea (195 ...

and ''

The Black Tent ''The Black Tent'' is a 1956 British war film directed by Brian Desmond Hurst and starring Donald Sinden, Anthony Steel, Anna Maria Sandri, André Morell and Donald Pleasence. It is set in North Africa, during the Second World War and was filmed ...

'' (1956) featuring

Donald Pleasence Donald Henry Pleasence (; 5 October 1919 – 2 February 1995) was an English actor. He began his career on stage in the West End before transitioning into a screen career, where he played numerous supporting and character roles including RAF ...

, Anthony Steel and

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 Sir Michael Scudamore Redgrave CBE (20 March 1908 – 21 March 1985) was an English stage and film actor, director, manager and author. He received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in ''Mourning Becomes Elec ...

). 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 Kenneth Charles Williams (22 February 1926 – 15 April 1988) was an English actor of Welsh heritage. He was best known for his comedy roles and in later life as a raconteur and diarist. He was one of the main ensemble in 26 of the 31 '' ...

Joan Sims Irene Joan Marion Sims (9 May 1930 – 27 June 2001) was an English actress, best remembered for her roles in the ''Carry On'' franchise, appearing in 24 of the films (the most for any actress). On television, she is known for playing Gran i ...

and

Kenneth Connor Kenneth Connor, (6 June 1918 – 28 November 1993) was a British stage, film and broadcasting actor, who rose to national prominence with his appearances in the ''Carry On'' films. Early life Connor was born in Highbury, Islington, London ...

supported by

Oliver Reed Robert Oliver Reed (13 February 1938 – 2 May 1999) was an English actor known for his well-to-do, macho image and "hellraiser" lifestyle. After making his first significant screen appearances in Hammer Horror films in the early 1960s, his ...

. 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 ''The Playboy of the Western World'' is a three-act play written by Irish playwright John Millington Synge and first performed at the Abbey Theatre, Dublin, on 26 January 1907. It is set in Michael James Flaherty's public house in County Mayo (o ...

'', 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 ''

'' (1946) and ''

Hungry Hill Hungry Hill or Knockday ( ga, Cnoc Daod) is the highest of the Caha Mountains on the Beara Peninsula in Munster, Ireland. Etymology The first part of the Irish name ''Cnoc Daod'' means "hill". The second part may be a dialectal variant of ...

'' (1947) and remained good friends.

Personal life

Hurst died on 26 September 1986 at Delaware Nursing Home, off

Harrow Road The Harrow Road is an ancient route in North West London which runs from Paddington in a northwesterly direction towards Harrow. It is also the name given to the immediate surrounding area of Queens Park and Kensal Green, straddling the NW10, ...

, London, England. He was cremated and his ashes were scattered on his older brother Robert's grave in Dundonald Cemetery Hurst was gay. He had no children.

Recognition and honours

The

Directors Guild of Great Britain The Directors Guild of Great Britain (DGGB) was a professional organization that represented directors across all media, including film, television, theatre, radio, opera, commercials, music videos, corporate film/video and training, documentaries, ...

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 The Ulster History Circle is a heritage organisation that administers Blue Plaques for the area that encompasses the province of Ulster on the island of Ireland. It is a voluntary, not-for-profit organisation, placing commemorative plaques in pub ...

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 Northern Ireland Screen is the national screen agency for Northern Ireland. The agency's purpose is to promote the development of a sustainable film, animation and television production industry.About Us > Overview Northern Ireland Screen website, ...

) 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'', Christopher Robbins (2004), a memoir of Hurst's later years. ''Theirs is the Glory: Arnhem, Hurst and Conflict on Film'', David Truesdale and Allan Esler Smith (Helion and Company, 2016) about Hurst's Battle of Arnhem film, his life, and his other war films. Hurst's memoirs, written in 1976/1977 were published in April 2021 ''Hurst on Film 1928-1970'', Caitlin Smith and Stephen Wyatt (Amazon UK, Books) which includes for the first detailed study and review of all of Hurst's film output. There are chapters about Brian Desmond Hurst in Stephen Bourne's ''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).

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 Hurst. ''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 '' Scrooge''.

Filmography

References

External links

*
Hurst on Film 1928 to 1970- the official Hurst facebook legacy site detailing information and Hurst legacy news- Brian Desmond Hurst's Youtube channel
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hurst, Brian Desmond 1895 births 1986 deaths British memoirists Irish memoirists LGBT film directors Mass media people from Belfast Belgravia Writers from London Film directors from Northern Ireland 20th-century memoirists British Army personnel of World War I Royal Ulster Rifles soldiers Military personnel from Belfast 20th-century LGBT people