Joseph C. Brun, ASC
Joseph C. Brun, ASC, a distinguished French-American cinematographer and an ASC member for 49 years, passed away in Florida on November 13, 1998. He was 91. Brun was born on April 21, 1907 in Paris. There, he received the Diplome de l'Institute d'Optique, a degree that in America would correspond to an MA in Optics. "From 1933 to 1935, I was in charge of teaching optics to students of the °cole Technique du Cinema, the French state school for motion pictures," the cameraman said in 1949, upon receiving ASC membership. "I started as an assistant cameraman at the Paramount Studios at Joinville, France, and I assisted most of the cameramen there, among whom were Phil Tannura [ASC], Harry Stradling [Sr., ASC], John Alton and Osmond Boradaille." Paramount founded this wing to produce foreign-language versions of the studio's Hollywood pictures with European casts and directors. From 1934 to 1937, Brun operated for leading French, Russian and German cinematographers on such features as Les Miserables, Les nuits de St. Petersburg, L'escadrille de la chance, Troika, L'or des mers, and numerous others.
Graduating to director of photography in 1937, Brun specialized briefly in short subjects and directed Balears under his real name, Joseph Braun. He soon was filming features for some of the great names in European cinema, including Pierre Weill (L'affaire Anglade), Jean Epstein (L'ile des brumes) and Alexander Kirsanoff (La nuit est vide).
In 1944, Brun was in put charge of training cameramen in Ottowa for the Canadian Army Film Unit at the National Film Board. After the war, he settled in Forest Hills, New York, and became a member of IATSE Local 6644.
Upon the recommendation of Stradling and Tannura, Brun joined the American Society of Cinematographers in 1949, a mere two years after he had become a naturalized U.S. citizen. Even then, much of Brun's work was executed in far-flung locales, including the two Cinerama productions Cinerama Holiday and Windjammer for Louis de Rochemont, African expedition photography for RKO's Savage Splendor; African location work for Howard Hawks' Hatari, and three features filmed in France, including Marcel Pagnol's Marius. Brun's work on de Rochemont's spy story The House on 92nd Street set a precedent for many similarly styled productions.
In 1953, Brun earned an Academy Award nomination for his cinematography in Martin Luther. Other films he listed among his favorites include Winds Across the Everglades, Edge of the City, Odds Against Tomorrow, Middle of the Night, Walk East on Beacon and The Whistle at Eaton Falls.
Upon retiring, Brun and his family moved to Boca Raton, Florida. In 1993, he summed up his career in a few words: "I have had more than 35 years as a cinematographer and experience in every type of film project all over the world. I've made feature movies, documentaries and TV commercials." Services for Brun were held on November 15, 1998, in Florida. He is survived by his wife, Shirlee; two daughters, Myriam Chapman and Irene Bowers; seven grandchildren and one great-granddaughter.
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