Margaret Brown (1867-1932) was an American director and producer who is best known for her documentary feature film, The Great Flood (1927). She was born in Kalispell, Montana, to a family of pioneers. She left home at an early age to pursue her dreams of becoming a filmmaker.
Brown attended the University of Southern California, where she studied filmmaking and photography. She then moved to Los Angeles and opened a motion-picture studio. In 1914, she directed her first feature film, The Ocean Waif. This was followed by several other silent films including The Whirlwind of Youth (1915), and The Last Moment (1917).
In 1920, Brown began producing documentary films. Her most famous documentary, The Great Flood, was released in 1927. It was an exploration of the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and the devastation it caused. The film was a box office success and earned Brown critical acclaim.
In addition to her film career, Brown was an active member of the Los Angeles community. She was a founder of the Women’s International Film Club, and a leader in the California Federation of Women’s Clubs. She was an advocate for social reform, and was involved in the campaign to end child labor in the United States.
Despite her success, Brown’s career in film was cut short due to the onset of the Great Depression. She retired from filmmaking in 1932 and died shortly thereafter.
Margaret Brown was a pioneering filmmaker who helped to shape the American documentary genre. Her work was innovative and influential, and she was a champion of social reform. Her legacy as a director and producer lives on today.
