Harold Brown (1919 - 2008)

The BFI regrets to announce that we have learned of the death of Harold Brown, first BFI Film Preservation Officer. He retired in 1984 having begun work in 1935 at the age of 15½. He was awarded the MBE in 1967.

It is no exaggeration to say that Harold Brown invented the methods that are now recognizably called film preservation. He had no guidebooks to read, so he wrote them, including guides on film handling and film identification. What he created is still practiced with great care by the technicians at the BFI National Archive and in archives around the world. He had no archival film lab to go to, so he ingeniously built a step printer for handling fragile archival film from parts of a projector and famously, Mecanno. He invented the term "vinegar syndrome" which refers to the acidic off-gas that occurs when acetate-base film begins to deteriorate.

Anyone who cares about film preservation owes a great debt to Harold and his pioneering spirit.

Amanda Nevill, BFI Director said,
"Harold Brown was the longest serving staff member in the BFI's history, having worked here for 49 years until his retirement in 1984. He had enormous influence not just on the BFI National Archive, but on the field of film preservation as a whole - something still strongly felt around the world today. He was an extraordinary pioneer and through his resolute dedication he was personally responsible for saving thousands of films which are today preserved in the BFI National Archive. Harold's ingenuity and skill in problem solving against all financial and technical odds has meant that film preservation is a legacy he has left to all of us. He was one of a kind."

A celebration of his life will take place on 8 December at 11.00 AM at the Alfred Rose Community Centre: Dunsham Lane, Aylesbury HP20 2ER