From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Charles J. Brabin (April 17, 1882 in Liverpool, England - November 3, 1957 in Santa Monica, California) was an American film director and screenwriter. He was active during the silent era, then pursued a short-lived career in talkies. Born in Liverpool, England, he was educated at St. Francis Xavier College. Brabin sailed to New York in the early 1900s and, while holding down odd jobs there, he tried his hand as a stage actor. He joined the Edison Company around 1908, first acting then writing then directing. His last film was A Wicked Woman for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1934. Brabin wed silent-film "vamp" star Theda Bara in 1921, remaining married to her until her death from abdominal cancer in April 1955 and becoming one of the rare long-lasting Hollywood marriages. Description above from the Wikipedia article Charles Brabin, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
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Biography from TMDB.
- April 17, 1882
- November 3, 1957 (aged 75)
- Liverpool, England, UK
- Director and writer
- 6 on MovieCove · 65 credits in all
Known for
What are Charles Brabin's films like?
Across their 6 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 6
Light 0 · Serious 0 · Dark 6
Grounded 2 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 2
Gentle 0 · Charged 2 · Intense 4
Steady 2 · Shifting 4 · Whiplash 0
Straight-faced 5 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 0
Slow burn 4 · Even-paced 2 · Relentless 0
Casual 2 · Engaged 4 · Full focus 0
A split, not a type: Easy watch 1 · Affecting 2 · Heavy 3
Resolved 6 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0
Moods and endings
- Happy1
- Bittersweet5
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Charles Brabin's films?
As of October 24, 2026, none of Charles Brabin's 6 MovieCove titles is streaming on a subscription or free service.
Subscription and free streaming for Charles Brabin's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted.
Filmography
65 credits, 6 with a MovieCove page.

A Wicked Woman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

Day of Reckoning (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

Stage Mother (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)
Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films
The Mask of Fu Manchu(1932)
Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films
The Washington Masquerade (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

New Morals for Old (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

The Beast of the City(1932)
Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films
Rasputin and the Empress(1932)
Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films
Sporting Blood (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

The Great Meadow (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

Call of the Flesh (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)

The Ship from Shanghai (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)

The Bridge of San Luis Rey (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1929)

The Whip (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1928)

Burning Daylight (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1928)

The Valley of the Giants (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1927)
Hard-Boiled Haggerty (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1927)

Framed (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1927)

Twinkletoes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1926)

Mismates (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1926)

Stella Maris (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1925)
Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films
So Big (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1924)

Six Days (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1923)

Driven (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1923)

The Lights of New York (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1922)

The Broadway Peacock (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1922)

Footfalls (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1921)

Blind Wives (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1920)

While New York Sleeps (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1920)

Thou Shalt Not (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1919)

La belle Russe (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1919)

Kathleen Mavourneen (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1919)
Thou Shalt Not (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1919)

The Poor Rich Man (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1918)

Buchanan's Wife (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1918)
His Bonded Wife (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1918)
A Pair of Cupids (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1918)

Social Quicksands (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1918)

Breakers Ahead (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1918)

Red, White and Blue Blood (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1917)

Persuasive Peggy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1917)

The Adopted Son (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1917)

Mary Jane's Pa (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1917)

The Sixteenth Wife (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1917)
Babette (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1917)

The Secret Kingdom (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1917)
The Price of Fame (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1916)

The Higher Destiny (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1916)

That Sort (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1916)

The Raven(1915)
Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films
Vanity Fair (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1915)
The House of the Lost Court (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1915)
The President’s Special (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1914)
The Man Who Disappeared (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1914)

The Ambassador's Daughter (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1913)

An Unsullied Shield (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1913)

His Mother's Hope (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1912)
Tim (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1912)
Hope - A Red Cross Seal Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1912)
A Soldier's Duty (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1912)

The Usurer's Grip (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1912)

What Happened to Mary (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1912)

The Awakening of John Bond (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1911)
Career shape
A full career of 63 titles from 1911 to 1934.
How do Charles Brabin's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 56th percentile, the median of all 6; across their 6 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 51st percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up1
- 50th to 74th3
- 25th to 49th1
- Below 25th1
Shape of the crowd
None of their 6 titles divides audiences: 3 are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved1
- Crowd Pleaser3
- Broadly Agreed1
- Mixed1
Reviewers score the atmosphere 67/100 and the pacing 50/100 in their films, across 6 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Who does Charles Brabin work with?
People who share at least 2 of Charles Brabin's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; William Axt shares the most, 3.
Writers
- Ben HechtShared titles: Rasputin and the Empress (1932), The Beast of the City (1932)See all 2 shared titles with Ben Hecht

- Carey WilsonShared titles: Rasputin and the Empress (1932), Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925)See all 2 shared titles with Carey Wilson

- John Lee MahinShared titles: Rasputin and the Empress (1932), The Beast of the City (1932)See all 2 shared titles with John Lee Mahin

Actors
- C. Henry GordonShared titles: The Secret of Madame Blanche (1933), Rasputin and the Empress (1932)See all 2 shared titles with C. Henry Gordon

- Mitchell LewisShared titles: The Secret of Madame Blanche (1933), Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925)See all 2 shared titles with Mitchell Lewis

- Jean HersholtShared titles: The Beast of the City (1932), The Mask of Fu Manchu (1932)See all 2 shared titles with Jean Hersholt

Composers
- William AxtShared titles: The Secret of Madame Blanche (1933), The Mask of Fu Manchu (1932), Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925)See all 3 shared titles with William Axt
Producers
- Irving ThalbergShared titles: Rasputin and the Empress (1932), Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925)See all 2 shared titles with Irving Thalberg

