Myth and movie making: Karl Brown and the making of Stark Love

A notable early example of the docu-drama feature, Stark Love (1927) was filmed on location in the North Carolina mountains with a local cast of non-professionals. Since its rediscovery in the late 1960s it has been of great interest to both film historians and students of Appalachia. Through the use of personal papers, memoirs and other local history resources, this paper clarifies many of the myths surrounding its production and reception.