Mole-Richardson Brute Arc Lamp

The Mole-Richardson Brute Arc Lamp is a high-intensity carbon arc spotlight that draws 225 amps of DC power through a 24-inch Fresnel lens. Brute Arcs were a dominant lighting tool on Hollywood sound stages from the 1930s through the 1980s, when HMI lamps gradually replaced them. A small number remain in rental stock but have not been manufactured for decades.

Artists who use this(2)

Jack Cardiff

Connection note

Prototype "Brute" arc lamps from Mole-Richardson, described as "among the first ever made." Cardiff shot at f/1.5 with "650 footcandles coming from those big arc lights"

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Freddie Young

Connection note

Young's primary lighting tool. Minimum package included 12 Brute arcs. "The Brute is the most valuable lamp in the film industry. Nothing else can touch it"

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Last updated March 20, 2026