Poll

Your Favorite Powell and Pressburger Film Is...

The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp
9 (13.2%)
A Canterbury Tale
4 (5.9%)
'I Know Where I'm Going!'
3 (4.4%)
A Matter of Life and Death (aka. Stairway to Heaven)
7 (10.3%)
Black Narcissus
8 (11.8%)
The Red Shoes
18 (26.5%)
The Small Back Room (aka. Hour of Glory)
0 (0%)
The Elusive Pimpernel (aka. The Fighting Pimpernel)
0 (0%)
Gone to Earth (aka. La Renarde, aka. The Wild Heart)
1 (1.5%)
The Tales of Hoffmann
0 (0%)
Oh... Rosalinda!!
0 (0%)
The Battle of the River Plate (aka. Pursuit of the Graf Spee)
0 (0%)
I'll Met by Moonlight (aka. Night Ambush)
0 (0%)
haven't seen any
17 (25%)
don't like any
1 (1.5%)
other
0 (0%)

Total Members Voted: 67

Author Topic: Powell and Pressburger  (Read 14955 times)

verbALs

  • Godfather
  • *****
  • Posts: 9446
  • Snort Life-DOR
Re: Powell and Pressburger
« Reply #100 on: April 19, 2016, 12:26:17 AM »
What did you think of Walbrook's soliloquy on living in Germany under Hitler and wanting to come "home" to England? For me, it's the best scene in the film.
In a sense the movie up to that point is aiming at this monologue. An old idea of the honour of war replaced by fascist terror. Its a good example of authorial control (given the other conversation about how you separate the creative parts of writer and director). Instead of a film leading towards a set piece this film aims at a quiet monologue. The subtlety of what Walbrook says was clearly lost on Churchill.
I used to encourage everyone I knew to make art; I don't do that so much anymore. - Banksy

verbALs

  • Godfather
  • *****
  • Posts: 9446
  • Snort Life-DOR
Re: Powell and Pressburger
« Reply #101 on: October 20, 2016, 05:20:24 AM »
Starting in 10 minutes on Radio4; a half hour programme about the relationship between Michael Powell and Thelma Schoonmaker.
I used to encourage everyone I knew to make art; I don't do that so much anymore. - Banksy

verbALs

  • Godfather
  • *****
  • Posts: 9446
  • Snort Life-DOR
Re: Powell and Pressburger
« Reply #102 on: October 20, 2016, 02:39:37 PM »
Starting in 10 minutes on Radio4; a half hour programme about the relationship between Michael Powell and Thelma Schoonmaker.

When Schoonmaker was working Powell would arrange the fruit in the bowl to look like a Picasso at lunchtime. Then a Matisse in the evening. Powell was described as the right age for any crowd he was in but also as a one take tyrant being ruthless on set.

Scorsese sought Powell counsel more and more during the 80s; stalling on an ending for After Hours Powell suggested ending with the guy back at work. Spielberg to Scorsese "you seen that film with nuns in the mountains!"

Very affecting story with a set of characters; all good souls.
« Last Edit: October 20, 2016, 02:41:14 PM by verbALs »
I used to encourage everyone I knew to make art; I don't do that so much anymore. - Banksy

DarkeningHumour

  • Objectively Awesome
  • ******
  • Posts: 10453
  • When not sure if sarcasm look at username.
    • Pretentiously Yours
Re: Powell and Pressburger
« Reply #103 on: January 17, 2017, 04:40:25 AM »
The Red Shoes
The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp
A Matter of Life and Death
Black Narcissus

The Thief from Baghdad

« Society is dumb. Art is everything. » - Junior

https://pretensiouslyyours.wordpress.com/

1SO

  • Moderator
  • Objectively Awesome
  • ******
  • Posts: 36129
  • Marathon Man
Re: Powell and Pressburger
« Reply #104 on: November 24, 2017, 12:25:11 AM »
Updated Rankings


The way they do it is best for re-watches.  We then know where it's going to end up, and we can add all the details to the overall direction.
Boy is that the truth. I also think the way they create cast and direct female characters is unlike other filmmakers. I would love to read a lengthy article on it.

The Small Back Room (1949)
* * ½
I would've guessed this was one of their early works, a largely standard wartime drama with occasional flourishes, but when your 2nd feature is  The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp your career basically exploded right out of the gate. Typical of their film for about 30 minutes I thought I was never going to get into this story but by the end I was gripped by the suspenseful climax. The bomb expert at work seemed like a different film from the bomb expert struggling with alcohol, but the two manage to work off each other in the end.


Gone to Earth (1950)
* *
The expected beautiful, fantastical lighting creates a dreamlike world, but this gets sillier as it goes. Could be that I'm not a fan of Jennifer Jones and don't care for her as this earthy, hot-blooded simpleton. The film doesn't seem to know what to do with her, so she's like Breaking the Waves if Lars Von Trier took the point-of-view of the town. This isn't just the worst female character in a P&P film, it's the only one I'd consider a liability to the film. The title is explained in the final line and I laughed, which I'm sure is not the intended reaction.

Knocked Out Loaded

  • Elite Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 1914
  • I might remember it all differently tomorrow.
Re: Powell and Pressburger
« Reply #105 on: November 27, 2017, 05:43:06 AM »
The Red Shoes, 50°
49th Parallel, 45°

I saw 49th Parallel not so long ago. It is one of the strangest movies i have seen in a long time.
Extraordinary (81-100˚) | Very good (61-80˚) | Good (41-60˚) | Fair (21-40˚) | Poor (0-20˚)

oldkid

  • Objectively Awesome
  • ******
  • Posts: 19044
  • Hi there! Feed me worlds!
Re: Powell and Pressburger
« Reply #106 on: November 28, 2017, 02:21:19 AM »
I saw 49th Parallel not so long ago. It is one of the strangest movies i have seen in a long time.

You're just trying to get me to see it.  Fine, it goes on my list.
"It's not art unless it has the potential to be a disaster." Bansky

philip918

  • Elite Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 4580
Re: Powell and Pressburger
« Reply #107 on: May 01, 2018, 05:18:22 PM »
The Red Shoes
The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp
Black Narcissus

goodguy

  • Elite Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 2099
  • Colleen West was here.
Re: Powell and Pressburger
« Reply #108 on: September 11, 2018, 11:23:31 PM »
Some progress after seven years:

The Red Shoes
A Canterbury Tale
The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp
Black Narcissus
A Matter of Life and Death
The Tales of Hoffmann


1SO

  • Moderator
  • Objectively Awesome
  • ******
  • Posts: 36129
  • Marathon Man
Re: Powell and Pressburger
« Reply #109 on: September 12, 2018, 10:31:55 AM »
Always curious to read about Tales of Hoffmann. It seemed like a can’t miss idea to build a feature around the highlight of Red Shoes, but it disappoints everyone.

 

love