Cast: Martin Scorsese, Emmerick Pressburger, Michael Powell
Review by Carlie Newman
Narrated and presented by Martin Scorsese, the documentary introduces us to the formative British films by the esteemed directors Pressburger and Powell, known as the Archers. The two men worked closely together with Pressburger writing the original scripts, the pair working out the dialogue and Powell directing and both producing. Apparently, they never argued but worked together in harmony for many years. They met in 1939 and the partnership finally came to an end in the 1950s. Pressburger died in 1988 and Powell in 1990. The films they made together are some of the most glorious British films in memory.
The superb films include Tales of Hoffman, The Red Shoes, I Know Where I’m Going To, Canterbury Tales and The Small Back Room, A Matter of Life and Death and Black Narcissus. With Selznick they made Gone to Earth starring Jennifer Jones. The films vary in subject matter and genre, but all are fascinating and beautifully composed. I Know Where I’m Going is a particularly delightful film – a romantic comedy set in Scotland starring Wendy Hill and Roger Livesey. Wanting a real ballet dancer rather than an actress the pair found Moira Shearer who was beautiful and absolutely perfect in the role.
The documentary includes archive material, clips from the films and Scorsese’s very interesting commentary. The artists used music to enhance their films. Scorsese comments: The Tales of Hoffman (1951) “Taught me pretty much all I know about the relation of camera to music.”
Available to rent buy or stream they should be on all film enthusiasts’ must-see lists.
