The Small Back Room

Based on the novel by Nigel Balchin, The Small Back Room is the story of a research scientist who is asked to take part in a research involving a new German weapon during World War II. Written for the screen and directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, the film is an exploration of a man dealing with his role in the world as well as succumbing towards self-destructive behavior that would trouble his relationship with his secretary. Starring David Farrar, Kathleen Byron, Jack Hawkins, Robert Morley, Michael Gough, and Cyril Cusack. The Small Back Room is a gripping yet evocative film from Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger.

It’s 1943 during World War II as the film revolves a bomb expert/research scientist who is asked to do work for the government on a series of new bombs created by the Germans which had killed a few people including children. It’s a film that follows this man who is reluctant in doing the job as he finds himself dealing with military and government officials who don’t do enough to help him while he is becoming troubled by his dependence on alcohol which is troubling his own relationship with his secretary whom he’s in a romantic relationship with. The film’s screenplay by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger wouldn’t just follow the struggle that Sammy Rice (David Farrar) is coping with both at work and at home but also the expectations and demands from his bosses at work in trying to understand what this bomb has done. Rice’s secretary/girlfriend Susan (Kathleen Byron) is aware of the chaos that is looming upon him but also his lack of ambition to do more as he’s hampered by a bad leg as well as his growing alcoholism that would eventually take its toll.

The direction of Powell and Pressburger is visually entrancing not just for some of noir-like visual style but also in the fact that it’s a story that is grounded in reality. Shot largely at various sound stages in Britain with some of the exterior locations are shot in and around Britain including the famous site of Stonehenge. The direction for some of the exterior scenes are simple in terms of the few wide shots in the film as much of it have Powell and Pressburger utilize medium shots and close-ups for many of the film’s interior scenes including the scenes at Rice’s lab with his staff at it has this claustrophobic feel for how small it is compared to a conference room during the film’s second half. The scenes at a nightclub where Rice and Susan go to are quite spacious but also intimate where it also has these unique compositions in where the characters are in the frame as well as Rice’s view when he sees Susan dancing with another man.

The direction also include this very surreal sequence as it relates to the struggle that Rice has in his alcoholism where it involves this bottle of whiskey and a clock as it is this amazing sequence filled with unique camera angles and extravagant set designs. It’s a scene that help play into the drama that would intensify in its third act where Rice’s desperation and fragility come into play. The film’s climax which involves a bomb that Rice is researching is quite intense in terms of its suspense where Powell and Pressburger choose to present the whole thing in a restrained approach. It is a moment in the film that is quite chilling in what is going through Rice’s head as tries to figure out what the creator of the bomb would do as it would also force him to confront himself. Overall, Powell and Pressburger create a riveting and mesmerizing film about scientist’s struggle to maintain his sanity during World War II and battling alcoholism.

Cinematographer Christopher Challis does brilliant work with the film’s black-and-white photography with its emphasis on stylish lighting and moods that play into the drama including Rice’s struggle with his sobriety as well as the soft lights for some of the close-ups. Editors Reginald Mills and Clifford Turner do excellent work with the editing as it is quite straightforward with some stylish shots for the nightmare sequence as well as some rhythmic cutting for some of the dramatic suspenseful moments. Production designer Hein Heckroth and art director John Hoesli do amazing work with the look of the lab and offices that Rice works at in how small it is as well as the look of Rice’s apartment home including the nightmare sequence which is a highlight of the film’s art direction.

Costume designer Josephine Boss does fantastic work with the design of the gowns and dresses that Susan wears at work as well as in the nightclub scenes. The sound work of Alan Allen is superb for some of the sound effects that play into the testing of weapons and such including the conference scene where sounds would pop up every now and then to play into some of the film’s intense moments including its climax where it is used sparingly. The film’s music by Brian Easdale is terrific for its mixture of bombastic orchestral music with some eerie textures with the usage of the theremin to play into some of the suspense and drama that looms throughout the film.

The casting by Madeleine Godar is wonderful as it feature some notable small roles from Bryan Forbes as a dying gunner who had a fatal encounter with a German bomb, Sid James as a bartender at the bar Rice frequents at, Milton Rosmer as a fellow professor, Renee Asherson as a corporal at the beach site for the film’s climax, Leslie Banks as a colonel who is trying to speed things up with the weapons test, and Robert Morley as a minister of war who is trying to use his position of power to get Rice to speed things up. Cyril Cusack is terrific as a stuttering soldier in Corporal Taylor who often guards the building that Rice works at as he is one of the few friends that Rice has. Michael Gough is excellent as Captain Dick Stuart as the person who goes to Rice for help about the bomb as he would take part in the research.

Jack Hawkins is brilliant as R.B. Waring as a military official who is trying to help Rice but also be aware of the many things that are happening behind the scenes. Kathleen Byron is incredible as Susan as a secretary who is also Rice’s girlfriend as it’s a radiant performance from Byron as a woman who is supportive but also not afraid to speak her mind about Rice’s lack of ambition as well as dependence on alcoholism. Finally, there’s David Farrar in a phenomenal performance as Sammy Rice as a bomb expert who is also a research scientist that is troubled by the demands from his bosses about the bomb as he also copes with his alcoholism where Farrar’s sense of anguish is riveting to watch.

The Small Back Room is a sensational film from Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger that features remarkable performances from David Farrar and Kathleen Byron. Featuring a compelling story, eerie visuals, and a great supporting cast, the film is definitely one of the finest war dramas made about World War II that doesn’t feature any combat as well as an exploration of man’s battle with substance abuse. In the end, The Small Back Room is a tremendous film from Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger.

Powell-Pressburger Films: The Spy in Black - Contraband - (The Lion Has Wings) - (An Airman’s Letter to His Mother) - 49th Parallel - One of Our Aircraft is Missing - The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp - (The Volunteer) – A Canterbury Tale - I Know Where I'm Going! - A Matter of Life and Death - Black Narcissus - The Red Shoes - (The Elusive Pimpernel) - (Gone to Earth) - The Tales of Hoffman - (Oh… Rosalinda!!!) - (The Battle of River Plate) – Ill Met by Moonlight - Peeping Tom - (They’re a Weird Mob) - (Age of Consent) - (The Boy Who Turned Yellow)

© thevoid99 2017

The Spy in Black

Based on the novel by J. Storer Clouston, The Spy in Black is the story about a German U-boat captain who falls for his contact in Britain during World War I. Directed by Michael Powell and screenplay by Emeric Pressburger from a scenario by Roland Pertwee, the film marks the first collaboration between Powell and Pressburger that would help define British cinema. Starring Conrad Veidt, Valerie Hobson, Marius Goring, and Sebastian Shaw. The Spy in Black is a gripping yet engaging film from Michael Powell.

Set in 1917 during World War I, the film revolves around a scheme by a German U-boat captain who goes on an assignment to meet spies working for the Germans pretending to be British citizens. It’s a film that is about spies and conspiracy where a captain is trying to find ways to create a sneak attack on a British fleet at the Scapa Flow in Britain. The film’s screenplay by Emeric Pressburger explores the ideas of what spies do to become someone else and take on a role but also how they have to maintain an act of deceit where they blur the lines of what side they’re playing for.

Especially as this U-boat captain in Hardt (Conrad Veidt) who is eager to help the Germans win against the British at any cost where he finds himself arriving onto the Orkney Islands where he meets and falls for his German contact in a woman named Fraulein Tiel (Valerie Hobson) who is pretending to be a schoolteacher she and other agents had captured. Adding to this growing complication is the disgraced former British naval officer Ashington (Sebastian Shaw) who aids Hardt in the scheme as Hardt suspects about a relationship he had with Tiel. It adds to some of the tension that is looming but also has some layers of secrets about what is really going on where Hardt suspects something isn’t right about Tiel nor Ashington.

Michael Powell’s direction is quite simple while having a flair for style in the way it uses stock footage for shots set in the sea or in battle. Shot on various locations in Britain with much of it shot at Denham Studios, Powell creates a film that explores the world of spies and how they operate where Powell’s usage of medium and wide shots in some of the locations and scenes are quite engaging. Especially in his close-ups as it adds to some of the suspense and drama that looms throughout the film which include scenes involving Hardt and Tiel. There are moments of suspense in the way Powell creates through some scenes as well as some of the moments in the third act as it has some big reveals but also some compelling ideas of war and how some conduct themselves during wartime. Overall, Powell creates a riveting yet sublime film about a U-boat captain taking on a secret mission with the aid of spies in Britain during World War I.

Cinematographer Bernard Browne does excellent work with the film‘s black-and-white photography as it play into some of the scenes at night with its usage of shadows and low-key lights that add a lot to the suspense. Editor Hugh Stewart does nice work with the editing as it is mostly straightforward as it also include some stylish usage of stock footage. Production designer Vincent Korda and art director Frederick Pusey do fantastic work with the look of the house the characters would stay in for much of the film‘s second half as well as some of the interiors of the submarine that Hardt is the captain of. The sound work of A.W. Watkins is terrific for the usage of sound effects as well as in some of the sparse moments in the sound. The film’s music by Miklos Rozsa is superb for its orchestral score as it play into the suspense and drama while not going overboard as it favors lush and low-key moments rather than bombastic pieces.

The film’s incredible cast feature some notable small roles from Cyril Raymond as Reverend John Harris who is supposed to marry the woman Tiel is pretending to be, Hay Petrie as a ferry engineer, George Summers as a ferry captain, June Duprez as a schoolteacher that Tiel would pretend to be, Mary Morris as a chauffer who is really a German spy, and Marius Goring as Hardt’s fellow officer Lt. Schuster who would take command of the sub in place of Hardt. Sebastian Shaw is excellent as Lt. Ashington as a disgraced British officer who decides to help Hardt in planning the attack on the British fleet while being quite ambiguous in what he does outside of the house. Valerie Hobson is brilliant as Fraulein Tiel as a spy who pretends to be a British schoolteacher as she tries to maintain her professionalism and sway the advances of Captain Hardt. Finally, there’s Conrad Veidt in an amazing performance as Captain Hardt as a U-boat captain who is trying to plan an assault on the British fleet where he copes with working with spies and hope for a victory for Germany.

The Spy in Black is a remarkable film from Michael Powell. Featuring a great cast and a compelling script by Emeric Pressburger, the film is a fascinating spy-thriller that play into the world of war and what some will do to survive. In the end, The Spy in Black is a marvelous film from Michael Powell.

Powell/Pressburger Films: Contraband - (The Lion Has Wings) - (An Airman’s Letter to His Mother) - 49th Parallel - One of Our Aircraft is Missing - The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp - (The Volunteer) - A Canterbury Tale - I Know Where I'm Going! - A Matter of Life and Death - Black Narcissus - The Red Shoes - The Small Black Room - (The Elusive Pimpernel) - (Gone to Earth) - The Tales of Hoffmann - (Oh… Rosalinda!!!) - (The Battle of the River Plate) - Ill Met by Moonlight - Peeping Tom - (They’re a Weird Mob) - (Age of Consent) - (The Boy Who Turned Yellow)

© thevoid99 2017

Ill Met by Moonlight

Based on the book by W. Stanley Moss, Ill Met by Moonlight (Night Ambush in the U.S.) is the story of a couple of British officers who arrive in Nazi-occupied Crete where they abduct the island’s commander. Written for the screen, produced, and directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, the film is a dramatic account of Moss’ actual real-life work as a British agent who does whatever he can to win the war as he is played by David Oxley. Also starring Dirk Bogarde, Marius Goring, and Cyril Cusack. Ill Met by Moonlight is a gripping and engaging film from Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger.

Set in April of 1944 during Nazi’s occupation of Greece, the film revolves around two British officers who are tasked with a mission to kidnap a Nazi general at the island of Crete and bring him to Cairo so that the Nazis would be forced out of the island. It’s a film with a simple plot as it plays to two men planning a mission but also deal with what lays ahead as they’re aided by Greek resistance forces at the island who are fighting a guerilla war with the Nazis. The film’s script play into the mission that Major Fermor (Dirk Bogarde) and Captain Moss would go as they had to make sure things go right and no one gets killed. Even as they have to deal with their hostage in Major General Heinrich Kreipe (Marius Goring) who is a man of great intelligence as he knows what he has to endure. Yet, there is a sense of respect between the general and his captors as it relates to strategy as well as making sure the general isn’t killed.

The direction of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger is actually simple as it’s more grounded despite that it’s largely shot at Pinewood Studios with some location shooting in the French-Italian alps and at the Cote de Azur in France. The usage of wide and medium shots play into the vast locations while the latter would also be used for these scenes in campfires and inside the homes of the locals at Crete to showcase a world that Major Fermer and Captain Moss are in. The approach to suspense is slow-building as much of the action in the second half is set in the mountains where the British and Greek resistance fighters are trying to hide from the Nazis as well as hide General Kreipe who will try to get their attention. Yet, there are these moments where Major Fermer and Captain Moss are trying to see what to do as it relates to its climax where General Kreipe would know they would have something up their sleeve as he tries to bribe a young Greek boy to ruin things as it has this battle of wits in some respects but one based on respect. Overall, Powell and Pressburger create a riveting yet compelling film about an abduction mission in World War II.

Cinematographer Christopher Challis does excellent work with the film‘s black-and-white photography to capture the naturalistic look for many of the film‘s daytime interior/exterior scenes as well as some lighting for some of the nighttime interior/exterior scenes. Editor Arthur Stevens does nice work with the editing as it is mostly straightforward to play up the suspense as well as some of the action in the film. Art director Alex Vetchinsky does terrific work with some of the set pieces such as the homes of the locals in Crete as well as the look of the warships the British officers would depart from. Sound editor Arthur Ludski does superb work with the sound to capture some of the action involving a few gun battles as well as the sounds of planes and cars surrounding the mountains. The film’s music by Mikis Theodorakis is fantastic for its music score that mixes some orchestral bombast with traditional Greek music including its percussions to help play into the suspense and action.

The film’s amazing cast include some notable small roles from Michael Gough as a Crete local, Christopher Lee as a Nazi officer attacked at a dentist, Dimitri Andreas as a Crete boy who would help the officers while befriending General Kreipe, and as a trio of Greek resistance fighters helping the British officers in Brian Worth, Paul Stassino, and Rowland Bartrop. Cyril Cusack is terrific in his small role as Captain Sandy Rendel who would also aid the officers in planning the capture as he would later take part in the film’s climax. David Oxley is fantastic as Captain W. Stanley “Billy” Moss as Major Fermor’s partner who would come up with ideas and do whatever he can to make sure no one gets killed.

Marius Goring is excellent as Major General Heinrich Kreipe as the island’s commander who is kidnapped as he realizes what he goes on where would try to resist only to realize the men he is dealing are just as smart as he is where he has a bit of respect for them. Finally, there’s Dirk Bogarde in a brilliant performance as Major Patrick “Paddy” Leigh Fermor as the leader of this operation who tries to ensure everything goes right while dealing with General Kreipe as he knows that he is an amateur in situations like this but does whatever he can to ensure the general’s survival.

Ill Met by Moonlight is a marvelous film from Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. While it is a different war film of sorts where there isn’t a lot of violence in favor of planning, character study, and a battle of wits. It is a film that still manages to offer a lot in terms of suspense as well as be a war film that doesn’t exactly play by the rules. In the end, Ill Met by Moonlight is a remarkable film from Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger.

Powell/Pressburger Films: The Spy in Black - Contraband - (The Lion Has Wings) - (An Airman’s Letter to His Mother) - 49th Parallel - One of Our Aircraft is Missing - The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp - (The Volunteer) - A Canterbury Tale - I Know Where I'm Going! - A Matter of Life and Death - Black Narcissus - The Red Shoes - The Small Black Room - (Gone to Earth) - The Tales of Hoffmann - (Oh… Rosalinda!!!) - (The Battle of the River Plate) - Peeping Tom - (They’re a Weird Mob) - (Age of Consent) - (The Boy Who Turned Yellow)

© thevoid99 2016

The Tales of Hoffmann

Based on the stories of E.T.A. Hoffmann and the opera of Jacques Offenbach, The Tales of Hoffmann is a multi-layered film that tells three different stories in a stage setting captured on film. Written for the screen and directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, the film is a mixture of fantasy, ballet, and opera told in a thrilling and cinematic fashion. Starring Moira Shearer, Robert Rounsville, Leonide Massine, Robert Helpmann, Pamela Brown, Ludmilla Tcherina, and Ann Ayars. The Tales of Hoffmann is a majestic and evocative film from Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger.

The film revolves around three different stories told by its author during an intermission for a ballet performance where he tells friends at a tavern about three women he had fallen for. The first was an automaton ballerina the man would fall for unaware of who she really is as their creators would scheme and ruin things for him. The second involves a courtesan, who works for an evil magician, who would seduce him in order to steal his soul. The third story plays into an ailing soprano singer who cannot sing as it means death until she is coerced by an evil doctor. All of which told by this writer in Hoffmann (Robert Rounsville) who would play the protagonists in his stories while he would also deal with a rival in Councillor Lindorf (Robert Helpmann) who would be seen as the antagonist in all three stories. At the same time, Hoffmann’s aide Nicklaus (Pamela Brown) would be in all of the stories to observe everything as it relates to many of Hoffman’s failures.

The film’s script by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger is told in a sort of reflective narrative where it plays into Hoffmann telling his stories to people at a tavern as it then moves into the first story and then to another and then to the third story. It’s a film with simple narrative yet it is largely told by the music where a lot of the dialogue in the film is sung in an operatic fashion thanks in part to Dennis Arundell who would write the film’s English libretto for the singers to sing. Each story would play into Hoffmann’s attempt to win over an object of desire but always has to endure the presence of Lindorf who would play different personas to stop him from winning over a young woman.

The direction of Powell and Pressburger is quite simple as much of it is shot inside a soundstage that acts as this artificial stage where much of the ballet and operatic performances take place. The usage of wide and medium shots capture everything that is going on in the stage as well as some crane camera shots to shoot from above to capture some of the dancing as well as the singing. There aren’t a lot of close-ups in the film in order to capture the sense of performance that happens on the stage yet it has this sense of flair in the camera movements. The usage of tracking and dolly shots would say a lot into way the dance, which is wonderfully choreographed by Frederick Ashton with additional work from Alan Carter and Joan Harris, is presented as well as some camera tricks to play up this sense of fantasy as well in the wide shots to see the staging of these sets. While each story has its own personality, they all display that sense of fantasy but also a dramatic flair that adds so much to what Hoffmann would endure as the film would end with not just the reality of what he faced in his stories. It is also in the fact that he could’ve handled things better as well as find a way to outwit Lindorf. Overall, Powell and Pressburger craft a ravishing yet magical film about a man’s trilogy of stories of love lost.

Cinematographer Christopher Challis does brilliant work with the film‘s gorgeous Technicolor cinematography as it captures every bit of detail in the color of how the sets look and how things are lit to play up the sense of fantasy. Editor Reginald Mills does amazing work with the editing with its rhythmic cuts, stylish usage of dissolves to play up the fantasy, and other stylish cuts to say a lot about the dancing and the world these characters are in. Production/costume designer Hein Heckroth, along with art director Arthur Lawson and co-costume designer Ivy Baker, does fantastic work with not just the look of the sets as it plays up this air of fantasy and artificiality but also in the costumes including the dresses and gowns the women wear in the performances.

Makeup artist Connie Reeve does nice work with the makeup in the way the characters look to the environment they‘re in. Sound recordist Ted Drake does terrific work with some of the minimal sound effects that is recorded in the film as much of the sound work is done in post-production. The film’s music of Jacques Offenbach, with English libretto by Dennis Arundell, is incredible as its mixture of opera and orchestral music is key to the film as it helps tell the story as well as play into many of the trials and tribulation that Hoffmann would endure throughout the film as the string arrangements under the music direction by Sir Thomas Beecham.

The film’s wonderful cast includes some notable small roles from Frederick Ashton in a dual role as the puppet master Kleinsach from the first story and Cochenille in the second story with Murray Dickie as his singing voice, Mogens Wieth and the singing voice of Owen Brannigan as Antonia’s father in the third story, and Edmond Audran as Stella’s dance partner in the prologue. Leonide Massine is fantastic in the multiple roles as the automaton creator Schemil in the first story as well as a count in the second story and a deaf servant in the third with Owen Brannigan and Grahame Clifford in his singing voice. Pamela Brown is superb in the role of Nicklaus as Hoffmann’s friend who observes everything that goes on while being the conscience of sorts as she also tries to stop Hoffman from making the wrong decisions. Ana Ayars is excellent as the third woman in the story named Antonia as an ailing singer who deals with the temptation of singing again knowing that she’ll die if she does as Ayars also provides her own vocals.

Ludmilla Tcherina is brilliant as the courtesan Giulietta as this object of desire in the second story who is really working for one of Lindorf’s personas as her singing voice is dubbed by Margherita Grandi. Moira Shearer is amazing in a dual role as Hoffmann’s current object of desire in a prima ballerina named Stella in the film’s prologue/epilogue and as the automaton ballerina known as Olympia who is full of life but is also very odd as her singing voice is dubbed by Dorothy Bond. Robert Helpmann is great in the multiple roles he plays as the film’s antagonists in Lindorf in the film’s prologue/epilogue as well as the other devious and manipulative personas in the puppet maker Coppelius in the first story, the schemer Dapertutto in the second story, and the morose Dr. Miracle in the third story as his singing voice is dubbed by Bruce Dargavel. Finally, there’s Robert Rounseville in a sensational performance as Hoffmann as this poet who tells the story of heartbreak and loss as he endures so much while doing things that would also undo with Rounseville maintaining a great presence as well as doing his own singing.

The Tales of Hoffmann is a phenomenal film from Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. Featuring a great cast, dazzling visuals in its photography and art direction, and a sumptuous music score. The film isn’t just one of the quintessential films of the Archers production team but also a film that manages to convey the idea of fantasy with a richness that isn’t seen very much in films. In the end, The Tales of Hoffmann is a spectacular film from Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger.

Powell/Pressburger Films: The Spy in Black - Contraband - (The Lion Has Wings) - (An Airman’s Letter to His Mother) - 49th Parallel - One of Our Aircraft is Missing - The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp - (The Volunteer) - A Canterbury Tale - I Know Where I'm Going! - A Matter of Life and Death - Black Narcissus - The Red Shoes - The Small Black Room - (Gone to Earth) - (Oh… Rosalinda!!!) - (The Battle of the River Plate) - Ill Met by Moonlight - Peeping Tom - (They’re a Weird Mob) - (Age of Consent) - (The Boy Who Turned Yellow)

© thevoid99 2016

Contraband

Directed by Michael Powell and written by Emeric Pressburger from an idea by Powell and Brock Williams, Contraband is the story of a Danish sea captain who is stuck in the British ports as he deals with Nazi spies in the early stages of World War II. The film is a spy drama set at a time when Denmark was neutral to the war as it explores a Danish man who is suddenly forced to take part in the war. Starring Conrad Veidt and Valerie Hobson. Contraband is a thrilling and engaging film from Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger.

The film revolves around a Danish sea captain who is stopped at a British port where he unknowingly is carrying two British secret agents as he aids one of them in uncovering a Nazi spy syndicate in London. It’s a film that plays into a man trying to do his duty and not be involved in this conflict between Britain and Nazi Germany as he is only in the British seas to transport cargo. Though there are rules and regulations that Captain Andersen (Conrad Veidt) had to follow, the British officers do give him a chance to relax where a shore pass he and his subordinate First Officer Axel Skold (Hay Petrie) were supposed to have were stolen prompting the two to find the passengers that stole those passes. One of them is a passenger in Mrs. Sorensen (Valerie Hobson) who is revealed to be a British spy where Andersen reluctantly helps her.

Emeric Pressburger’s screenplay plays into the sense of fear that is going on in Britain where there’s curfew as London is having blackouts. Though Captain Andersen wants to remain neutral, his encounter with the Nazis would only prompt him to be directly involved knowing the risks he is putting for himself and his country. The script also has these intricacies into what is happening in Britain and what Nazis would try to do as they would target other countries including the U.S. to create more trouble. It adds to the sense of suspense and stakes that emerge where Andersen and Sorensen have to take charge while the script includes a moment before the suspense where the two eat at a Danish restaurant where Andersen would later get help from those men for the film’s climax.

Michael Powell’s direction is quite simple as he shoots the film on location on the British ports just around the time Britain was in war with Nazi Germany. Much of it is simple with some unique tracking shots for the scenes set at the Danish boat as it plays to the sense of control that Andersen needs in his boat. The scenes at the Danish restaurant are energetic with some unique approach to close-ups and medium shots as well as some unique camera angles for some exterior scenes during the blackout. Powell also create these tense moments where Sorensen is being interrogated by the lead Nazi spy Van Dyne (Raymond Lowell) where he knows where to place the camera as well as showcase exactly what Andersen is seeing after being knocked unconscious by a spy. All of which leads to a very interesting and energetic climax that is told with such style and bits of humor by Powell. Overall, Powell and Pressburger create a very riveting and captivating spy film about a Danish sea captain helping a woman uncover a Nazi spy ring.

Cinematographer Freddie Young does excellent work with the film‘s black-and-white photography where many of the film‘s exterior nighttime scenes in London and at sea are very interesting with its low-key approach to lighting as well as some of the interiors including its climax. Editor John Seabourne does nice work with the editing as it‘s very straightforward with a few fade-outs for structural reasons and some rhythmic cuts for some of the film‘s humor. Set decorator Alfred Junge does superb work with the set pieces from the look of the Danish restaurant in London to the secret place where the Nazi spies are.

Costume designer Rahvis does amazing work with the dress that Sorenson wears as well as the tuxedos and uniforms some of the men wear. Sound recordists C.C. Stevens and A.W. Watkins do terrific work with the sound to play into the film‘s suspenseful moments as well as some of its celebratory scenes. The film’s music by Richard Addinsell and John D.H. Greenwood is brilliant for its bombastic orchestral score as well as some lush moments while music director Muir Matheson uses some dancehall music and some traditional pieces to play into Andersen’s need to rally such as the Danish folk song that he and his brethren would sing.

The film’s fantastic cast includes notable appearances from Esmond Knight as a fellow British spy known as Mr. Pidgeon, Joss Ambler and Harold Warrender as a couple of British officers who stop Andersen to inspect his cargo, and Raymond Lovell in a terrific performance as the Nazi spy Van Dyne who is trying to create havoc for Britain and other future enemies. Hay Petrie is excellent in a dual role as Andersen’s subordinate Axel Skold and as Skold’s brother Erik as Petrie brings a lot of charm and wit to both characters. Valerie Hobson is amazing as Mrs. Sorenson as this woman who irks Andersen early on for not wearing a life jacket as she realizes that she needs his help to uncover the Nazi spy ring in London. Finally, there’s Conrad Veidt in a brilliant performance as Captain Andersen as this Danish sea captain who is just trying to do his job as he finds himself involved in uncovering a Nazi spy ring as he decides to get involved for the sake in doing what is right for the world.

Contraband is a marvelous film from Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. Featuring great performances from Conrad Veidt and Valerie Hobson as well as intriguing ideas on the world of spies in World War II during its Phoney War period. It’s a film that showcases a moment in time where World War II was just starting as Denmark would enter that war knowing what is at stake. In the end, Contraband is an exhilarating film from Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger.

Powell/Pressburger Films: The Spy is Black - (The Lion Has Wings) - (An Airman’s Letter to His Mother) - 49th Parallel - One of Our Aircraft is Missing - The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp - (The Volunteer) - A Canterbury Tale - I Know Where I'm Going! - A Matter of Life and Death - Black Narcissus - The Red Shoes - The Small Black Room - (Gone to Earth) - The Tales of Hoffman - (Oh… Rosalinda!!!) - (The Battle of the River Plate) - Ill Met by Moonlight - Peeping Tom - (They’re a Weird Mob) - (Age of Consent) - (The Boy Who Turned Yellow)

© thevoid99 2015

A Matter of Life and Death

Written and directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, A Matter of Life and Death is the story of an airman who survives death as he falls for an American radio operator while angels are trying to get him to the other side. Set during World War II, the film is an exploration into a man facing and cheating death while trying to continue his life without compromise. Starring David Niven, Kim Hunter, Roger Livesay, Marius Goring, and Raymond Massey. A Matter of Life and Death is an extraordinarily rich film from Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger.

The film is about a man who had just survived a near-death experience as his bomber plane crashed where he jumped off his plane without a parachute. While he was on his plane, he communicates with an American radio operator where the two fall for each other as they eventually meet and become a couple. For the people in Heaven, they realize the man was supposed to die as they send an angel (Marius Goring) to meet with the man to tell him he’s supposed to be in Heaven. The angel gives the man time while Dr. Frank Reeves (Roger Livesay) examines the man as he would defend him in a trial to see if this man should stay alive or be sent to Heaven. It’s a film about life and death as well as the power of love where the people from above are to see if this man in Peter Carter (David Niven) should stay alive to fall in love with the American woman June (Kim Hunter).

The film’s screenplay explores the world of life and the afterlife where Peter Carter has accidentally cheated death where angels and those in the afterlife question should Peter Carter fulfill what has been expected him in life or should he continue to go on living? Yet, the people in Heaven didn’t expect for Peter and June to fall for each other in a moment like this as they send this French aristocratic angel to talk with Peter about what he should do. Dr. Frank Reeves listens to Peter talking about his meeting with the angels as he believes there is more to something that is beyond anything. Yet, he would play a crucial role into defending Peter in front of the people of the afterlife as he has to face a jury that despise the British led by its American prosecutor Abraham Farlan (Raymond Massey). What would happen in the third act is a trial for the life of a man as Peter would also face a judge and jury to see if he deserves to stay alive.

The direction of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger is definitely out of this world in terms of what they presented. Notably as they go for two very different approaches to life on Earth and the afterlife where the former is presented in gorgeous Technicolor and the latter is presented in black-and-white. The direction is often filled with a sense of style from the sense of danger that is presented in the opening moments of the film where Peter is flying his bomber plane as he talks to June. A lot of the scenes set on Earth do have some degree of style in some of its location shots as well as a scene of Dr. Reeves looking out at the town through a magnifying table. Other stylish shots in the film are the conversations between Peter and the angel where everything around them stops while the people who aren’t Peter or the angel stay still.

The scenes set in Heaven are very stylized in the set pieces that is created where there are things the dead have to do once they arrive in Heaven. There is a sense of control that occurs while the trial scene itself is filled with some wide shots to establish the scope of the case in hand. There is also the staircase scenes that is presented in black-and-white but also in color to establish the link between the two worlds. The third act is about the two worlds colliding to set the fate for Peter Carter as where some big decisions occur as well as the idea of life itself. Overall, Powell and Pressburger create a magnificent story about life and the power of love.

Cinematographer Jack Cardiff does exquisite work with the film‘s beautiful photography from the wonderful look of the scenes in Heaven shot in black-and-white with some amazing lighting schemes to the lush Technicolor look of the scenes on Earth from the look of the British countryside to some of the interiors in the film as Cardiff‘s work is a major highlight of the film. Editor Reginald Mills does excellent work with the film‘s editing with the use of abrupt cuts to play out some of the strange things that are happening around Peter to the use of freeze-frames and other stylish cuts to help give the film a brisk pace. Production designer Alfred Junge does amazing work with the set pieces from the look of the staircase to the look of Heaven itself as it is a work of beauty.

Costume designer Hein Heckroth does wonderful work with the costumes to play up some of its coloring in the scenes on Earth while keeping things simple and stylish for the scenes in Heaven. The special effects work by Douglas Woolsey and Henry Harris is terrific for its use of optical effects to create some look of the universe as well as the backgrounds for the staircase scenes. Sound recorder C.C. Stevens does nice work with the sound to create sound effects for the film‘s opening sequence of Peter‘s plane crumbling as well as some intimate moments between characters as well as the scenes where sound isn‘t used. The film’s music by Allan Gray is superb for its lush orchestral score to play out the drama and some of its humor through some sweeping string arrangements and a few bombastic moments in the percussions.

The film’s cast is brilliant as it features some small appearances from Richard Attenborough as an English pilot who arrives to Heaven, Abraham Sofaer as Heaven’s judge and the surgeon performing surgery for Peter, Robert Coote as Peter’s deceased co-pilot Bob Trubshawe, and Kathleen Byron as the head angel who greets the dead to Heaven. Raymond Massey is excellent as Abraham Farlan who believes that Peter should die and be sent to Heaven while Marius Goring is marvelous as the very charming French aristocrat who has become an angel as he tries to get Peter to Heaven while realizing the severity of the situation. Roger Livesay is superb as Dr. Frank Reeves as a man who believes Peter’s stories as he tries to help him in every way while finding himself in a situation of his own where he can play a crucial role in Peter’s trial.

Kim Hunter is remarkable as June as an American woman who falls for Peter through their radio conversation while trying to wonder what is wrong with him as she turns to Dr. Reeves for help. David Niven is fantastic as Peter Carter as a man who had just experienced a near-death experience as well as love as he realizes his fate is in the hands of people beyond him as he tries to comprehend the idea of life itself.

A Matter of Life and Death is an incredible film from Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. Armed with a great ensemble cast that includes David Niven, Kim Hunter, Roger Livesay, Raymond Massey, and Marius Goring as well as Jack Cardiff’s rapturous cinematography. It’s a film that explores the idea of life itself as well as how a man can put his own life in the hands of other to see if he should live. It’s also a film about the power of love and how strong it can be for a man’s fate. In the end, A Matter of Life and Death is a tremendous film from Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger.

Powell/Pressburger Films: The Spy is Black - (The Lion Has Wings) - Contraband - (An Airman’s Letter to His Mother) - 49th Parallel - One of Our Aircraft is Missing - The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp - (The Volunteer) - A Canterbury Tale - I Know Where I‘m Going! - Black Narcissus - The Red Shoes - The Small Black Room - (Gone to Earth) - The Tales of Hoffman - (Oh… Rosalinda!!!) - (The Battle of the River Plate) - Ill Met by Moonlight - Peeping Tom - (They’re a Weird Mob) - (Age of Consent) - (The Boy Who Turned Yellow)

© thevoid99 2013

I Know Where I'm Going!

Written and directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, I Know Where I’m Going! is the story of a woman traveling to the Scottish Hebrides to marry a tycoon only for things to go wrong as she meets a naval officer in the island. The film is a romantic-comedy of sorts of how a woman tries to go for one thing only for things not go the way she had planned. Starring Wendy Hiller, Roger Livesay, Pamela Brown, and Finlay Currie. I Know Where I’m Going! is an incredible film from Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger.

The film is essentially a love story of sorts of a woman whose life has always gone her own way is about to marry a tycoon as she travels to Scotland to marry him at an island. Due to awful weather and raging tides that will prevent her to get to the island, the woman is forced to stay at a small Scottish town where she meets a naval officer who lives in the island as he is descended from a family who has a nearby castle that he never enters believing it’s cursed. Despite her time at this small village, the woman is determined to reach the island at any cost believing it’s destiny as she is forced to come to terms with her feelings for the naval officer and everything else in her life.

The screenplay by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger explores a woman has everything going her way in life as the film opens with an amazing opening credits sequence of Joan Webster (Wendy Hiller) growing up as a child as she gets what she wants and is very ambitious. By marrying a tycoon, she will have everything she has ever wanted as she believed she’s earned it as it will fulfill her destiny. By the time she arrives Isle of Mull which is nearby the island of Kiloran, she expects to immediately be on board to the island but bad weather prevents it from happening. There, Joan has to stay on the island until the weather dies down as she befriends the naval officer Torquil MacNeil (Roger Livesay) who is the Laird of Kiloran. MacNeil is a man who loves the Isle of Mull as he insists that Joan should stay but Joan’s stubborn behavior would lead to some trouble as she is also starting to fall for MacNeil.

The direction of Powell and Pressburger is very engaging for the way it explores a woman’s desire to fulfill her destiny and the circumstances she has to endure. While a lot of the shots are quite simple in its presentation, there is an element of style in the way some scenes are shot as well as the film’s opening sequence where the opening credits are placed on various things. Yet, there are an array of images that are quite stylish such as the use of layered dissolves in a dream sequence for Joan while the film also contains some very simplistic moments to cover the Scottish landscape and the small town of Mull. The direction is also intense for a very big moment in the third act where MacNeil tries to stop Joan from reaching the island as he and another man are on the boat with Joan where its as a catalyst for what Joan is facing. Though the ending is sort of predictable of what is expected in a romantic story, it works to convey the journey both MacNeil and Joan have endured. Overall, Powell and Pressburger create a captivating yet mesmerizing film about destiny and how to adjust to different circumstances.

Cinematographer Erwin Hiller does excellent work with the film‘s black-and-white photography as he creates some gorgeous shots of the Scottish locations in the daytime as well as more low-key lighting schemes in some of the film‘s nighttime interior settings. Editor John Seabourne Jr. does terrific work with the editing from the use of layered dissolves in the dream sequence to some of the more intense editing in the film’s climax. Production designer Alfred Junge does wonderful work with some of the film‘s set pieces such as the home Joan stays in to the dance hall where Joan and MacNeil watch a celebration.

Sound recorder C.C. Stevens does amazing work with the sound to capture the intensity of the winds as well as the noise of the waves during that terrible weather. The film’s music by Allan Gray is superb for its lush orchestral score to play out some of the melodrama and lighter moments while the rest of the music features an array of traditional Scottish folk music.

The casting by Pat MacDonnell and Adele Raymond is brilliant as it features a wonderful collection of actors including an early appearance from Petula Clark as a young girl Joan meets, Captain C.W.R. Knight as a falconer friend of MacNeil, Catherine Lacey as a talkative local who shows Joan around a large manor, Murdo Morrison as a young boatman named Kenny, and Margot Fitzsimons as Kenny’s girlfriend Bridie. Finlay Currie is terrific as an experienced boatman in Ruairidh Mhor as a man who tells Joan that crossing the sea to the island is a good idea due to the weather. Pamela Brown is wonderful as MacNeil’s friend Catriona as a woman who knows about MacNeil’s attraction towards Joan as well as the things that Joan wants.

Finally, there’s the duo of Wendy Hiller and Roger Livesay as they both give remarkable performances in their respective roles as Joan Webster and Torquil MacNeil. Hiller displays a great sense of determination to a woman who is unaware of how the world plays into things as she finds herself unable to maintain control of her situation. Livesay is more reserved in his role as a naval officer dealing with his family curse as he is full of charm and warmth while also being quite upfront about what Joan is trying to do. The two have amazing chemistry as their scenes together is definitely a highlight of the film.

I Know Where I’m Going! is a marvelous film from Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger that features splendid performances from Wendy Hiller and Roger Livesay. It’s a film that reveals how some things don’t go the way one intends only for something else to happen where it would end up being even better. It’s also a very engaging romantic film that have a sense of conventional storytelling but takes its time to find ways to not go into formula. In the end, I Know Where It’s Going! is a phenomenal film from Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger.

Powell/Pressburger Films: The Spy is Black - (The Lion Has Wings) - Contraband - (An Airman’s Letter to His Mother) - 49th Parallel - One of Our Aircraft is Missing - The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp - (The Volunteer) - A Canterbury Tale - A Matter of Life and Death - Black Narcissus - The Red Shoes - The Small Black Room - (Gone to Earth) - The Tales of Hoffman - (Oh… Rosalinda!!!) - (The Battle of the River Plate) - Ill Met by Moonlight - Peeping Tom - (They’re a Weird Mob) - (Age of Consent) - (The Boy Who Turned Yellow)

© thevoid99 2013

A Canterbury Tale

Written and directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, A Canterbury Tale is the story of three different visitors who arrive in a small English town that is plagued by an incident as they decide to go after the man who caused this incident. The film is about the relationship between British and American personnel during World War II as they band together to solve a bizarre crime. Starring Eric Portman, Sheila Sim, Dennis Price, Sgt. John Sweet, and Esmond Knight. A Canterbury Tale is an extraordinarily rich film from Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger.

The film is about a trio of visitors who arrive in a town near Canterbury where they learn about a mysterious man who pours glue onto women’s heads where the three go on a search to find out who did this. With two of them being Army sergeants as one of them is an American and the third person of the party is a London woman seeking to work for a prominent local figure in Mr. Colpeper (Eric Portman). The trio suspect Mr. Colpeper as they do a lot of guesswork with the help of various locals as they also make some discoveries about the small town they’re in which relates to the pilgrimage to Canterbury that happened 600 years ago. There, the three deal with their own desires in life as they eventually make their arrival to Canterbury in a pilgrimage of their own.

The screenplay by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger is a bit of a genre-bending film where it is a mystery but also a drama of sorts as it relates to these three different people. A British Sergeant in Peter Gibbs (Dennis Price), an American army Sergeant in Bob Johnson (John Sweet), and a London woman going to Canterbury to retrieve a caravan named Alison Smith (Sheila Sim). Each person have their own reasons to go to Canterbury yet they come together in a series of circumstances as well as teaming up to solve the mystery over the man who pours glue onto women’s heads. During this investigation in a small town, all three wander around the land they’re in as they all have a different reaction to it. The script gives the three characters a chance to find themselves in the town as they eventually arrive to Canterbury as they all go through some kind of transformation.

The direction of Powell and Pressburger is very engaging not just in the way they set up the film but also make similarities to the original pilgrimage to Canterbury to the journey Gibbs, Johnson, and Smith take part in. Notably as the film starts with a scene of pilgrims making their way towards Canterbury and then create this cut of a hawk flying in the air to a shot of a plane flying above. Things are much different in the scenes set in the present where it’s a world that isn’t ravaged by war. Though the people in this small town are aware of what is going on, they’re more concerned about what’s happening to them locally.

The direction is often filled with a series of stylish shots such as establishing location shots, close-ups, and a lot of group shots to present a world that is this mix between old and new. While the third act is about who is the culprit behind these incidents and why, it is then followed by the three main characters each going into their own individual journey to see what awaits for them in Canterbury as it’s ending plays into what they receive in the end. Overall, Powell and Pressburger create an enchanting yet captivating film about a group of people coming together to discover a world that is different from their environment.

Cinematographer Erwin Hiller does excellent work with the film‘s black-and-white photography from the use of very little lighting schemes to the scenes at night in its exterior settings to the array of shades and such in some of the film‘s interior scenes. Editor and sound supervisor John Seabourne Jr. does wonderful work with the film‘s stylized editing with its use of rhythmic cuts and some stylized transitions in wipes and dissolves while using the sound to maintain a low-key atmosphere in some scenes. Production designer Alfred Junge does nice work with the film‘s set pieces for the scenes in the small town from the inn the characters stay in to the office of Mr. Colpeper. The film’s music by Allan Gray is brilliant for its sweeping orchestral score to play out some of the bombast of the journey as well as more serene moments for its drama.

The film’s cast is amazing as it features some noteworthy small roles from Leonard Smith, James Tamsitt, and David Todd as a trio of boys who pretend to be soldiers as they befriend Gibbs and Johnson while Esmond Knight is excellent in a trio of roles such as the film’s narrator in the opening sequence, a village idiot, and as a soldier Johnson befriends during a town meeting. Eric Portman is wonderful as the mysterious Thomas Colpeper as a man who is revered by the locals while being gracious towards the visitors despite being ambiguous about where he goes.

John Sweet is terrific as the American Sergeant Bob Johnson as a man who arrives to the small town by accident only to be wowed by its beauty and its people as he deals with not having contact with a lady friend for seven weeks. Dennis Price is superb as Sergeant Peter Gibbs as a man who hasn’t been to the countryside while dealing with his own issues as a man in the army as he craves to go back to his old job. Finally, there’s Sheila Sim as Alison Smith who is a woman helping out locals while trying to uncover the mystery as she is also dealing with her own issues with the war.

A Canterbury Tale is a splendid film from Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. Armed with a great cast and engaging themes about pilgrimage and seeking one’s desire for a life outside of war. It’s a film that is definitely one of Powell and Pressburger’s finer films as well as one that is very accessible in the way it allows characters to find themselves. In the end, A Canterbury Tale is a remarkable film from Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger.

Powell/Pressburger Films: The Spy is Black - (The Lion Has Wings) - Contraband - (An Airman’s Letter to His Mother) - 49th Parallel - One of Our Aircraft is Missing - The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp - (The Volunteer) - I Know Where I’m Going - A Matter of Life and Death - Black Narcissus - The Red Shoes - The Small Black Room - (Gone to Earth) - The Tales of Hoffmann - (Oh… Rosalinda!!!) - (The Battle of the River Plate) - Ill Met by Moonlight - Peeping Tom - (They’re a Weird Mob) - (Age of Consent) - (The Boy Who Turned Yellow)

© thevoid99 2013

One of Our Aircraft is Missing

Written and directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, One of Our Aircraft is Missing is the story about a British bomber crew who try to evade from the Nazis with the help of the Dutch underground. The film is a story of survival as it involves an entire group of men who have to work together and deal with the Nazis during World War II. Starring Godfrey Tearle, Eric Portman, Hugh Williams, Bernard Miles, Hugh Burden, Emrys Jones, Googie Withers, and Pamela Brown. One of Our Aircraft is Missing is a marvelous suspense-war film from Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger.

During this tense period of World War II where Nazi Germany has occupied many countries to maintain their rule, there is always an underground force to resist the powers of the Nazis while helping the Allies in defeating the Germans. The film is about a British bomber crew whose plane has been shot down following a raid in Stuttgart, Germany where the six men land in Nazi-occupied Netherlands. Yet, one of them is separated from the rest of the gang leaving five of them to find shelter in a local village where a schoolteacher named Else Meertens (Pamela Brown) helps them as they’re lead to seek help from the Dutch underground that includes a woman named Jo de Vries (Googie Withers) who organizes their escape. Yet, all six men realize what is at stake as they do whatever to help not just themselves but the Dutch who are dealing with the control of the Nazis.

While it is a film that does support the Allies cause against Nazi Germany and to support the Dutch resistance, it is a film about men trying to survive in war and helping out the Dutch resistance who are helping them get back to Britain. These six men not only count each other for help and support but also are aware that they’re in danger and could lose all hope if they’re captured. While they do struggle with a few language, cultural, and religious barriers with the Dutch, they do accept it as a way to survive while getting a chance to realize the kind of the help they needed. Even as they help expose a Dutch Nazi sympathizer (Robert Helpmann) who is confronted by both these men and his own countrymen as he realizes he’s fucked. Still, Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger slowly take their time with the script to explore the men in their situation as well as what the Dutch have to go through under Nazi occupation.

The film’s direction by Powell and Pressburger is quite simple as it doesn’t play to any kind of conventional tactics as well as the lack of a music score. Instead, they aim for a realism from the use of tight close-ups and claustrophobic framing to capture the atmosphere of what it would be like in a bomber plane. Things do get looser once they’re in the Netherlands though it’s shot in Britain due to the fact that the Netherlands was occupied by the Nazis during the film’s production. Yet, there is an air of suspense that occurs throughout the film as well as bits of humor such as the discovery of the lost sixth member of the crew. The film’s third act which is about the escape that involves these intricate moments of how to escape through the canals and to the sea are very intense as Powell and Pressburger create unique camera angles and framing to play out the sense of danger that is happening. Overall, Powell and Pressburger create a fascinating and intense film about war and the urge to survive.

Cinematographer Ronald Neame does excellent work with the film‘s black-and-white photography to create some amazing lighting schemes in the canal scenes to maintain that air of suspense as well as some light-hearted moments in some of the daytime exterior scenes. Editor David Lean does terrific work with the editing to play out the suspense in a very slow yet meticulous manner to see how things are planned out and what the men do to kill time as well as rhythmic cuts in some of its more eerie moments. Art director David Rawnsley does wonderful work with the set pieces from the look of the Dutch homes and their underground canals. Sound supervisor A.W. Watkins does nice work with the sound to capture the atmosphere of war with air sirens and gunfire.

The film’s cast is brilliant as it features some notable small roles from Robert Helpmann as Dutch Nazi-sympathizer who gets himself in trouble, Hay Petrie as a local Dutch official, and in his film debut, Peter Ustinov as a priest who helps out the British. Pamela Brown and Googie Withers are excellent in their respective roles as Else Meertens and Jo de Vries who help out the British men in their chance to escape. In the roles of the bomber crew, there’s Bernard Miles as front gunner Geoff Hickman and Godrey Terle as the rear gunner Sir George Corbett as they are excellent as is Emrys Jones as the wireless operator Bob Ashley who is a football fanatic. Hugh Williams is wonderful as the observer/navigator Frank Shelley who is also an actor as he observes everything around him. Hugh Burden and Eric Portman are superb in their respective roles as the pilots in John Glyn Haggard and Tom Earnshaw who lead the escape while making sure everything goes well.

One of Our Aircraft is Missing is a remarkable film from Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. While it’s kind of a propaganda-war film for the British and their Allies, it is still a captivating piece for how a group of men struggle to evade the Nazi and help out the Dutch resistance in the fight against Nazi Germany. It’s also a film that doesn’t play to conventions as far as war and suspense films go by allowing the audience to be engrossed in the situation and the people in the story. In the end, One of Our Aircraft is Missing is a superb film from Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger.

Powell/Pressburger Films: The Spy is Black - (The Lion Has Wings) - Contraband - (An Airman’s Letter to His Mother) - 49th Parallel - The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp - (The Volunteer) - A Canterbury Tale - I Know Where I’m Going - A Matter of Life and Death - Black Narcissus - The Red Shoes - The Small Black Room - (Gone to Earth) - The Tales of Hoffmann - (Oh… Rosalinda!!!) - (The Battle of the River Plate) - Ill Met by Moonlight - Peeping Tom - (They’re a Weird Mob) - (Age of Consent) - (The Boy Who Turned Yellow)

© thevoid99 2013

The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp

Written, produced, and directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp is the story of a man who looks back at his life while dwelling on those he met along the way. The film explores a man’s life through three wars as he fights for honor while finding love and friendship that would shape his outlook on war and service. Starring Roger Livesey, Deborah Kerr, and Anton Walbrook. The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp is an extraordinary film from the team of Powell and Pressburger.

It’s the middle of the second World War as a training exercise as a young lieutenant named Spud Wilson (James McKechnie) goes after a female officer to capture aging general named Clive Wynn-Candy (Roger Livesey). During a scuffle, Clive recalls his days as a soldier back in 1902 where he had fought the Boer War. During a leave to Berlin, he meets a woman named Edith (Deborah Kerr) as he takes her to a popular café. At the café, Clive deals with a man named Kaunitz (David Ward) who had been spreading anti-British propaganda leading to a scuffle between the two over Edith. The incident reaches authorities as they decide to settle a matter by having Clive engage into a duel with a German officer named Theodor Kretschmar-Schuldorff (Anton Walbrook).

While the duel left Clive and Theodor with minor wounds, the two become friends as Theodor falls for Edith. With Clive returning to England, he goes into a hunting expedition before joining first World War where he’s a general leading troops to war. With a corporal named Murdoch (John Laurie) as his assistant, Clive learns that the war is over as he believes that the right team won as they defeated the Germans without using unsportsmanlike methods to fight. During a stop at convent, Clive sees a young woman named Barbara (Deborah Kerr) whom he falls for and later marries. After the war, Clive tries to re-establish contact with Theodor although Theodor snubs him at a POW camp after the Armistice. Theodor accepts Clive’s invitation for dinner in England where Clive and British officers try to make Theodor feel easy about what they will do for Germany.

Years pass where Clive is forced to retire in 1935 while Theodor seeks refuge to England four years later following the start of World War II. Clive helps out Theodor as the two old friends reunite where Clive introduces Theodor to his driver Angela (Deborah Kerr) who bears a resemblance to both Edith and Barbara. While Clive was able to get back to active service, a chance for him to speak about his own methods of war to the BBC was cancelled as he learns that he’s forced to retire again. With the suggestions of Theodor, Murdoch, and Angela, Clive heads the Home Guard department in his hopes to restore honor in the rules of engagement.

The film is a look into a man’s life in service as his ideas about honors of war are tested by three different wars in the span of 40 years. Yet, it’s also a film where the ideas of war change through different times and methods as this one man is being challenged by everything around him. During this long journey, he would meet a German officer whom he would become his friend despite being opposing sides. He would also meet three different women in different times as they each bear similar resemblances to each other. Through these people and wars that he would encounter, he still wants to maintain some honor in the belief that war can be won in gentlemanly ways. Still, he would have to ponder about whether he still matters to the world of military service that he’s been devoted to.

The screenplay by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger is a wonderful study of character as well as the fallacy of war from the perspective of officers in opposing side. While both Clive and Theodor each have different ideas of war, both would face some form of disillusionment. The latter of which becomes lost following the arrival of Nazism as he seeks to find refuge in one of the most devastating monologues ever given. While the film is mostly dramatic, there is a lot of humor in the dialogue about military service and social things as the screenplay is truly witty with an air of satire and fantastic dialogue.

The direction of Powell and Pressburger is truly mesmerizing in the way they present the film as more than just a man’s journey through 4 decades and three different wars. Featuring montages told through newspaper articles and the game that Clive Wynn-Candy has killed when he’s not in war. The film doesn’t make itself into something that could’ve been far more sprawling despite its 163-minute running time. Instead, Powell and Pressburger chooses a more intimate approach to the story while opening the film right near the end as it focuses on a training exercise to capture an aging Clive.

In one take where the old Clive is battling a young officer in a pool, the camera moves onto that pool where a young Clive steps out. There’s a truly magical element to what Powell and Pressburger did while they create amazing compositions that are truly hypnotic to look at. Notably the scene where Clive and Theodor first meet at a duel where the camera remains still into the preparation and then cuts into a shot from above as the two men square off for a brief moment. The approach to framing and the way they allow the camera move gives the film a very entrancing tone to it while knowing when to use humor in a light-hearted manner as well as the dramatic moments without being over the top. Overall, the duo of Powell and Pressburger create a truly outstanding film about a man’s life of military service.

The cinematography of Georges Perinal is phenomenal for the Technicolor look of the film from the gorgeous yet lush colors of many of the film‘s interiors and exterior settings. Particularly in some dramatic moments where the colors play up to the emotion of the film as it is truly some amazing work in the Technicolor film stock that was used in the 1940s. Editor John Seabourne Sr. does an excellent job with the editing in giving the film a methodical pace to play up with its humor and drama as well as utilizing fade-outs for its transitions and rhythmic cuts for the montages in the film.

Production designer Alfred Junge does an extraordinary job with the set pieces created from the Berlin café to the posh home of Clive that he lives in the later years of his life which exemplify the different periods in the film. Costume designer Joseph Bato does a superb job with the costumes from the frilly dresses wore in the 1900s to the evolution of the British uniforms which adds to the film‘s Technicolor look. The sound work of C.C. Stevens and Desmond Dew is brilliant for the way it captures the intimacy of the duel scene as well as raucous world of the Berlin café. The music score by Allan Gray is a true delight for its sweeping yet upbeat orchestral pieces along with more somber, swelling arrangements that play up to the drama as well as adaptations of the music of the early 1900s and military music pieces.

The film’s ensemble cast is truly terrific as it features appearances from Roland Culver as Clive’s Boer War superior Colonel Betteridge, David Hutcheson as Clive’s friend Hoppy, David Ward as the British-insulting German Kaunitz, Jane McMillican as Nurse Erna, Muriel Aked as Clive’s aunt Margaret, John Laurie as Clive’s very loyal assistant Murdoch, and James McKechnie as the youthful yet energetic lieutenant Spud Wilson who tries to capture the aging Clive for a training exercise.

Deborah Kerr gives a truly spectacular performance in three different roles of women who would shape the life of Clive Wynn-Candy. For the role of Edith, Kerr sports a very stylized yet prim approach to an English teacher that becomes Clive’s companion only to fall for Theodor. In Barbara, there is a more low-key innocence to the role as she becomes a woman who stands by Clive. In the role of Angela aka Johnny, Kerr brings an enthusiastic energy as a young officer who helps out Clive while being a friend for the aging Theodor as it’s definitely one of Kerr’s great performances.

Anton Walbrook is fantastic as the German officer Theodor Kretschmar-Schuldorff who would become Clive’s best friend despite not seeing him very much. Walbrook brings charm to a man that shares Clive’s feelings about honor in combat only to become more disillusioned in the changing times as Walbrook has this very heartbreaking scene describing loss. Finally, there’s Roger Livesey as Clive Wynn-Candy as Livesey gives a marvelous performance as a man that reflects on the journey of his life. While having to put on all sorts of makeup and such to portray a man in the span of 4 different decades, Livesey lives up to the challenge by showing a man with great enthusiasm only to struggle with his usefulness as it’s definitely Livesey at his best.

The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp is a sensational yet enchanting film from Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. Featuring a remarkable cast led by Roger Livesey, Anton Walbrook, and Deborah Kerr plus the dazzling Technicolor cinematography of Georges Perinal. It is definitely one of the best studies of war and service ever told. Notably from the duo of Powell and Pressburger as the film stands as one of their great achievements. In the end, The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp is a captivating yet exotic film from the duo of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger.

Powell-Pressburger Films: The Spy in Black - (The Lion Has Wings) - Contraband - (An Airman’s Letter to His Mother) - 49th Parallel - One of Our Aircraft is Missing - (The Volunteer) - A Canterbury Tale - I Know Where I’m Going! - A Matter of Life and Death - Black Narcissus - The Red Shoes - The Small Back Room - (Gone to Earth) - The Tale of Hoffmann - (Oh… Rosalinda!!!) - (The Battle of the River Plate) - Ill Met by Moonlight - Peeping Tom - (They’re a Weird Mob) - (Age of Consent) - (The Boy Who Turned Yellow)

© thevoid99 2012