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

Peeping Tom

Directed by Michael Powell and written by Leo Marks, Peeping Tom is the story of a man who kills women through a camera to capture their expression of terror. The film is a suspense thriller that explores the world of voyeurism and obsession through the mind of a man carrying a film camera. Starring Carl Boehm, Moira Shearer, Anna Massey, Maxine Audley, Pamela Green, and Esmond Knight. Peeping Tom is a provocative yet unsettling film from Michael Powell.

The film explores the life of a troubled young man who stalks women and kills them for his own viewing pleasure as he befriends a young woman who lives in his house with her mother. It’s a film that follows the life of this young man who was the son of a renowned yet cruel psychiatrist who made his son his own lab rat to study the concept of fear. All of those experiments has seeped into the mind of Mark Lewis (Carl Boehm) who lives in his family home all by himself while renting rooms to people as he spends most of his time working as a focus puller for a filmmaker and doing photography for nudie magazines. Upon meeting his tenant Helen (Anna Massey) on her 21st birthday, he is reluctant to have a friendship with her as he is still eager to kill women and film their deaths as an investigation occurs.

Leo Marks’ screenplay is full of complexities as well as some unique character study into who Mark Lewis is as this young man that wants to become a filmmaker but is troubled by his past as he is also sexually repressed. His fascinating with women and their sex appeal has him wanting them but his own sexual repression leads to having them killed and film it as if he is capturing the same fear that his father had inflicted. Upon meeting Helen, he is charmed by her upbeat nature but is also unsure if he wants to have a relationship as Helen’s blind mother (Maxine Audley) is suspicious about Mark. Once the murders start to become more public knowledge, a chief inspector (Jack Watson) ponders what is going on as he has suspicions about Lewis. All of points to many intricacies over Lewis’ own state of mind as Helen wonders why he is so secretive about his life as she tries to get him to be more outgoing.

Michael Powell’s direction is very interesting in the way he opens the film where it’s shot from Lewis’ point of view as he is holding his camera to stalk his victim. The way the camera zooms slowly into a close-up to showcase the kill is very unique where Powell never shows a character be killed but rather the aftermath where the body is as it leads to the sense of mystery for an inspector to try and figure out. Much of Powell’s direction is quite simple with its close-ups and medium shots as well as explore some of the things that goes in filmmaking as Lewis is working for a director who is trying to make a very mediocre comedy. There’s some humor in the way Powell creates the idea of a comedy as it is the absolute opposite of the film that Lewis is creating which is full of terror but also has the feel of something that is very personal.

Powell’s direction also has this sense of danger in the way he would create these suspenseful moments where Lewis would kill someone. It’s clear that Powell wants the audience to know what is going to happen but it’s the way he sets it up and maintaining that sense of unpredictability that is really intriguing to watch. Most notably a scene where Lewis meets with Helen’s mother who is very suspicious about his activities where it is clear that she knows how troubled Lewis is and who his father is. It adds an ambiguity into whether Lewis could find redemption or fall into his own troubled mind. Overall, Powell creates a very harrowing yet mesmerizing film about a serial killer whose obsession with capturing fear forces him to face his own fears.

Cinematographer Otto Heller does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography as it is full of color and some unique lighting schemes to play into some of the film‘s nighttime interior/exterior scenes to create some moods in the suspenseful moments of the film. Editor Noreen Ackland does superb work with the editing as it features some unique dissolves as well as some rhythmic cuts to play into its suspense and terror. Art director Arthur Lawson does brilliant work with the set design as it features the look of the film sets as well as the rooms that Lewis lives in.

The dresses that Helen wears are made by Polly Peck to showcase her good-natured persona while John Tullis designs the clothes that the stand-in Vivian wears to play into more her extroverted personality. Sound editor Malcolm Cooke does fantastic work with the sound to create some tension and terror in some of the film‘s suspenseful moments as it is a major highlight of the film. The film’s music by Brian Easdale is amazing as it features this very eerie and often dissonant piano score to play into its dark tone while there’s jazz pieces in the film that adds an offbeat element to the film’s music as it’s another of the film’s highlights.

The film’s marvelous cast features some notable small roles from Michael Powell through film footage as Lewis’ father, Powell’s son Columba as the young Lewis, Martin Miller as a psychologist hired by the police, John Barrard as Lewis’ boss at the newsstand, Shirley Anne Field as the starring actress in the film Lewis is working on, and Miles Malleson as an elderly man at the newsstand who is trying to hide what he’s buying. Other notable small roles include Esmond Knight in a terrific role as a film director trying to create a comedy, Jack Watson as a chief inspector trying to solve the case as he suspects Lewis, and Pamela Green is superb as a model who often poses in the nudie magazines that Lewis works for. Moira Shearer is fantastic as the stand-in Vivian who is eager to become a major actress as she asks Lewis for help.

Maxine Audley is amazing as Helen’s blind mother as a woman who can observe a person by the way he walks and such as she is suspicious about Lewis as she becomes concerned for her daughter’s well-being as well as realizing Lewis’ own sense of repression and troubled state of mind. Anna Massey is excellent as Helen as a young woman who is intrigued by Lewis as she befriends him as well as try to understand as she is a representation of innocence that entrances Lewis but also scares him. Finally, there’s Carl Boehm in a remarkable performance as Mark Lewis as a troubled aspiring filmmaker who is obsessed with capturing fear through film as he falls for his new tenant as he struggles with who he is and hiding his secrets.

Peeping Tom is a phenomenal film from Michael Powell. Armed with a great cast as well as chilling score, the film is definitely one of the most overlooked suspense films of the 1960s as well as a film that never got its due in its original release. Especially as it still has this sense of shock as well as being very dangerous which makes the film very timeless. In the end, Peeping Tom is an outstanding film from Michael Powell.

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! - 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 - (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

The Element of Crime

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 9/14/04 w/ Additional Edits & Additional Content.

Born in Copenhagen, Denmark in 1956, Lars Trier was a child actor to Communist parents before going to film schools and workshop where he earned his craft as a filmmaker and added "von" to his namesake. Amidst the time of Scandinavian cinema, the industry there was in decline and with old filmmakers of the past already being respected, they had nothing to prove. For von Trier, he saw this and everything as a decline of European civilization and ethics so the pretentious young director crafted a trilogy chronicling Europe's disintegration set in post-modern eras. He began the trilogy with his first film entitled Forbrydelsens Element (The Element of Crime).

Written with Tom Elling and Tomas Gislason based on Niels Vorsel's story with additional English dialogue, Forbrydelsens Element is stylish, film-noir crime thriller set in post-modern, water-logged Europe as a detective returns to Europe after 13 years to investigate a murder that is occurring concerning Lotto tickets. With help from an old advisor, the detective must contend with a killer who could be dead along with a gun-toting police chief, a Cairo therapist in his head, and an Asian hooker. Many years before the imperfect, stripped-down visual styles of movies like Breaking the Waves, Dogville, and Dancer in the Dark, Forbrydelsens Element doesn't seem like a movie that would be shot by von Trier. Yet the film's tone, camera aesthetics, and bizarre storylines are purely von Trier working with style. Though not up to par with his latter-day, groundbreaking films, Forbrydelsens Element is a hell of a debut feature from von Trier.

A European detective named Fisher (Michael Elphick) has returned to Cairo from Europe two months ago where he meets a therapist (Ahmed El Shenawi). The therapist asks Fisher to go back to two months ago to his story where Fisher tells a story about his return to Europe after being in Cairo for 13 years. Fisher has been asked by Osborne (Esmond Knight), his old advisor, to investigate a series of murders involving little girls with lotto tickets that has been tagged the Lotto Murders. Fisher sees Europe has become a place filled with water where there had been strange rituals of men jumping off construction towers from a rope. Upon his arrival, Fisher meets with his old police friend Kramer (Jerold Wells), who is now the chief of police. After meeting a little girl who Kramer tried to shoot, Fisher decides to stay at the town to investigate the murder.

After another meeting with Osborne, whose state of mind has become erratic, Fisher decides to use Osborne's Element of Crime book to guide him in the investigation as he notices the murders were done in four different towns like a square. After learning from Osborne that a man named Harry Grey, who is presumed dead, did the murders. Going through the first town of the murders, Fisher takes in Grey's name where he goes into a brothel and meets with a prostitute named Kim (Me Me Lai). Kim knew about Grey since she had met him before and thinks Fisher is Grey. After going through hotels and several towns, Kim joins Fisher in the investigation. Fisher learns more of the type of killings Grey has done and his victims while he would often have sex with Kim, just to have time to think.

After searching the four places where the bodies were found, he learned of a fifth location and learned that there were seven instead of four. The seventh murder was yet to take place. Fisher turns to Kramer for help to find the sixth body. Suddenly, Fisher's mind unravels more and more as he starts to enter into Grey's mind. Learning the murder is shaped in the letter H, Fisher goes to the final place for the coming murder where he meets the Schmuck of Ages (Lars von Trier) and learns more about Kim's connection to Grey. Finally, Fisher gets ready for Grey's appearance only to descend into madness and learning the truth about the murders while the therapists he talks to wonders if Fisher's mind was in Cairo or still in Europe.

While Forbrydelsens Element doesn't have the imperfect tone of his latter-day films, the movie does have a nice, stylish noir-tone many thanks to von Trier's bleak, post-modern vision. While the film's only flaw, aside from its lack of originality in comparison to previous noir-films, is that the film moves a bit slower due to its stylized dialogue and premise. Still, the film succeeds in giving the film noir genre a new, European tone with von Trier’s wondrous camera shots with his crane shots, slow-mo sequences, and hand-held movements.

The film's script is also very strange with its post-modern bleak outlook and its European surroundings where everything begins to fall apart. Even the film's twists and surprises become shocking due to the behaviors of its characters. While von Trier's script with his collaborators including Mogens Rukov (a collaborator and specialist in the Dogme 95 movement), it's von Trier the director that is really entrancing to watch. Especially with how he views things including violence, morals, rituals, and sex where there is an oral sex scene in the film though we don't actually see it, fully.

Helping von Trier with his maddening vision is cinematographer Tom Elling, who helps bring a septa-looking, orange-colored photography with very brief hints of blue. Elling's cinematography really helps give the film that post-modern look that is part sci-fi, part crime thriller. With production designer Peter Hoimark help bringing a chaotic, broken look to post-modern Europe, the film does have a strange, sci-fi look, especially since it's set in a world surrounded by water. The water photography is very eerie with its orange-colored look that is captured wonderfully in the stylized editing by Tomas Gislason. Helping with that film's strange tone is a score by Bo Holten who brings that sense of post-noir orchestral score and ominous string arrangements while the music sounds like it's made by electronics when really, it's from an orchestra.

The film's cast is wonderful with von Trier and Rukov; both bringing in wonderful cameos with their dubbed voices while Janos Hersko is hilarious as a quirky, offbeat coroner in the autopsy scene. Ahmed El Shenawi is excellent as the therapist though he carries a strange, narrative presence to the film that is very brooding when he's speaking with Fisher. Astrid Henning-Jensen is wonderful in her small performance as Osborne's maid while Me Me Lai is gorgeous and cunning her in role as Kim, who might not be innocent as she seems. British actor and former Benny Hill regular Jerold Wells gives a sadistic crazed performance as Kramer with his hard-nosed ethics and radical ideas that makes him likely to be a suspect.

Esmond Knight is wonderful as Osborne, with his wise but erratic role where Knight brings a complex, strange performance as a man who could be losing it and has descended into madness. The film's best performance goes to the late Michael Elphick in his role as Fisher. Elphick brings a troubling, scary performance as a detective that nearly loses his mind while in the end, we don't know how far he's gone as Elphick displays a determination and deceit in a detective role that is more complex than in previous roles of the genre.

***Additional DVD Content Written on 10/1/11***

The 2000 Region 1 DVD from the Criterion Collection presents the film in its original 1:85:1 theatrical aspect ratio that is enhanced for 16x9 televisions under a new digital transfer that was supervised by Lars von Trier plus Dolby Digital Mono. Featuring optional English subtitles for the hearing impaired as well as a trailer for the film that could be considered to be a red-band trailer.

The only special feature in the DVD is a Stig Bjorkman's 52-minute documentary Tranceformer: A Portrait of Lars von Trier. The film is an exploration of von Trier's career from his early years to the release of Breaking the Waves while working on the second part of his horror miniseries The Kingdom. The film reveals von Trier's own phobias along with some old TV footage of von Trier as a child actor for Scandinavian television. Bjorkman's documentary features some humorous moments as well as some amazing shots that revels into von Trier's life along with making-of footage for Breaking the Waves including interviews with longtime collaborator Morten Arnfred, producer Peter Aalbaek Jensen, and actors such as Katrin Cartlidge, Jean-Marc Barr, and Ernst-Hugo Jaregard. It's a great documentary that is a must-see for von Trier fans.

The DVD also includes a booklet that features an essay from Peter Cowie. Cowie's essay explains the film's importance to the history of Scandinavian cinema and how it would mark the arrival of von Trier into the film world. It's a short but fascinating essay that discusses the film and why it remains a debut that haunts people since its release.

***End of DVD Content***

Forbrydelsens Element is a wonderful, stylish film debut from Lars von Trier that really puts another strange spin on the genre of film noir and sci-fi. While it doesn't have the more honest, aesthetic approach of movies like Breaking the Waves or The Kingdom TV miniseries. Forbrydelsens Element does echo a lot of those things to come from the Danish enfant terrible. Fans who loved Breaking the Waves, The Kingdom, and Dogville will surely find something different from von Trier where this film would win a technical prize at the Cannes Film Festival.

Since this film is part of von Trier's European trilogy that would follow with 1987's Epidemic and 1991's Europa, seeing this film will show why later on, von Trier would rebel against that style. While Forbrydelsens is more clever than the post-modern noir films that would later come out, we can see that von Trier would stray far away from it when that genre became to stale. In the end, Forbrydelsens Element is a strange, complex film from international cinema's resident bad boy, who as just getting started.

Lars von Trier Reviews: Epidemic - Medea - Europa - The Kingdom I - Breaking the Waves - The Kingdom II - Dogme #2-Idioterne - Dancer in the Dark - The Five Obstructions - Dogville - Manderlay - The Boss of It All - Antichrist - Dimension (2010 short) - Melancholia - Nymphomaniac - The House That Jack Built - The Kingdom: Exodus - (Etudes)

Related: The Auteurs #7: Lars von Trier

© thevoid99 2011

The River (1951 film)

Based on the novel by Rumer Godden, The River is the story of three teenage girls from three different families whose lives are changed by the arrival of an American soldier as they fall for him. Directed by Jean Renoir and scripted by Renoir and Godden, the film is an exploration of three young girls growing up in the Ganges River in India as they deal with themselves and the man they fall for. Starring Nora Swinburne, Esmond Knight, Arthur Shields, Patricia Walters, Adrienne Corri, Radha Burnier, and Suprova Mukerjee. The River is a touching coming of-age film from Jean Renoir.

Harriet (Patricia Walters) is a young teenage girl living with her family near the Ganges River in India as her father (Esmond Knight) runs a jute mill nearby. Living with her mother (Nora Swinburne), a nanny (Suprova Mukerjee), four younger sisters, and a younger brother named Bogey (Richard Foster), Harriet also has a friend in Valerie (Adrienne Corri) whom she often spends her time with. The girls also have another friend in the half-British/half-Indian Melanie (Radha Burnier) who just returned from school as she is set to marry a fellow Indian named Ram (Singh Sajjan Singh). When Melanie’s father (Arthur Shields) reveals that an American cousin of his is coming to visit, Harriet and Valerie are excited as they meet Captain John (Thomas E. Breen).

Captain John, a wounded American soldier with a prosthetic left leg, is invited to a party at the home of Harriet’s father as Valerie flirts with him leaving Harriet and the more reserved Melanie to look on. Yet, Harriet tries to win over though he treats her like a child as he is interested in the quieter Melanie while putting his attention towards Valerie. When Harriet reads him stories from her secret book, he is intrigued though Harriet finds herself competing with Valerie for Captain John’s affections. Captain John though, tries to deal with his own haunted memories of war as he tries to get into conversations with Melanie. When a family tragedy occurs, things become complicated as everyone comes to term with the events that has happened in these past months.

The film is a coming-of-age tale that’s told from the perspective of one of the girls who reflects on her life when she was a teenager that is voiced by June Hillman. Throughout her narration, she describes the landscapes as well as the people and the holidays that happen. The narration also describes what this character is thinking about when it involves a few characters as she dwells on how things could’ve been done differently. Jean Renoir and novelist Rumer Godden create a story where it is about a teenage girl who is younger than her friends as she struggles with growing pains. At the same time, she has to compete with two other girls who are more experienced and have much more to offer to this soldier. The script is a great study of a girl coming of age while dealing with her surroundings and the large family she lives in.

The direction of Jean Renoir is sumptuous for the way he films India with wonderful wide shots and the intimacy he creates in character-driven scenes. Notably the party scenes as he always have the camera to see what is going on and knowing where to position it to see people dancing. He also knows how to get the actors to move at the same time in terms of creating a natural reaction to situations such as two or three of the girls waiting for news as they all stand up from stairs at the same time. For other compositions such as Captain John going after one girl, Renoir uses the frame to have the characters be positioned in different places so they can all be in the frame.

For a lot of the scenes involving the people and the location they’re in, Renoir goes for a documentary approach for the audience to see the world of Indians in the Ganges River. Notably by using the camera to get wide shots of this world that seems very foreign to a lot of people at the time in 1950s. There is a richness to the way Renoir shot those scenes as well as playing to its spirituality that includes scenes that is told by Harriet from her book. One of which involves the Hare Krishna and his bride where Renoir keeps his camera focused on the bride’s dance without cutting relentlessly and make it engaging. The overall work that Renoir did is phenomenal as he creates a film that is hypnotic but also universal in its theme of growing up.

Cinematographer Claude Renoir does a gorgeous job with the film‘s lush yet colorful cinematography. Shot in a Technicolor print, the look of the film has this great detail to the coloring from the skies to the look of the trees. The photography also has this wonderful approach to lighting for many of the interiors to play up the intimacy and mood that is present during the scenes in the film. Editor George Gale does an excellent job with the editing in maintaining a straightforward approach to the cutting while using transitional fade-outs to move the film going at a leisured pace.

Production designer Eugene Lourie and art director Bansi Chandragupta do a great job with the art direction for the film that includes the home of Harriet and her family and the home of Melanie and her father which are very colorful to mix the idea of Indian and English culture. The film’s score by M.A. Partha Sarathy is superb for its mix of soothing orchestral music and traditional Indian music filled with sitars and percussions. The latter of which plays to some of the film’s mythology in the stories that Harriet tells including some of scenes involving the locals in the film.

The casting is extraordinary as it includes appearances from Cecelia Wood, Jane and Jennifer Harris, and Penelope Wilkinson as Harriet’s younger sisters, Nimai Barik as Bogey’s friend Kamu, Singh Sajjan Singh as Melanie’s fiancé Ram, and Richard Forster as Harriet’s animal-loving brother Bogey. Nora Swinburne is very good as Harriet’s caring mother while Suprova Mukerjee is excellent as the warm yet fun nanny. Arthur Shields is also good as Melanie’s kind-hearted father while Esmond Knight is wonderful as Harriet’s father who helps her deal with her growing pains. Thomas E. Breen gives a fine performance as the charming though troubled Captain John who tries to deal with three girls as well as his own sense of alienation over his days as a soldier.

Radha Burnier is radiant in a quiet yet reserved performance as Melanie, the oldest of the three girls who deals with Captain John’s presence as well as the way the other girls are trying to vie for his affections. Adrienne Corri is brilliant as Valerie, the more cultured girl who likes to ride a horse as she does everything she can to win Captain John’s heart while being flirtatious and petty at times. Finally, there’s Patricia Walters in a fantastic performance as Harriet by making her lively and dramatic to exemplify the growing pains she’s going through in this amazing performance.

The River is a rich yet magnificent film from Jean Renoir. Featuring a superb cast, intoxicating locations that is captured by Claude Renoir’s cinematography, and a vibrant music soundtrack. It’s a film that plays true to the world of growing up in a place as exotic as India as three girls deal with the growing pains they face throughout the film. In the end, The River is a superb yet mesmerizing film from Jean Renoir.

Jean Renoir Films: (Backbiters) - (La Fille de l’eau) - (Charleston Parade) - (Une vie sans joie) - (Marquitta) - (The Sad Sack) - (The Tournament) - (The Little Match Girl) - (Le Bled) - (On purge bebe) - (Isn’t Life a Bitch?) - (Night at the Crossroads) - Boudu Saved from Drowning - (Chotard & Company) - (Madame Bovary (1933 film)) - (Toni) - A Day in the Country - (Life Belongs to Us) - (The Lower Depths (1936 film)) - (The Crime of Monsieur Lange) - Grand Illusion - (La Marseillaise) - La Bete Humaine - Rules of the Game - (Swamp Water) - (This Land is Mine) - (Salute to France) - (The Southerner) - (The Diary of a Chambermaid (1945 film)) - (The Woman on the Beach) - (The Golden Coach) - (French Cancan) - (Elena and Her Men) - (The Doctor’s Horrible Experiment) - (Picnic on the Grass) - (The Elusive Corporal) - (The Little Theater of Jean Renoir)

© thevoid99 2011

Black Narcissus

Based on Rumer Godden’s book, Black Narcissus is the story about a convent of nuns who are haunted by their surroundings as they’re isolated inside the Himalayan valley. Even as tensions begin to mount with the nuns as they deal with the strange surroundings of the world they‘re in. Written for the screen, produced, and directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, the film is considered to be one of their great collaborations of their celebrated career. Starring Deborah Kerr, Sabu, Jean Simmons, David Farrar, Flora Robson, Kathleen Byron, and Esmond Knight. Black Narcissus is a captivating yet extraordinary drama from the team of Powell-Pressburger.

Sister Clodagh (Deborah Kerr) is a teacher at a convent in Calcutta as she’s called by her Mother Dorothea (Nancy Roberts) to head up a new school/hospital at an old palace in the Himalayas near Darjeeling. Clodagh accepts the job though she receives a letter from a British agent named Mr. Dean (David Farrar) who warns her about the land. Clodagh along with a small group of nuns make their way to the palace where they meet a woman (May Hallatt) who lives at the place along with the old General (Esmond Knight) who hopes for good things to come from the nuns. Yet, the nuns deal with winds and other things making it uneasy as Clodagh meets Mr. Dean where the two dislike each other.

With Clodagh and her fellow nuns trying to get the place working and available for the small children with help from an English-speaking boy named Joseph (Eddie Whaley Jr.). Two different visitors come to the place for different reasons in a mysterious dancing girl named Kanchi (Jean Simmons) and the General’s young nephew named the Young General (Sabu) who seeks an education from the nuns. Things go well for a while though the tension between Clodagh and Dean still rages on during a Christmas service where Dean is drunk but manages to charm the troubled Sister Ruth (Kathleen Byron) from afar. Things start to get tense when the elder Sister Philippa (Flora Robson) feels ill while a tragic incident leaves the loving Sister Honey (Jenny Laird) consumed with guilt.

After talking to Dean about what happened along with Kanchi’s infatuation with Young General, Dean is aware that a lot is going on as he reveals that everyone should calm down and wait a few days. Clodagh realizes that Dean’s warnings were right as Sister Philippa wants to be transferred and Sister Ruth becoming more erratic. With only the tough Sister Briony (Judith Furse) being able to help out, Clodagh realizes something isn’t right as she deals with Ruth who has become more unstable in her love for Dean.

The film is a very provocative piece about a woman who is asked to head up and start a convent in the middle of the Himalayan mountains. For this woman who is now supposed to be the head of this convent, she has no idea what’s in store for her as she is warned by a British agent about the abandoned palace and landscape that a previous group of missionaries tried to inhabit. She still forges ahead where the place she encounters is very mysterious as she and her nuns all have good intentions and were very nice to the locals around them including the children. Yet, it becomes a world that is very strange in its beauty where some of the nuns become transfixed by their surroundings.

The screenplay that Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger create is fascinating for its motivations and character study as Sister Clodagh is a woman who is trying to do good as part of her service to God. While Dean is aware of what she’s trying to do, he knows that failure is to be expected despite Clodagh’s determination. Throughout the film, Clodagh would look back into her old life when she lived in Ireland was in love with a man (Shaun Noble). These flashbacks provided an idea of why she became a nun as she struggles to maintain her role while things around start to fall apart.

With characters such as Sister Briony, Sister Philippa, and Sister Honey each providing some support and moments that help Clodagh with her own conflict. It is the Sister Ruth character that is one of the most interesting as she becomes a wild-card throughout the film. Early in the film when Clodagh talks to her superior, the superior suggests Ruth to be part of the team as a way for her to be active. Ruth starts off fine despite feeling ill but as the film progresses, she becomes more unstable in her love for Dean. While the tension between Dean and Clodagh is more about morality and motivations, there is a bit of sexual tension in a subtle manner as both know they can’t be together. Yet, it would provide Ruth to push buttons both sexually and morally leading to a clash between her and Clodagh.

The direction of Powell and Pressburger is truly magnificent not just in scope but also in setting a mood for the film. While it’s shot mostly inside a studio with some shots at a garden in England, there is something magical to the way Powell and Pressburger create something is a world that looks very different and big in the way they frame the film. Particularly this amazing overhead shot of the cliffs during the morning when a nun rings the bell. They also create something where the world the nuns live in is very unique where things seem calm but also unsettling. Notably a scene where Clodagh watches Joseph teaches words to other kids at the garden but Clodagh is filled with unease by what Joseph is saying because of what’s in the garden.

The sense of tension and melodrama do create something that is very heightened in its stylization that is played up by the fact that a couple of British actors play Indians in the film. While it might create some unease of having white British actors play Indians, it’s only because it’s part of this world that is a bit artificial and not a lot of things are real in the world that Powell and Pressburger create. What is real is the tension and the way they push buttons including a scene late in the film involving Ruth and Clodagh. It is there that sexual taboos are pushed but only in a subtle manner with Clodagh trying to remain in control as Ruth pushes her with just this simple thing as an act of defiance. The overall direction of Powell and Pressburger is sensational and mesmerizing as they create what is truly one of their great films.

Cinematographer Jack Cardiff does a spectacular job with the film‘s rich yet colorful cinematography made by Technicolor at the time it was made. Cardiff’s work is magical from the look that he creates for the Himalayan world with its bright green grass and plants to the heightened look of the skies. Cardiff also creates some amazing lighting schemes such as the shading and sunset lights to help set the dark mood including some amazing yet intimate scenes with very little light. Cardiff’s work is definitely the film’s true technical highlight from late, great cinematographer in the second of his three collaborations with Powell and Pressburger.

Editor Reginald Mills does an excellent job with the film’s editing as he creates a wonderful degree of style to help the film move at a nice, leisured pace. Mills also creates some amazing transitions in the use of dissolves, fade-outs, and straight cuts to help maintain the heightened tone of the film. Notably in the flashbacks and more dramatic scenes as Mills’ work is truly dazzling.

Production designer Alfred Junge does a fantastic job with the art direction in creating wonderful backdrops for the decayed palace while the look inside the palace such as the hall is beautiful. Other set pieces such as the chapel is truly amazing as the art direction is another of the film’s highlights. Costume designer Hein Heckroth does a stellar job with the costumes from the look of the nun‘s clothing to the regal yet posh look of the General and the Young General. The sound work of Stanley Lambourne does some fine work with the sound from the group of people around the palace to the intimacy in some of the rooms in the palace

The film’s score by Brian Easdale is another of the film’s highlight as Easdale’s soaring score is filled with wonderful orchestral flourishes mixed in with Indian percussions. Notable pieces include the piece that Kanchi dances to that adds a bit of subtle eroticism that isn’t overt but enough to make it very lively. Easdale also creates some somber themes for the dramatic moments along with intense orchestral bombast in some of the film’s heightened moments. It’s among one of Easdale’s great scores of his career as well in his collaboration with Powell and Pressburger.

The casting by Adele Raymond is phenomenal as it features some notable small performances from Nancy Roberts as Clodagh’s superior, Shaun Noble as Clodagh’s former lover in the flashback scenes, and Eddie Whaley Jr. as the helpful boy Joseph. In the roles of the nuns, Judith Furse and Jenny Laird are excellent in their respective roles as the tough medical specialist Sister Briony and the chatty yet caring Sister Honey. Flora Robson is wonderful as Sister Philippa, an elderly gardener whose health and state of mind leaves her confused about her current place with the world. In a mostly silent performance, Jean Simmons is very good as the exotic Kanchi where Simmons plays a young woman falling for the Young General while using dance as her emotional outlet.

Esmond Knight is also good in a small role as the charismatic General who lets the nuns take the old palace and make into a convent. Sabu is superb as the General’s nephew who wants an education while dealing with the presence of Kanchi that comes to conflict with who he is. David Farrar is great as Mr. Dean, a charming man who tries to help out the nuns as he tries to deal with Sister Clodagh in a truly exhilarating performance. The film’s best supporting performance definitely goes to Kathleen Byron as the unstable Sister Ruth. Byron starts off very quiet as a woman in need to be of importance as she tries to do her duties only to fall for Mr. Dean as she starts to defy Clodagh in a fiery yet towering performance.

Finally, there’s Deborah Kerr in a very radiant performance as Sister Clodagh. Kerr brings a wonderful sense of restraint of a woman that is devoted to duty only to be torn by her own memories of her old life as well as her devotion to God. It is truly an enchanting yet complex performance from Kerr who brings a sense of quiet torment to a woman wanting to do what is right while dealing with the harshness of a world she doesn’t know. It is truly a spellbinding performance from Deborah Kerr who is one of the great actresses of the 20th Century.

***Written from 4/29/16-5/4/16***

The 2010 Region 1/Region A DVD/Blu-Ray release from the Criterion Collection presents the film in a new digital transfer under the supervision of cinematographer Jack Cardiff and Michael Powell’s widow in film editor Thelma Schoonmaker in its original 1:33:1 full-frame aspect ratio with a remastered mono soundtrack that is uncompressed for its Blu-Ray release. The film’s extras would feature an eight-minute and forty-three second introduction by filmmaker Bertrand Tavernier about the film as it’s an audio track recorded in 2006 against images and production stills of the film where Tavernier would discuss where Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger were at the time when production for the film was made as well as discussion on its cast, crew, and many aspects of the film that would make it famous.

The audio commentary track by Michael Powell and filmmaker Martin Scorsese recorded in 1988 has the two, via separate commentaries, talk about the film and many of its attributes. With Powell reflecting on the production and the fact that the film was shot largely on location at Pinewood Studios in London. Scorsese is more technical in his commentary while talking about the many times he saw it including a screening in 1983 which he states that the film should be seen in the theaters. The two also talk about moments in the film as well as the performances where Powell also talks about some of the casting decisions in the film as well as his fondness for some of the actors in the film as the commentary is just delightful to listen to.

The 17-and-a-half minute featurette entitled The Audacious Adventurer is a 2005 video interview with filmmaker Bertrand Tavernier about the film and its co-director Michael Powell. Tavernier talks about a lot about his friendship with Powell as well as conversations he had with him the past along with the events that led to the film. Tavernier talks about how Powell got the book during a time of war as he was later reminded by Pressburger about the book at a time when British audiences were tired of seeing war movies as the film marked a change of pace for the two. Tavernier also talked about the casting as Powell, who was in a relationship with Deborah Kerr, wasn’t sure if she was right for Sister Clodagh thinking she was too young but Kerr later convinced him to cast her as it’s a fun piece to watch.

The 25-minute documentary Profile of “Black Narcissus” made in 2000 is about the Archers production team as well as its cast in Kathleen Byron and cinematographer Jack Cardiff. Narrated by Jack Bond, the documentary discusses much of the film’s production as well as many elements in the film that some believe remains innovative in film. Film critic Ian Christie talks about the film’s historical impact as well as the mixed reception it did receive initially despite being a hit with audiences. Some of it due to the very subtle erotic elements in the film as it was considered very shocking while Byron talks about her performance, her relationship with Powell, and Deborah Kerr as they all knew they were doing something special.

The 26-minute Painting with Light by Craig McCall is a documentary piece made in 2000 about cinematographer Jack Cardiff as some of the portions of the film would later be included into the 2010 documentary Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff. The piece mostly focuses on Cardiff’s work on the film as it includes interviews with Kathleen Byron, Martin Scorsese, Thelma Schoonmaker, and film critic Ian Christie. Featuring a recreation of the set of the film where Byron is interviewed, the film discusses many of the aspects of Technicolor and what Cardiff did as well as into some of the technical details. Even as Cardiff draws inspiration from paintings and other works of art to give him visual ideas as he also talks about other small tidbits on what he contributed to the film as it’s must-see for anyone who love the art of photography. The DVD/Blu-Ray also features the film’s theatrical trailer as it sort of spoils some of the aspects of the film.

The DVD/Blu-Ray set also includes an essay by film critic/essayist Kent Jones entitled Empire of the Senses. Jones discusses many of the film’s theme including the theme of trying to change things to fit a certain way but deal with forces that couldn’t be changed. Jones also reveals that book’s author Rumer Godden didn’t like the film, despite her involvement in the production, while some critics, at the time, felt the film was style over substance. Jones also talks about the performances as well as reveal what got cut for its initial release as it relates to some of the flashback scenes of Sister Clodagh before she became a nun. It’s a fascinating essay about one of the finest films in British cinema.

***End of DVD Tidbits***

Black Narcissus is a hypnotic yet superlative film from Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger that features an outstanding cast led by Deborah Kerr. The film is among one of the hallmarks of the celebrated films Powell-Pressburger created in their revered career which includes The Red Shoes. This is a film that is filled with amazing imagery and a captivating score from Brian Easdale as it is truly imaginative in its look along with a dark yet seductive tone. In the end, Black Narcissus is a true one-of-a-kind film from the great 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 Life and Death of Colonel Blimp - (The Volunteer) - A Canterbury Tale - I Know Where I’m Going - A Matter of Life and Death - 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 2011

The Red Shoes (Expanded Criterion DVD Review)

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 11/30/08 w/ Additional Edits & New Content.

One of the greatest cinematic teams in the early 1940s through the late 1950s were the British directing team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. The writing, producing, and directing team created films that were unique in their take on war and themes involving sin had made them one of the greatest filmmaking team in British cinema. After a period of war and post-war collaborations for films like 49th Parallel, The Life & Death of Colonel Blimp, A Canterbury Tale, and 1947's Black Narcissus that was a different film from their war-themed stories. The team of Powell and Pressburger went ahead to make their film that would give them their greatest commercial success to date entitled The Red Shoes.

Based on a fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen, The Red Shoes tells the story of a young socialite who loves the ballet as she attracts the attention of a strict, controlling ballet director who hopes to make her a superstar. When she starts to fall in love with a rising composer, she becomes conflicted in her love for ballet and the man who would give her a different life as her director tries to take control of her. Written, produced, and directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger with additional dialogue by Keith Winter. Starring Moira Shearer, Marius Goring, Anton Walbrook, Leonide Massine, Robert Helpmann, Albert Bassermann, Ludmilla Tcherina, and Esmond Knight. The Red Shoes is a dazzling, entrancing masterpiece from Powell and Pressburger.

A young composer named Julian Craster (Marius Goring) is attending a ballet with friends as the play is directed by renowned ballet director Boris Lermontov (Anton Walbrook). Also attending is a young socialite named Victoria "Vicky" Page (Moira Shearer) as they see Lermontov's play that features choreography by Grishna Ljubov (Leonide Massine) and as the prima ballerina, Irina Boronskaja (Ludmilla Tcherina). Craster notices that notes he hears in the orchestration are written by him as he wondered how it got put into the music score. During an after party, Lermontov meets Vicky at a party as he seems uninterested in seeing another ballet upon realizing that Vicky will be dancing. He takes Vicky in to be part of his ballet company where she works under Ljubov's supervision. Around the same time, Craster meets Lermontov at his apartment where Lermontov takes him as a coach for the orchestra.

After seeing Vicky perform The Swan Lake, Lermontov realizes she can be the lead ballerina after learning that Boronskaja has gotten married. With Vicky in and Boronskaja out, Lermontov decides to create an ambitious play based on Han Christian Andersen's fable story called The Red Shoes. Upon their arrival to Monte Carlo, Vicky is given the lead role to play the main character while Craster is given a chance to re-do an entire score since the original composer left it unfinished. With Vicky meeting Craster, the two don't hit it off as they bicker over her dance and his music. Yet, at the night of the premiere of The Red Shoes. The show was a huge success as Lermontov's company becomes successful with a series of ballets while Craster supervises a project that will feature all of the music for an original that Lermontov is creating.

Yet during a birthday party for Grishna, Lermontov learn that Vicky and Craster are having a love affair. In response, he fires Craster as Vicky decides to leave as well. Though Lermontov manages to succeed with Craster and Page's departure by getting Boronskaja back, he becomes jealous of the happiness that Vicky has with Julian. When he learns that Vicky is visiting her aunt in Monte Carlo, Lermontov decides to make a deal with Vicky where she must choose between her love for Julian and dancing.

The story of The Red Shoes is about a shoemaker who creates these magical red shoes where a girl buys them and dances. The problem is that the shoes are cursed in which she cannot stop dancing as she's tired but the shoes aren't as it leads to tragedy. That basic storyline clearly has brought something inspirational to the team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger as they collaborated on this modern re-telling of Hans Christian Andersen's tale. Yet in their re-telling, the shoemaker is an impresario who wants control in hopes of making this young woman the greatest dancer ever. Underneath his charm is a cold man who will stop at nothing to make Victoria Page the greatest dancer in the world. Even if it kills her. When love comes to Victoria in the form of Julian Craster, she doesn't think about dancing for a while until Lermontov mentions her ambitions and she goes into conflict.

The story Pressburger creates that he turned into a script with Powell is truly phenomenal with its dialogue, language, and story set-ups that is true to Andersen fable. Yet, it's the direction of Powell and Pressburger that makes the film even more magical. Most notably the ballet sequence for The Red Shoes that is clearly spellbinding with its dazzling imagery, visual effects, cinematography, editing, and art direction. The way Powell and Pressburger capture the action and movement of the ballet is truly mesmerizing in every frame and shot as it has this great sense of drama. The non-ballet sequences outside its ballet rehearsals reveal some amazing drama that is stylized in its late-1940s acting style is told with such grace and sometimes, tension in heavier scenes. Powell and Pressburger clearly make sure they capture every moment of drama and romance while making something that is magical. The result is clearly a film unlike any other from Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger.

Cinematographer Jack Cardiff does amazing work with the film's Technicolor film stock of the late 1940s with vibrant colors in the film's famous ballet sequence while the camera captures every action from the ballet dancer's perspective and with sharp movements. The photography in the exterior shots in Monte Carlo and London looks beautiful for its time as is the visual effects photography by George Gunn and E. Hague in the ballet sequence. Editor Reginald Mills does excellent work with the film's editing, notably capturing the energy of the ballet while in the dramatic scenes. He creates a unique rhythm for some of the film's heightened dramatic moments while his transitions are smoothly cut with dissolves and fade-outs that move the film very well without being too slow.

Production/costume designer Hein Heckroth and art director Arthur Lawson do a great job with the look of the stage and set designs for the ballet scenes, most notably The Red Shoes ballet that truly looks look magical. Heckroth's work in the costumes is great with its vibrant colors in the tights for the ballet dancers along with the suits that the men wear. The dresses of Moira Shearer are done by Jacques Fath and Mattli to play well with the 1940s style with great colors and look along with the dresses she wears in the ballet scenes. Sound mixer Charles Poulton and recordist Desmond Dew creates great effects for the film's sound in terms of its location settings as well as a famous dramatic scene involving the anger of Lermontov. The choreography of Robert Helpmann is brilliant for its movement and emotion in the dance as it brings some appreciation for the art of ballet. The music score by Brian Easdale is marvelous in its energy and sweeping arrangements ranging from the dramatic to romantic. With its sense of melody and layering of orchestration, Easdale's music is definitely phenomenal in its sound and emotion in the scenes it brings.

The casting is definitely amazing with small but memorable performances from Irene Browne as Vicky's aunt, Austin Trevor as Julian's professor, and Eric Berry as Lermontov's assistant Dimitri. Ludmilla Tcherina is very good as the prima ballerina Irina Boronskaja while Esmond Knight is excellent as Livy, the music conductor who is amazed at Craster's talents after not appreciating him the first time around. The film's choreographer Robert Helpmann also does work as the lead dancer for The Red Shoes as he provides a great sense of movement and emotion into his dance with Shearer. Albert Bassermann is excellent as Sergei Ratov, the set/costume designer who is one of Lermontov's key men while sympathizing with Julian and Vicky's reasons to leave Lermontov. Leonide Massine is brilliant as Grishna Ljubov, the company's choreographer with a huge personality as he stands out in his acting as well as his dancing as the shoemaker in The Red Shoes performance as Massine really creates a memorable performance.

Marius Goring is great as Julian Craster, the young composer who falls for Vicky as he finds a muse in his musical writing only to contend with Lermontov for her soul and well-being as Goring's performance is wonderful to watch. Anton Walbrook is phenomenal as Lermontov, the man who holds the power to make anyone great. When he feels that people are loyal to them, he treats the wonderfully and with charm but when he's defied, he's very cold and brutal. Walbrook's performance is really amazing to watch in all of his emotional mood swings and presence as it's definitely a performance people often overlook. Finally, there's Moira Shearer in an amazing performance as Victoria Page. Shearer's beauty and dancing talents are dazzling as her performance in the ballet is definitely one-of-a-kind while her dramatic work equally matches in her emotions as she's faced with conflict and despair about her role. Shearer truly does amazing work as it's definitely her most defining role despite a small filmography.

***Additional DVD Contents Written on 12/8/10-12/10/10***

When The Red Shoes was released through various forms of home video including a DVD release in 1999 by the Criterion Collection.  It was one of the most sought-out releases though the print of the film wasn’t in great condition.  The 2010 Criterion Special Edition 2-disc Region 1 DVD however, improves everything that other DVD releases weren’t able to do.  Retaining some of the original Criterion DVD special features while adding new ones.  The DVD is presented in both regular high-definition DVD and Blu-Ray in its original 1:33:1 full-screen aspect ratio and remastered sound all based on the 2009 restoration presented by Martin Scorsese.

The first disc includes the film in its restored edition as the look of the film is truly stunning.  The colors look sharper and richer in its images.  The sound is much broader.  It’s where the film is given new life and becomes timeless in its look and sound.  Even in the famed dance sequence for The Red Shoes ballet is where the visual effects looks more dazzling and abstract to convey the dream-like tone of the film.  It’s truly restoration at its finest.

The first disc special features include a four-minute restoration demonstration segment hosted by Martin Scorsese.  Because the film was shot with three negative film stocks for Technicolor at the time it was made, the restoration of the film meant that it would have to take 3 times the work restore all of those images.  Among the problems with the restoration were mold damage and the texture of colors.  Thanks to digital technology, they were able to rid of mold and other things that would’ve prevented the chance to restore the film.  Scorsese also revealed scenes of how they’ve looked before the restoration and after the restoration.  It’s a wonderful segment that goes into detail of how the film looked before and after its restoration process.  Another special feature is the film’s theatrical trailer that boasts the film and its Technicolor look.

The DVD also includes two audio features that were recorded for the film’s 1994 Laserdisc release from the Criterion Collection.  The first is a commentary track  from film historian Ian Christie plus audio interview excerpts from actors Marius Goring and Moira Shearer, cinematographer Jack Cardiff, music composer Brian Easdale, and Martin Scorsese.  Ian Christie leads the commentary as he talks about the film’s history dating back to the late 1930s and how it changed when it finally came into production in 1947.  Christie also goes into detail about the formation of the Archers production and its team that consisted of Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger, cinematographer Jack Cardiff, and music composer Brian Easdale.

Christie even allows the other commentators to make their own comments where Cardiff and Easdale go into detail about their own experience with the film as well as some of the technical things.  Cardiff also reveals about his own first experiences working with the Technicolor film print when it first came to Britain when he was just a camera operator.  Marius Goring and Moira Shearer discuss their own experiences with the film as Goring had to dye his hair blonde because his original red hair would clash with Shearer’s.  Shearer talks about a lot of the ballet in the film as well as her own views of the film while admitting that some of the things in the ballet and backstage aren’t realistic.  Martin Scorsese reveals how much the film has influenced him and other directors.  Scorsese said that when making Raging Bull, The Red Shoes helped him choreograph how he wanted the fights to be stylish and engaging.  While he admits that there’s a few flaws with the ballet sequence, he still loves the film dearly.

Christie also talks about Powell’s directing and the tension he had with Moira Shearer despite their mutual respect towards one another.  It was more to due with Shearer’s feelings about cinema at the time since she was new to the medium.  Goring also talks about how difficult Powell was at times though it was with good reasons.  Scorsese adds more commentary towards the look of the film, even in the third act when Lermontov is all alone in his hotel.  It’s a splendid commentary track that revels in the majestic world that is The Red Shoes.

The second commentary track in the first disc is from actor Jeremy Irons reading excerpts of the 1978 novelization of The Red Shoes while the film is being played.  Irons’ reading of The Red Shoes is definitely one of the DVD’s grand highlights.  His voice is pitch-perfect for the narration while creating all sorts of emotions for the characters he voices throughout the book with the film playing.  He displays a much deeper voice when playing Lermontov and a more sensitive voice with other characters.  He even gets dramatic for the role of Grischa.  It’s a great commentary track of sorts with Irons’ voice hitting the right notes for the film as if a book is being told.

The second disc of the DVD features many supplement material relating to the film’s release.  Among them is a 25-minute documentary called A Profile of The Red Shoes.  Featuring interviews with historian Ian Christie, filmmaker Kevin McDonald (who is also Emeric Pressburger‘s grandson), cinematographer Jack Cardiff, and camera operator Chris Challis.  The documentary explores the history of the Archers team as well as the films they did before The Red Shoes that helped their reputation with the British film industry.  When creating The Red Shoes, they needed some of the best people in ballet which was easy but finding the leading lady was hard to find.

Enter Moira Shearer, who was already an accomplished ballerina with the British world of ballet.  Though Shearer was hesitant to do the film because she feared it would end her ballet career, she ended up doing the project.  For Lermontov, Powell and Pressburger chose Anton Walbrook, a regular of the Archers team.  They wanted someone who could play a brutish, controlling man some said was based on Sergei Diaghilev and a bit of Alexander Korda. The crew revealed that the clash of the two worlds of ballet and cinema wasn’t an easy blend.  Even as the ballet dancers had egos towards each other.  Particularly Leonide Messine, who was in his early 50s at the time, and Robert Helpmann.

For the famed ballet scene, it was the talents of cinematographer Jack Cardiff, the ballet dancers, and art director Hein Heckroth.  It was Heckroth’s production design that really gave Powell and Pressburger that the scene can be done.  Even as it blended all styles of cinema to create what many says is one of the greatest sequences on film.  When the film was released, the film received mixed reviews in the U.K.  Some of the criticism over its melodrama and elements of the ending.  The film wasn’t a big hit when it came out but its reputation grew over the years.  Even among film buffs that included Martin Scorsese.  While it would win two Oscars for Brian Easdale’s score and Hein Heckroth’s art direction.  It would take years for the film to finally bring some prestige in the U.K.

The second big special feature is 14-minute video interview with Michael Powell’s widow and famed film editor Thelma Schoonmaker at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival.  Schoonmaker talks about Michael Powell, The Red Shoes, and the restoration of that film along with some of the other Powell-Pressburger films.  Schoonmaker goes into detail about the damage of the films due to mold and scratches as The Red Shoes was the film that really needed to be restored.  With the help of the UCLA Film and Television Archive, it was finally given the great restoration it needed.  Even as it was funded and spearheaded by her and Martin Scorsese.

Schoonmaker also reveals about Powell’s obsession with trying to make great art while making similarities to Scorsese’s own obsession towards making great art.  Even as she and Scorsese often watch Turner Classic Movies revealing Scorsese’s passion for film restoration.  Even with The Red Shoes where he and Schoonmaker worked as consultants for the restoration.  The interviewer asked why Schoonmaker never directed a film as she replied she is fine with her job as an editor.  Even though whatever films she does with Scorsese is always different no matter how close they are as longtime friends.

“The Red Shoes” Sketches is an animated featurette featuring Hein Heckroth’s painted storyboards for the film’s famed ballet sequence.  The featurette also features a comparison of the sketches with the actual ballet from the film.  The look of Heckroth’s sketches are superb as it would match with what Powell and Pressburger would want for the final version of the film (that is also played by itself as an alternate angle in its restored print.  The featurette also includes an audio track of actor Jeremy Irons reading the original Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale of the same name.  Irons’ reading adds more nuance and prestige to the sketches displayed on the featurette.

Two galleries appear in the DVD.  The first of which are rare publicity stills, deleted scenes, and behind-the-scenes photos for the film.  Many of the photos are in black and white while the deleted scenes feature pictures of Page preparing an audition and a picture of Lermontov and his team giving ideas for The Red Shoes ballet.  The only pictures in color are the set design and costume sketches for the film.  The second stills gallery is a collection of memorabilia for the film collected by Martin Scorsese.  Among them are the red shoes and a copy of the script signed by Powell and Pressburger to Scorsese, a sketchbook of storyboards that was previously owned by Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts, scarves, wallpaper, posters from various countries including Italy, Mexico, Belgium, and France.

The DVD also includes a booklet featuring an essay by film critic David Ehrenstein and a description of the film’s restoration by UCLA film archivist Robert Gitt.  Ehrenstein’s essay about The Red Shoes is entitled Dancing For Your Life where Ehrenstein discusses the themes of the film along with its idea for artistic dedication at is most powerful.  Even as the essay goes into the history of formation of the Archers production team that is led by Powell and Pressburger.  Ehrenstein also goes into depth with the actors, notably Anton Walbrook and Moira Shearer.  Ehrenstein also goes into the film’s plot and how it would lead to its tragic ending as it’s a wonderful essay.

The second text in the booklet is Robert Gitt’s two-page description about the restoration.  Starting from the fall of 2006 and to the spring of 2009 before its unveiling at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival.  The restoration of The Red Shoes was a hard one due to many things affecting the negatives including molds, chemical staining, and scratches.  All of it had to be done digitally as Gitt hoped that the film is seen the way it was shown back in 1948 with the help of modern technology.

The Criterion DVD for The Red Shoes is truly a must-have for any film collector as it’s finally given the proper restoration it needed.  Audiences who loved this film then should have it whether on DVD or Blu-Ray.  Those new to the films of Powell-Pressburger should get a chance to see the restored version of The Red Shoes as it is a film that looks truly timeless.  If there’s a great DVD to get for anyone, it’s the new Criterion DVD for The Red Shoes.

***End of DVD Tidbits***

Released in September of 1948 in Britain, the film wasn't a big hit at first in Britain while having a limited run in the U.S. the next month. Yet, word-of-mouth helped the film gain ground while it received better acclaim from the ballet community as it eventually became Powell and Pressburger's most successful film in their entire career. Winning an Oscar for Brian Easdale's score, it received four other Oscar nominations including Best Picture. The film also proved to be influential as noted film buff and famed director Martin Scorsese cited the film as a big influence on him while his editor Thelma Schoonmaker married Michael Powell in the early 80s until his death in 1990.

The Red Shoes is a truly magical and dazzling masterpiece from the team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. Featuring a superb cast led by Moira Shearer, Anton Walbrook, and Marius Goring along with Jack Cardiff's cinematography, Robert Helpmann's choreography, and Brian Easdale's score. This is a film, sixty-years since its release, still has the power to dazzle in its imagery, effects, and its marvelous ballet sequence that will reveal the fine art of ballet. While young audiences might not be amazed by the special effects of the film or its stylistic directing of that time, it's a film that revealed the magic of filmmaking for that time and how it amazes audiences. Even today as film buffs consider it one of the best films ever made. For anyone that wants to see a film with spectacular visual effects, lovely ballet sequences, and vibrant colors. The Red Shoes is the film to go see from the great team 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 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 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)

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