The Masters  
The Powell & Pressburger Pages

Dedicated to the work of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger and all the other people, both actors and technicians who helped them make those wonderful films.

A lot of the documents have been sent to me or have come from other web sites. The name of the web site is given where known. If I have unintentionally included an image or document that is copyrighted or that I shouldn't have done then please email me and I'll remove it.

I make no money from this site, it's purely for the love of the films.

[Any comments are by me (Steve Crook) and other members of the email list]

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Events & Excursions


If you want to join in (or present) any of these, or similar events or excursions, then please email Steve or contact the location mentioned. Similarly, if you would like to submit a report of an event or screening (even if it wasn't listed here) then that can be added to this web site.


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18 December 2006
Michael Eyers tells us:

Hi, found these up and coming screenings...

The Red Shoes (U) 7.30 p.m.
Monday December 18th, 2006
The Edge Arts Centre,
William Brookes School,
Farley Road
Much Wenlock,
Shropshire,
TF13 6NB
01952 728509

See their web site for details & tickets

Go to see TRS and then check out the village where much of GTE was filmed.


17 December 2006
Michael Eyers tells us:

There's an up and coming screening of TRS in London...

The Red Shoes
Sunday 17th December, 5.45pm
Evening Double Bill with Ballet Russes
Riverside Studios,
Hammersmith,
London

See their web site for details & tickets


10 December 2006
Tom Ruben tells us:

Richmond Filmhouse, in Water Lane, Richmond, Surrey, is showing AMOLAD + TRS at 12 noon Sunday next.

See their web site for details & tickets


8 December 2006
Tom Ruben tells us:
The Goethe-Institut, London presents

Josef von Sternberg's
The Devil is a Woman

To celebrate the release of the Universal Pictures DVD box set Marlene Dietrich: The Movie Collection which features 18 of Marlene Dietrich's greatest Hollywood films, the Goethe-Institut is delighted to present a special screening of The Devil is a Woman, Dietrich's last film with the great director Josef von Sternberg.

The well-renowned cinema photographer Jack Cardiff who worked with Marlene Dietrich on A Knight Without Armour will be attending the screening and introducing the film. His remarkable films include The African Queen, A Matter Of Life And Death and The Red Shoes.

The DVD boxset will be available for purchase after the screening at a special price of £124.99 instead of £149.99. This price is valid on the day of the screening only.

The box set contains 18 of Marlene Dietrich's greatest Hollywood films including 12 premiere releases to DVD:

Blonde Venus, Desire, Angel, The Devil is a Woman, Follow the Boys, Dishonoured, Flame of New Orleans, Golden Earrings, Morocco, Scarlet Empress, Shanghai Express, Song of Songs, Touch of Evil, Destry Rides Again, A Foreign Affair, Pittsburgh, Seven Sinners, The Spoilers

People in the audience will have the chance to win one of the brand new box sets signed by Jack Cardiff as well as a rare autograph by Marlene Dietrich.

See their web site for details & tickets.


22 November 2006

Ian Christie will introduce a screening of A Canterbury Tale (1944) at ACMI Cinemas (Federation Square) at 7pm.

See their web site for details & tickets


21 November 2006

Ian Christie will be giving a public lecture at RMIT, Melbourne, on The Courage to Be - What? Scorsese and existential theology.

Does Scorsese's Catholic formation explain the moral framework of his lowlife films as much as his blasphemous Last Temptation of Christ and Buddhist Kundun? How seriously should we take the religious preoccupations of a director renowned for extreme violence and the apparent glorification of criminals? Taking bearings from Dostoevsky, Paul Tillich and a recent interview with Scorsese on matters theological, Ian Christie explores the world of a passionate inquisitor.

Time: 6.30 November 21
Venue: RMIT University, Casey Plaza Theatre

See their web site for details.


15 November 2006
Tavo of Waterstones, Canterbury tells us:

We'll be having Paul Tritton giving a talk on his book on Wednesday Nov 15, and was wondering if you could advertise the event on your website?
Tickets are £3, and for more information, you can call us on 01227456343 (ask for Martin Latham)

Update (Oct 20th):
I'm sorry to say we've had to cancel the ACT talk on Nov 15


7 November 2006
Andrew Smaje tells us:

Just to let you know that the Little Theatre Cinema in Bath will be showing The Edge of the World on Tuesday November 7th.

Time TBC, but likely to be 6.30pm-ish.

It's another in my series of films at the Little which I introduce and which complement something in the programme at the Ustinov, the theatre I'm responsible for in Bath.

The play is Outlying Islands by David Greig (Nov 8 - Dec 2), which is about another remote Scottish island, the two London ornithologists who arrive there, and the girl the two men fight over - she lives with her father, and knows of the outside world only through the silent comedy films she's seen.

See The Little Theatre Cinema site. Details of the screening should appear sometime in October.


29-30 October 2006
Michael Eyers tells us:

Hi, found these up and coming screenings...

Gone to Earth (PG)
Sunday 29th and Monday 30th October 2006, 7.30pm
Assembly Rooms,
Mill Street,
Ludlow,
Shropshire, SY8 1AZ

Box Office telephone: 01584 878141

Based on the novel by Mary Webb and filmed locally.
Look out for a fascinating talk on this film on Thurs 2nd November, Tickets £1, or free if booked with the film.

Cabaret seating so you can enjoy a drink at your table. Themed cocktails available from the bar.

See their web site for details & tickets.


29 October 2006
Curzon, Mayfair
Sunday 29th October 12:00, Screen 2

How to Survive the 1940s (2006)
This special programme marking the sixtieth anniversary of the COI (Central Office of Information) brings together some rarely seen highlights from the COI.s founding years, the late 1940s, newly restored by the bfi National film and Television Archive. Combining fictional and documentary approaches, these films provide an intriguing portrait of everyday life in 1940s Britain, recorded in atmospheric detail.

The Small Back Room (1948)
Following Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger.s most dynamic and expressive period . which produced THE RED SHOES . the low-key, monochrome THE SMALL BACK ROOM offered a more withdrawn and realistic vision whilst still retaining some of the directors. more fantastical preoccupations.

A rare chance to see SBR on a (reasonably) big screen.

See their web site for details and booking.


18 October 2006
Roger Mellor tells us:

London's 50th Film Festival to open with The Last King of Scotland
Kevin Macdonald's feature starring Forest Whitaker and James McAvoy to have its European premiere on Oct 18.

See London Film Festival site.

You can also enter a competition to win 2 tickets to the Opening Night Gala and see The Last King of Scotland alongside the celebrities. They don't actually say if Kevin will be there.


17 October 2006
Natacha Thiery tells us:

Cher(e)s ami(e)s,
Le Ciné-club de l'ENS-Ulm programme Colonel Blimp (The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, 1943) de Michael Powell et Emeric Pressburger:
Mardi 17 octobre à 20h30 salle Dussane.

Avec Deborah Kerr, Roger Livesey et Anton Walbrook.

Une occasion à ne pas manquer de le (re)découvrir en salle !

See their web site site.


10 October 2006
Llorenç Esteve tells us:

Every year now the Sitges Festival is celebrated. A little Catalan sea-coast town full of English tourists and the only place in Spain that have a sculture dedicated to Chesterton very close to the beach. It's a small festival dedicated to fantastic film. Powell in person came here in 1986 in a huge retrospective. Also Karl Böhm introduced Peeping Tom in 1997 and Jack Cardiff received a kind homage and I remembered the nice moments when I could talk with him for 30 minutes. This year the footprint of Powell returns and Tuesday 10th The Tales of Hoffmann will be exhibited at 15.00h, Cine El Retiro.

See Sitges Festival site.


9 October 2006
Screen Machine, Oyster Bar, Cairndow
Michael Powell film evening.
16.00 - 17.00 - Chaplin's Goliath (Kevin Macdonald)
17.30 - 19.00 - I Know Where I'm Going
19.00 - 19.30 - FILM ANNIVERSARY TALK - Michael Russell and David Bruce on Michael Powell and his work in Scotland
19.30 - 21.00 - Special dinner at Loch Fyne Oyster Bar
21.00 - 22.15 - Edge of the World - showing to celebrate the 70th anniversary of its making

See their web site for details and tickets.


2 October 2006
Tom Ruben tells us:

Sunday Oct 2nd at the Curzon Soho, 12:20

HOW TO SURVIVE THE 1940s shows rare government films that seem now to have been replaced by programmes like Panorama and Jamie's Dinners, bringing awareness of how the Government is avoiding the same issues.

plus

Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger direct A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH, 'their most romantic and magical film' say screenonline.org.uk. Starring David Niven, it 'has as its subtext the jockeying for power between Britain and America that took place after World War II. Heaven has a Coke machine for the arriving Yanks [DR STRANGELOVE anyone?] ... the vision is breathtaking in its originality' (Chicago-Sun Times).

See their web site for details and tickets.
Sorry, we were misinformed. This was shown on Sunday 2nd, not the 8th


30 September 2006
Richard Gibson tells us:

They are screening The Boy Who Turned Yellow at The Barbican at 10am on Sat 30th Sept.

But it's a Saturday Special for children and they say No unaccompanied adults. So if you want to see it you'll have to go and round up a child or two.
I'm sure they'd like it as well.

Update: as this screening is part of Time Out's London on Screen Season, unaccompanied adults will be admitted and seated in a designated area.

So who's going to go and sit in the special P&P enclosure? I hope we'll be surrounded by armed police for our own protection!

It's being shown with "Look at Life: Down London River", an episode from a 1960s documentary series.
See Tate Modern as a working power station, the Festival Hall standing alone before the South Bank Centre arrived, working docks and warehouses before they became apartments and cafés.
They also have things like "Movie Trolley activitiy (sic)" and "London Landmark Costume Workshop" whatever they are.

See Barbican web site for details & tickets.


21 September 2006
Tom Ruben tells us:

BBC Radio 4 next week at 3:45 p.m. has repeats of a series of talks by poet Ruth Padel about Hans Christian Andersen and his fair tales. The Radio Times blurb for Thursday says:-
"THE RED SHOES. The iconic film brought to a cinema audience one of Hans Christian Andersen's less well-known stories. But the original tale is far more disturbing than the film showed. Why did Andersen display such a ruthlessly violent streak and what were his secret fears while writing it? Ruth Padel investigates."

See Radio 4 site for details or to listen online


20 September 2006
Greg Ogarrio tells us:

Wednesday Evening Lecture
An Eye for Pictures: Jack Cardiff in conversation with Ian Christie

Wednesday 20 September, 6.30pm
Sainsbury Wing Theatre

Cinematographer Jack Cardiff has often told the story of how he became Technicolor's first trainee cameraman in Britain. In his job interview he denied all technical knowledge and talked about painting instead.

The man behind such 1940s Technicolor classics as Black Narcissus and The Red Shoes, action adventures The African Queen and The Vikings, and films of literary masterpieces such as War and Peace and Sons and Lovers gained early inspiration from childhood visits to the National Gallery. These trips stimulated a life-long passion for art and led to him becoming one of the most admired cinematographers in the history of film.

Back in his childhood haunt, Jack Cardiff will discuss what he has learned from painting and from his travels to many of the world's great sights with Ian Christie, Professor of Film and Media History at Birkbeck College, a specialist on the films of Powell and Pressburger, and on Martin Scorsese, another of Jack's admirers.

Tickets: £5/£3 concessions

See National Gallery site for details


13 September 2006
Richard Gibson tells us:

They are showing Peeping Tom at CineWorld, East India Quay on Wed 13th Sept at 7pm but I can't find confirmation of that one. The CineWorld web site doesn't cover screenings that far ahead.

Hertsmere Road
West India Quay
London
E14 4AL

Check the CineWorld web site nearer the date.


27 August 2006
Paul Tritton tells us:
Our annual location walk for devotees of A Canterbury Tale will be held at Chilham (aka 'Chillingbourne') near Canterbury on Sunday, August 27, 2006.
Meet at Chilham Railway Station at 2 pm

See Flyer for details.


22 & 23 August 2006
Michael Eyers tells us:
The Paramount Summer Classic Film Series

The Paramount Theatre,
713 Congress Avenue,
Austin,
Texas 78701

Exotic Technicolor Adventures

Black Narcissus
Tuesday, August 22 @ 7:15 pm
Wednesday, August 23 @ 9:20 pm

The River
Tuesday, August 22 @ 9:20 pm
Wednesday, August 23 @ 7:15 pm

See Austin Theatre site for details.


11 & 12 August 2006
NYC's Film Forum is showing a season of "Summer Swashbucklers" which includes The Thief of Bagdad in a double bill with The 7th Voyage of Sinbad with Ray Harryhausen's superb special effects.

See Film Forum site for details.


27 July 2006
Michael Eyers tells us:
New Jersey International Film Festival
Summer 2006

A Matter of Life and Death
Thursday 27th Juy - 7:30PM
Loree Hall #024,
72 Lipman Drive (Near corner of Nichol Ave and George Street),
Douglass College Campus,
Rutgers University,
New Brunswick,
New Jersey

Part of our Cinema 101 Film Appreciation Series with commentary by
Festival Director A.G. Nigrin.

See NJ Film Fest site for details.


5 - 30 July 2006
Sibylle Nabel-Foster, Norman Foster's widow, tells us:
Finally it worked out - there will be a "Michael Powell Portrait" show at the Frankfurt Filmmuseum starting July 5th 2006. On July 27th 2006 I will be giving an introduction to Bluebeard's Castle.

Date Time Event
5 July 20:30 The Thief of Bagdad (1940)
7 July 18:00 A Matter of Life and Death (1946)
8 July 22:30 The Thief of Bagdad (1940)
14 July 20:30 A Matter of Life and Death (1946)
18 July 20:30 Black Narcissus (1947)
21 July 20:30 The Red Shoes (1948)
22 July 22:30 Black Narcissus (1947)
21 July 18:00 The Red Shoes (1948)
26 July 18:00 Luna de miel (1959)
(aka Honeymoon)
27 July 20:30 Herzog Blaubarts Burg (1963)
Introduction: Sibylle Nabel-Foster
29 July 18:00 Luna de miel (1959)
(aka Honeymoon)
30 July 21.00 Peeping Tom (1960)

All films will be shown with the original English soundtracks (except Herzog Blaubarts Burg which will be shown with the original German soundtrack). They will all be the best quality prints available from the BFI or Canal Plus.

See Deutsches Film Museum site for details.
See also essays about each film (PDF, auf Deutsch)


2 July 2006
Michael Eyers tells us:
The Red Shoes 1.00pm + Ballets Russes 3.35pm

Rio Cinema
107 Kingsland High Street
London E8
(corner John Campbell Road)
Tel 020 7241 9410

See Rio Cinema site for details and tickets.


24 June 2006
Mark Alison tells us:
You are probably not familiar with The Rex, Berkhamstead, but it was renovated a couple of years ago back to it's 1930's glory and is, quite simply, stunning. You can book tables in much the same style as a nightclub which has full drinks service, but even the "cheep seats" are large and sumptuous (I can stretch my legs as far as they will go and still not touch the seat in front). If you're feeling really extravagant you can always book a six seater theatre-style box!

See Rex Cinema site for details and tickets.


18 June 2006
Tom Ruben tells us:
Riverside Studios in Hammersmith are showing a double bill of TRS and Ballets Russes. Sunday 18th June, 1:55 p.m.

See Riverside Studios cinema site for details and tickets.


18 June 2006
Michael Eyers tells us:
Black Narcissus 2.30pm + The River 4.35pm

Rio Cinema
107 Kingsland High Street
London E8
(corner John Campbell Road)
Tel 020 7241 9410

See Rio Cinema site for details and tickets.


30 May 2006
Nicky Smith tells us:
Anna Massey is giving a talk at the National Theatre on May 30th.

See National Theatre site for details and tickets.


22 May 2006
Tim Parker tells us:
I live in Saffron Walden in Essex, a town soon to be graced with a community cinema based in the local high school. There's a story in this week's edition of one of the local papers about a screening of AMOLAD, planned as part of the cinema's opening week celebrations. This in itself may be of interest to some, but it gets better. Apparently Jack Cardiff used to live in Saffron Walden and is going to give a question and answer session after the film.

See Saffron Screen site for details and tickets.


16 May 2006
Andrew Smaje tells us:

Anyone around the area who fancies a big-screen PnP experience, ACT is showing on Tue 16 May at the Little Theatre Cinema, Bath. Part of a series of films I programme and do intros for at the Little. Time of screening tbc, but likely to be 6.20pm.

See The Little Theatre Cinema site.


14 May 2006
Richard Layne tells us:
The Curzon Mayfair in London will be showing BN and AMOLAD on Sunday 14th at 11:45 am - its on in screen 1 which is huge.

No mention of whether the fade to black is included.

See Curzon Mayfair site for details and tickets.


11 May 2006
Michael Eyers tells us:
Black Narcissus (1947)
Thursday 11th May 2006
CSUN Cinematheque
Alan & Elaine Armer Theatre
East Wing Manzanati Hall
California State University
18111 Nordhoff Street
Northridge
California

See their web site site for details and tickets.


24-25 April 2006
Michael Eyers tells us:
April 24-25, 2006 DOUBLE FEATURE
The Castro Theatre,
429 Castro Street,
San Francisco, CA 94114

Black Narcissus (New restored print)
Monday 24th: 7:00pm
Tuesday 25th: (3:00pm), 7:00pm

Age of Consent (New restored print)
Monday 24th: 9:00pm
Tuesday 25th: 4:55pm, 9:00pm

See their web site site for details and tickets.


23-24 April 2006
Michael Eyers tells us:
Black Narcissus (1947)
Sunday 23rd & Monday 24th April 2006 at 7:30pm
Assembly Rooms
Mill Street
Ludlow
Shropshire

See their web site site for details and tickets.


16 April 2006
Michael Eyers tells us:
I've stumbled on to another PnP screening...

The Red Shoes
Sunday 16th April 2006
3:00pm & 7:30pm
Norden Farm Centre For The Arts
Altwood Road
Maidenhead

See their web site site for details and tickets.


4 April 2006
Michael Eyers tells us:
The Tales Of Hoffmann (1951)
Tuesday April 4th 2006
Sunshine Coast Film Society
Heritage Playhouse
Gibsons
West Vancouver
British Columbia
Canada

"Watch for the SCFS Spring season, when we will bring you three more provocative and entertaining films. We will return April 4 with Tales of Hoffmann, directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. Guest speakers: Angela Pressburger and David Crane."

Programme subject to change

See their web site site for details and tickets.


2 April 2006
Michael Eyers tells us:
The Life And Death Of Colonel Blimp (1943)
Sunday April 2nd 2006 at 4pm
Warren Auditorium
Ives Hall
Sonama Film Institute
Sonama State University
California

See their web site site for details and tickets.


28 March 2006
Michael Eyers tells us:
I was googling for PnP screenings and happend upon the following:

A Canterbury Tale
Tuesday 28th March 2006 at 7:00pm
Spectrum Centre, Inverness, Scotland

See Inverness Film Fans site for details and tickets.


16 March 2006
Michael Eyers tells us:
Black Narcissus (1947)
Thursday, March 16 at 6:30 p.m. in the board room
The Church of the Redeemer
Corner of Avenue Road and Bloor Street in downtown Toronto, Canada

See their web site for details


9 March 2006
Michael Eyers tells us:
Black Narcissus (1947)
Thursday 9th March 2006 at 6:45pm
CinéGuernsey
Frossard Centre Theatre
Candie Gardens
Guernsey

See their web site for details


18 February 2006
Michael Eyers tells us:
I Know Where I'm Going! (1945)
Saturday, February 18, 10:00 a.m
The Enoch Pratt Free Library,
Public Library of the City of Baltimore,
Maryland, USA

See their web site for details


14 - 26 February 2006
Tracey Brown tells us:
For LA P&P fans...
Valentine's Week: A Matter of Life And Death: The Films of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger.

American Cinematheque at the Aero Theatre Presents...
1328 Montana Avenue at 14th Street in Santa Monica

Date Time Event
Wed, Feb 15 7:30 pm Black Narcissus (1947)
Restored 35mm print
Thu, Feb 16 7:30 pm A Matter of Life and Death (1946)
(aka Stairway to Heaven)
Fri, Feb 17 7:30 pm The Red Shoes (1948)
Sat, Feb 18 7:30 pm Peeping Tom (1960)
Sun, Feb 19 6:00 pm Age of Consent (1969)
Wed, Feb 22 7:30 pm Gone to Earth (1950)
Thu, Feb 23 7:30 pm The Edge of the World (1937)
Sat, Feb 25 7:30 pm I Know Where I'm Going! (1945)
A Canterbury Tale (1944)
Sun, Feb 26 5:00 pm The Thief of Bagdad (1940)

See American Cinematheque site for more details.


14 February 2006
Patrick tells us:
A classic tale of love conquering all: A Matter of Life and Death on Valentine's Day. Showroom Cinema, Sheffield at 7pm on February 14th.

"This timeless film is perfect for a romantic evening out with your loved one, and we are offering a special deal to coincide with this film. Please call for details."

Contact the Showroom Cinema via their web site.



9 February 2006
Diane Friedman tells us:
Indiana University School of Medicine, Ruth Lilly Medical Library, Room 301-302

4:00-5:00
Refreshments at 3:30

A Matter of Life and Death:
A 1946 film of a love story and of the frontiers of British neurology
Presented by Diane Friedman, Nurse Practitioner
A Matter of Life and Death stars David Niven and Kim Hunter,

with Hughlings Jackson, Victor Horsley, and Macdonald Critchely

Ms Friedman will show excerpts and discuss the film, voted one of the all-time favorite films of the 20th century. She will highlight how the most recent developments in neurology and neurosurgery of that time are skillfully woven within the dialogue and settings and are readily apparent to persons with neurological training, but overlooked by most other viewers. This film represents remarkable medical scholarship, but the writers of the film never drew any attention to their work. Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, the team who jointly wrote, produced and directed the film also were responsible for other notable films of the period including The Red Shoes, Black Narcissus, One of Our Aircraft is Missing, 49th Parallel, The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, and I Know Where I'm Going.

Ms Friedman is a Nurse Practitioner specializing in neurology and sleep disorders. She is currently employed by the Lung Care Group. She became interested in this film in 1990, having worked as an epilepsy nurse specialist at the Cleveland Clinic. Her original work in discovering the origins of the medical scholarship in the film has led her to meetings with Martin Scorsese's Oscar Award winning Film Editor, Thelma Schoonmaker, and Powell & Pressburger Scholar, Professor Ian Christie. Portions of this talk were presented at the Michael Powell Centenary Conference at the University of Wales in September 2005. New findings from the Ruth Lilly Medical Library Historical Collections will be presented.

Indiana University School of Medicine
Indianapolis, IN 46202-5121

See Indiana University site for details.
See also, Diane's first paper A Matter of Fried Onions


6 February 2006
Chelsea Spear tells us:
The Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline, Mass. will be showing Peeping Tom as part of their "X-List" series. The screening takes place next Monday at 7:30 pm.

See Coolidge Corner web site for details and tickets.


4 February 2006
Samuel Bréan tells us:

A big Martin Scorsese retro opened yesterday here in Paris, at the Centre Pompidou. All his films will be shown, along with a large number of films that he likes. Of course, one film by Michael Powell is included: The Edge of the World, although the programme tells us that in the initial list of films (108, cut down to 40), there were 10 by Micky! But Scorsese had to keep only one title by each filmmaker. The list is available here in English:


8 January 2006
Pamela Butler tells us:

Sunday 8th January Wirksworth Film Society will be showing The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp as part of their 2005-2006 season.
Venue: The Parish Rooms, Wirksworth, Derbyshire
Bar open from 7.00pm, film starts 7.30pm
Cost £4.00 to non-members. Please book by ringing 01629 826918.
www.owdman.co.uk/wirksfilm/index.html


3 January 2006
Don Henson tells us:

City Screen in York will be showing Black Narcissus on 3rd January at 6.15. What a lovely way to begin the New Year (and the hangover should have worn off by then).

Check their website for details & tickets.


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