Powell and Pressburger - DVD Information
DVD information by our resident DVD expert (self appointed!)
Alan Head
Region 0
The World -
Not so much a region as a concept.
A "Region 0" DVD should play on any player.
A "Region 0 Player" should play any DVD.
The Thief of Bagdad (1940)
Black Narcissus (1947)
The Red Shoes (1948)
The above titles are available on "Region Free" DVDs in "English language
with Chinese subtitles. Subtitles can be turned off."
We suspect they are bootleg copies made in Taiwan or somewhere similar as
there is no manufacturer's name anywhere on them.
The DVD of The Thief of Bagdad (1940) is "in the English language
with subtitles in English, Chinese and Indonesian".
Region 1
Canada, United States and Territories
Kino Video
Contraband (1940)
Special features:
None really, it's a "bare bones" release with just the film although it
does include the eight minutes removed from the US video release. (Mainly
the "White Negro" caberet with black male dancers and white female dancers
in a nightclub production number and the start of the scene between Veidt
& Hobson in the restaurant)
MGM
The Thief of Bagdad (1940)
Special features:
Subtitles and alternative audio track in Spanish.
Original theatrical trailer.
Criterion
The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943)
Special features include:
New high-definition transfer of the original full-length version
of the film, restored by the British Film Institute.
Audio commentary featuring director Michael Powell with Martin Scorsese
The 24-minute video documentary, A Profile of The Life and Death
of Colonel Blimp
Selection of Sir David Low's Colonel Blimp cartoons
Rare behind-the-scenes and production stills from the collection
of Michael Powell
English subtitles for the deaf and hearing impaired
Optimal image quality RSDL dual-layer edition
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Additional information |
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Copyright: |
2002, Criterion |
Release Information:
Studio: Home Vision Entertainment
Theatrical Release Date: May 4, 1945
DVD Release Date: October 22, 2002
Run Time: 163 minutes
Production Company: Home Vision
Package Type: Keep Case
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Aspect Ratio(s):
Full Screen (Standard) - 1.33:1
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Discographic Information:
DVD Encoding: Region 1
Layers: Dual
Available Audio Tracks: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)
Available subtitles: English
Collector's Edition
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Edition Details: |
- Region 1 encoding (US and Canada only)
- Color, Closed-captioned
- New high-definition digital transfer of the original full-length version of the film, restored by British Film Institute
- Audio commentary featuring director Michael Powell with Martin Scorsese
- Carlton International's 24-minute video profile
- A collection of rare behind-the-scenes and production stills from the collection of Michael Powell
- A collection of David Low's original Colonel Blimp cartoons
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Video Format: |
Full Screen (Standard) - 1.33:1 |
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Add'l Features: |
Enhanced for 16x9 TVs |
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Subtitles: |
English |
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Audio Tracks: |
English: Digital Mono |
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# Discs: |
1 |
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Layers: |
Dual |
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Other: |
Written, Produced and Directed by Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger
DVD released on 20/2/2001
running time of 163 minutes
Closed Captioned. |
Amazon.com says:
Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's first Technicolor masterpiece, The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943), transcends its narrow wartime propaganda to portray in warm-hearted detail the life and loves of one extraordinary man. The film's clever narrative structure first presents us with the imposingly rotund General Clive Wynne-Candy (Roger Livesey in his greatest screen performance), a blustering old duffer who seems the epitome of stuffy, outmoded values. But traveling backwards 40 years we see a different man altogether: the young and dashing officer "Sugar" Candy. Through a series of affecting relationships with three women (all played to perfection by Deborah Kerr) and his touching lifelong friendship with a German officer (Anton Wallbrook), we see Candy's life unfold and come to understand how difficult it is for him to adapt his sense of military honor to modern notions of "total war." Notoriously, this is the film that Winston Churchill tried to have banned, and indeed its sympathetic portrayal of a German officer was contentious in 1943, though one suspects that Churchill's own blimpishness was a factor too. --Mark Walker
See also:
DVD Savant review by Glenn Erickson
Criterion
I Know Where I'm Going! (1945)
Special features include:
Audio essay by film historian Ian Christie.
Behind-the scenes stills, narrated by Thelma Schoonmaker Powell.
The 1994 documentary, I Know Where I'm Going! Revisited, by Mark
Cousins.
Excerpts from Michael Powell's 1937 Feature The Edge of the World and 1978
documentary, Return to the Edge of the World.
Photo essay by I Know Where I'm Going! aficionado Nancy Franklin, who explores
the locations used in the film.
Home movies of Michael Powell's Scottish expedition, narrated by Thelma
Schoonmaker Powell.
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Additional information |
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Copyright: |
2001, Criterion |
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Special Features: |
Photo Gallery, Theatrical Trailer, Interactive Menus, Documentaries, Audio
Commentary |
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Video Format: |
Full Screen (Standard) - 1.33:1 |
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Add'l Features: |
Enhanced for 16x9 TVs |
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Subtitles: |
English |
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Audio Tracks: |
English: Digital Mono |
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# Discs: |
1 |
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Layers: |
Dual |
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Other: |
Written, Produced and Directed by Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger
DVD released on 20/2/2001
running time of 91 minutes
Closed Captioned. |
Amazon.com says:
Assured, headstrong Joan Webster (Wendy Hiller) knows exactly what she wants
and how to get it, until she's stranded in a rough, windswept Scottish village
-- in sight but out of reach of an island where a rich fiancée, a
lavish wedding, and a loveless marriage await. While a raging storm prevents
her crossing, a quiet, modest, and penniless Scottish laird named Torquil
(Roger Livesey) slowly wins her cheerfully mercenary heart and upsets her
carefully arranged plans with messy emotions. Michael Powell and Emeric
Pressburger's much-loved romantic drama is a handsome work full of vivid,
offbeat characters (Pamela Brown is especially striking as an earthy villager
always accompanied by a pack of bloodhounds) living in a world that's part
tradition and part myth. Villagers work and celebrate with the simple spirit
of common folk ("They're not poor, they just haven't got any money," Torquil
admonishes the materialist Joan). Powell brings his lively manner and bold
visual invention tothe creation of his beautiful but harsh primal paradise,
culminating in the awesome spectacle of a massive whirlpool that could be
the work of the "legend of Corryvreckan" or the stormy embodiment of Joan's
hysterical heart. Awash in mystic power of ancient castles and chanted legends,
I Know Where I'm Going is one of the most romantic visions of Britain's
most magical director. -- Sean Axmaker
See also:
DVD Savant review by Glenn Erickson
Criterion
Black Narcissus (1947)
Special features include:
Breathtaking new digital transfer, created with the participation of cinematographer
Jack Cardiff.
Audio commentary by late director Michael Powell and Martin Scorsese.
Painting with Light, a new video documentary on Jack Cardiff and
Black Narcissus by Craig McCall, produced exclusively for this release.
A collection of rare behind-the-scenes production stills.
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Additional information |
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Copyright: |
2001, Criterion |
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Special Features: |
Photo Gallery, Theatrical Trailer, Interactive Menus, Documentaries, Audio
Commentary |
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Video Format: |
Full Screen (Standard) - 1.33:1 |
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Add'l Features: |
Enhanced for 16x9 TVs |
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Subtitles: |
English |
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Audio Tracks: |
English: Digital Mono |
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# Discs: |
1 |
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Layers: |
Dual |
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Other: |
Written, Produced and Directed by Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger
DVD released on 20/2/2001
running time of 101 minutes
Closed Captioned. |
Amazon.com says:
Appropriately enough for a picture named for a flower, Black Narcissus
exists in a color-drenched, hothouse atmosphere. The setting is a nunnery
in the Himalayas, where sister Deborah Kerr has her hands full with an envious
nun (the remarkable Kathleen Byron) and a sardonic Englishman (David Farrar).
Director Michael Powell and screenwriter Emeric Pressburger, the team responsible
for the mid-forties masterpieces A Stairway to Heaven and The
Red Shoes, decided to shoot Black Narcissus entirely in the studio,
so they could create their own controlled, slightly unreal world. The choice
paid off, as both art director Alfred Junge and cinematographer Jack Cardiff
won Oscars for their blazing Technicolor work. The climactic sequence --
a murder attempt on the cliffs of the cloister -- bears special attention,
as Powell "set" the sequence to a preexisting musical track, staging it
as though it were a piece of visual choreography. Adding a bit of behind-the-scenes
tension to the production was the fact that Kerr was the director's ex-mistress,
and Byron his current one. "It was a situation not uncommon in show business,
I was told", he later wrote, "but it was new to me." -- Robert Horton
See also:
DVD Savant review by Glenn Erickson
Criterion
The Red Shoes (1948)
Special features include:
Audio commentary by Ian Christie, Moira Shearer, Marius Goring, and Brian
Easdale (on 2nd audio track)
Readings by Jeremy Irons from P&P's 1978 book of TRS (on 3rd audio track)
Martin Scorsese's memorabilia collection.
Storyboard comparison of Hein Heckroth's sketches and The Red Shoes Ballet.
You can view them in split screen with either the music from the ballet
or with Jeremy Irons reading from the original story of The Red Shoes by
Hans Christian
Anderson.
A P&P filmography complete with clips or stills.
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Additional information |
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Copyright: |
1999, Criterion |
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Special Features: |
Audio Commentary, Photo Gallery, Theatrical Trailer, Filmographies, Story
Boards |
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Video Format: |
Standard 1.33:1 |
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Subtitles: |
English |
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Audio Tracks: |
English: Dolby Digital Mono |
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# Discs: |
1 |
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Layers: |
Dual |
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# Sides: |
One |
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Other: |
Produced by Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger
Written by Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger
DVD released on 05/25/1999
running time of 134 minutes
Closed Captioned. |
Criterion
Peeping Tom (1960)
Special features include:
Audio essay by renowned film theorist Laura Mulvey
"A Very British Psycho," directed by Chris Rodley: the Channel 4 U.K. documentary
about the life of screenwriter Leo Marks, as well as the making and critical
reception of Peeping Tom.
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Additional information |
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Copyright: |
1999, Criterion |
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Special Features: |
Photo Gallery, Theatrical Trailer, Interactive Menus, Documentaries, Audio
Commentary |
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Video Format: |
Widescreen 1.66:1 |
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Add'l Features: |
Enhanced for 16x9 TVs |
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Subtitles: |
English |
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Audio Tracks: |
English: Digital Mono |
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# Discs: |
1 |
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Layers: |
Dual |
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Other: |
Produced by Michael Powell
Written by Leo Marks
DVD released on 11/16/1999
running time of 101 minutes
Closed Captioned. |
See also:
DVD Savant review by Glenn Erickson
Alan says:- PT on DVD
Rather annoyingly, Peeping Tom arrived on DVD just as I was leaving for
work this morning. Naturally I made the decision to go in late so that I
could check it out, and unsurprisingly it's pretty impressive. It contains
the Channel 4 documentary about Leo Marks, an audio essay by someone whose
name escapes me but isn't Ian Christie
{it's Laura Mulvey - Steve}, some production photos and a restored
anamorphic widescreen (1.66:1) print in some of the most lurid EastmanColor
I've ever seen. The soundtrack is also fully restored and it contains the
original teen-slasher style trailer, which is moderately hilarious.
Region 2
Europe and the UK, Japan, South Africa, Middle East (including Egypt)
Carlton: The Silver Collection
The Red Shoes (1948)
A Canterbury Tale (1944)
Both of these are bare-bones releases, and are probably best avoided apart
from they way that they allow you to jump straight to your favourite scenes.
Apart from that there's not much advantage to these over the VHS tapes -
Alan.
Roger Mellor says:-
ACT & TRS on DVD
Just saw the new UK DVD release by Carlton of TRS and ACT in local store........
If you have them on a good VHS, I wouldn't waste your money ......... (even
at nine pounds each........) There are NO extras, the only bonus being the
indexing of individual scenes. The prints are not indicated as being digitally
improved like the Criterion USA DVD, and is almost certainly the same print
as used for the UK VHS release.... Typical of Carlton's attitude to packaging
is that ACT is indicated as being in "Stereo"........ Do they know something
we don't?
Alan adds:-
Oops. I should have mentioned the quality problem earlier - I picked up
ACT on day of release and was a little underwhelmed on first impressions,
especially some of the night scenes (DVD when done badly has a real dislike
for high contrast scenes and blacks in general).
Steve commented:-
But at least you can jump straight to your favourite scenes with a DVD :)
However it's a puzzle as to how they even managed to get the name of one
of the stars wrong on the front cover - they say it stars Eric Portman,
Sheila Sim, Dennis Price & Sergeant John Smith (U.S. Army)
Carlton
The Red Shoes (1948) Special edition
A second release from Carlton with the addition of a documentary
"A Profile of 'The Red Shoes'" by David Lemon which contains interviews
with Darcey Bussell, Jack Cardiff, Christopher Challis, Ian Christie,
Andrew Macdonald, Kevin Macdonald & Christian Routh
Carlton: The Rank Collection
A Matter of Life and Death (1946)
A much better attempt from Carlton. A pretty good transfer and also includes
a short interview with Jack Cardiff.
Alan says:-
AMOLAD on DVD
Just spent an enjoyable couple of hours reminding myself why I love AMOLAD.
The DVD contains a short documentary featuring Jack Cardiff entitled "The
Colour Merchant". Although only 10 minutes long, Jack is on fine form, and
the doc is well put together. I'm not sure if this is available elsewhere.
Carlton: Cinema Club
The Battle Of The River Plate (1956)
Another bare-bones release. No subtitles, no "extras"
Region 3
Southeast Asia, East Asia (including Hong Kong)
None yet.
Region 4
Australia, New Zealand, Pacific Islands, Central America, Mexico,
South America, Caribbean
The Korda Collection
The Thief of Bagdad (1940)
(Really a Region 2/4 DVD)
A fairly "standard" DVD with no real extras.
Worthy of note is that it's labelled as a part of The Korda Collection and
they attribute Alexander Korda as the ONLY director in the only extra section
they do offer - cast and director information.
On the introductory screens they say that they got the information from
the
IMDb and one of the books about Korda. When you view the cast and director
information this soon becomes clear as they haven't even tidied up some
of the conventions used on the IMDb (such as "Film Title, The")
Carlton/Roadshow Entertainment
The Red Shoes (1948)
An Australian release of what is essentially the
Special Edition Carlton DVD.
It has the Carlton documentary
Region 5
Eastern Europe, Former Soviet Union, Indian Subcontinent, Africa
(except S.A.), North Korea, Mongolia
None yet.
Region 6
China
None yet.
Possible future releases
Criterion Laserdiscs exist of "Tales of Hoffmann" and
"49th Parallel" so these may be forthcoming subject
to licensing issues.
"One of Our Aircraft is Missing", "The Spy in Black", and "The
Small Back Room" are prime candidates for release by the UK budget
labels, but no news yet.
Of course the one we all want is a Criterion style (full of extras)
release of "A Matter of Life and Death" (Stairway to Heaven) but
there is no news of that happening ... yet.
Remainder of FAQ Section 2
