Timeline for the life of Michael Powell

The Powell & Pressburger Pages
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Timeline for the life of Michael Powell

This is a work in progress. I'm still trying to pin down some of the exact dates. Micky's autobiographies are a but shy on exact dates and they have to be reckoned by context with other events. But he does jump around in time quite a bit with well disguised flash-forwards and flash-backs.

When Where What Context
30th September 1905 Howlett's Farm, Bekesbourne, Kent Michael was born.
Michael's father is a "gentleman farmer" running a smallish farm just East of Canterbury. Michael is the younger of two boys and worships his elder brother John.

April 1911 Hoath Farm, Bekesbourne, Kent According to the 1911 census, the Powell family is living at "The Hoath, Canterbury". This is the Hoath Farm on Bekesbourne Lane which is off to the south of Littlebourne Road (A257) the Sandwich road out of Canterbury.

Recorded as living there are:
Thomas William Powell, aged 35, farmer & hop grower, born in Upper Wick, Worcester
Mabel Powell, aged 39, married for 10 years, born in Mary Terrace, Worcester
John Miles Powell, aged 8, born in Leigh, Worcester
Michael Latham Powell, aged 5, born in Bekesbourne, Kent
Cecil Edward Danson Scott, aged 31, a visiting farm student from South Kensington, London
Emma Jefferies, aged 20, a housemaid and domestic servant
King's School Canterbury Halcyon days, until...
1918, John, Micky's brother, dies from a burst appendix
1920-1922 Dulwich College, South London
1922-1925 National & Provincial bank, Canterbury Working as a bank clerk. Not happy.
1925 Studios de la Victorine, Nice, Alpes-Maritimes, France Assistant to director and producer Rex Ingram
1926 Victorine studios General dogsbody on Mare Nostrum and
minor comedic rôle in The Magician
1926 South of France Met Jacques Feyder and Luis Buñuel whilst working on Carmen
1927 South of France Made Riviera Revels - Travelaugh series with Harry Lachman Briefly married to Gloria Mary Rouger, divorced the same year
1927 Victorine studios Minor comedic rôle in The Garden of Allah for Ingram
1928-1929 South of France Working in all sorts of jobs, stills photographer, title cutter, editor, set designer, assistant director, camera operator etc. for various directors
1929 England Working as stills photographer, camera operator etc. for various directors including Alfred Hitchcock on Champagne, Blackmail, The Manxman
1930 Working as writer and uncredited assistant director on Caste for Campbell Gullan
1931 London Directed Two Crowded Hours
1931-1937 Directed 23 films. Many, but not all, were "quota quickies" made under the Cinematograph Films Act 1927. They were all quite low budget films though but gave Michael a chance to really learn his trade thoroughly. He appeared in minor roles in some of them. Not to "do a Hitchcock" but just to fill in small roles cheaply.
1937 Foula, Shetland, Scotland Made his first really personal film, The Edge of the World.
1939 London & Orkney, Scotland EotW seen by Alexander Korda who hired Powell as a contract director and brought him in to work on The Spy in Black where Powell was introduced to the writer, Emeric Pressburger.
1939-1957 Just about everywhere Powell and Pressburger both realise that their meeting is a "match made in Heaven" and they go on to make 19 films together over the next 18 years. Marries Frankie Reidy, 1st July 1943.
Kevin Powell born, 24th August, 1945
Columba Powell born, 1951
1957 The partnership splits up so that they can both work on their own projects. There are differences of opinion but no great arguments. They remain very close friends and will work on a few other projects together later in their lives.
1959 Spain Makes Luna de Miel (aka Honeymoon) in Spain
1960 London Makes Peeping Tom. The film receives some killer reviews from the mainstream press although the trade press gives quite positive reviews.
1961 Makes The Queen's Guards. The less said the better.
1964 Germany Makes Herzog Blaubarts Burg (aka Bluebeard's Castle) with his old friend, Hein Heckroth and Norman Foster.
1964-1965 England & Europe Makes some episodes for TV series "Espionage", "The Defenders" & "The Nurses"
1966 Sydney, Australia Makes They're a Weird Mob with a script written by Emeric.
1969 Australia Makes Age of Consent with James Mason & Helen Mirren.
1972 London Makes The Boy Who Turned Yellow with a script written by Emeric.
1978 London & Foula Makes Return to the Edge of the World as colour "bookends" for The Edge of the World (1937), revisiting Foula with some of the cast & crew
1978 Michael & Emeric start to be remembered, recognised for what they did and honoured.
1978, Hon DLitt, University of East Anglia
1978, Hon DLitt, University of Kent
1981, BAFTA Fellowship
1983, BFI Fellowship
1987, Hon Doctorate, Royal College of Arts 1970, retrospective of P&P films at the NFT
1973, Europalia exhibition, Belgium
1978, complete retrospective of extant works, London
1978, publication of "Powell, Pressburger and others" by Ian Christie
1985, publication of "Arrows of Desire" by Ian Christie
1979 Published novel "A Waiting Game"
1981 Zoetrope Studios, California Michael is made Director in Residence at Francis Ford Coppola's short lived Zoetrope Studios
Martin Scorsese, long fascinated by the films of P&P which he's seen on TV in B&W (even the colour films) as a youth, tracks down Micky & Emeric
5th July 1983 Frankie dies after surgery following a stroke
19th May 1984 Avening, Gloucestershire Michael marries Thelma Scoonmaker, Scorsese's long time editor
1985 First volume of autobiography "A Life in Movies" is published
1990 Avening, Gloucestershire Michael dies after battling cancer for some time
1995 The second volume of his autobiography, "Million Dollar Movie", is published posthumously

At various times Micky Powell lived at

Howlett's Farm, Nr Canterbury, Kent
Hoath Farm, Nr Canterbury, Kent
Hotel Voile d'Or, St Jean Cap Ferrat, S of France
You can visit the hotel online and see our pictures when I visited the hotel with the lovely Natacha in May 2009.
65a Chester Square, London, SW1W 9DU
Quarry House, Bratton Fleming, N. Devon, EX31 4SD
(Just 15 miles from Saunton Sands [AMOLAD])
Michael bought Quarry House on 30th January 1943 and sold it on 6th December 1944
Information supplied by David Harris who bough Quarry House in 2007 and Michael's details were on the documents showing previous owners
8 Melbury Road, London, W14 8LR
2 Ilchester Place, London W14 8AA; 1946 - ?
Room 10, The Savile Club, 69, Brook St., London W1Y 2ER
No 2, Lee Cottages, Avening, Gloucestershire

Offices of The Archers

4 Albemarle Street, London W1
120 Dorset House, Gloucester Place, London W1

Back to index

When	Where	What	Context
30th September 1905	Howlett's Farm, Bekesbourne, Kent	Michael was born. Michael's father is a "gentleman farmer" running a smallish farm just East of Canterbury. Michael is the younger of two boys and worships his elder brother John.
April 1911	Hoath Farm, Bekesbourne, Kent	According to the 1911 census, the Powell family is living at "The Hoath, Canterbury". This is the Hoath Farm on Bekesbourne Lane which is off to the south of Littlebourne Road (A257) the Sandwich road out of Canterbury. Recorded as living there are: Thomas William Powell, aged 35, farmer & hop grower, born in Upper Wick, Worcester Mabel Powell, aged 39, married for 10 years, born in Mary Terrace, Worcester John Miles Powell, aged 8, born in Leigh, Worcester Michael Latham Powell, aged 5, born in Bekesbourne, Kent Cecil Edward Danson Scott, aged 31, a visiting farm student from South Kensington, London Emma Jefferies, aged 20, a housemaid and domestic servant
	King's School Canterbury	Halcyon days, until... 1918, John, Micky's brother, dies from a burst appendix
1920-1922	Dulwich College, South London
1922-1925	National & Provincial bank, Canterbury	Working as a bank clerk. Not happy.
1925	Studios de la Victorine, Nice, Alpes-Maritimes, France	Assistant to director and producer Rex Ingram
1926	Victorine studios	General dogsbody on Mare Nostrum and minor comedic rôle in The Magician
1926	South of France	Met Jacques Feyder and Luis Buñuel whilst working on Carmen
1927	South of France	Made Riviera Revels - Travelaugh series with Harry Lachman	Briefly married to Gloria Mary Rouger, divorced the same year
1927	Victorine studios	Minor comedic rôle in The Garden of Allah for Ingram
1928-1929	South of France	Working in all sorts of jobs, stills photographer, title cutter, editor, set designer, assistant director, camera operator etc. for various directors
1929	England	Working as stills photographer, camera operator etc. for various directors including Alfred Hitchcock on Champagne, Blackmail, The Manxman
1930		Working as writer and uncredited assistant director on Caste for Campbell Gullan
1931	London	Directed Two Crowded Hours
1931-1937		Directed 23 films. Many, but not all, were "quota quickies" made under the Cinematograph Films Act 1927. They were all quite low budget films though but gave Michael a chance to really learn his trade thoroughly. He appeared in minor roles in some of them. Not to "do a Hitchcock" but just to fill in small roles cheaply.
1937	Foula, Shetland, Scotland	Made his first really personal film, The Edge of the World.
1939	London & Orkney, Scotland	EotW seen by Alexander Korda who hired Powell as a contract director and brought him in to work on The Spy in Black where Powell was introduced to the writer, Emeric Pressburger.
1939-1957	Just about everywhere	Powell and Pressburger both realise that their meeting is a "match made in Heaven" and they go on to make 19 films together over the next 18 years.	Marries Frankie Reidy, 1st July 1943. Kevin Powell born, 24th August, 1945 Columba Powell born, 1951
1957		The partnership splits up so that they can both work on their own projects. There are differences of opinion but no great arguments. They remain very close friends and will work on a few other projects together later in their lives.
1959	Spain	Makes Luna de Miel (aka Honeymoon) in Spain
1960	London	Makes Peeping Tom. The film receives some killer reviews from the mainstream press although the trade press gives quite positive reviews.
1961		Makes The Queen's Guards. The less said the better.
1964	Germany	Makes Herzog Blaubarts Burg (aka Bluebeard's Castle) with his old friend, Hein Heckroth and Norman Foster.
1964-1965	England & Europe	Makes some episodes for TV series "Espionage", "The Defenders" & "The Nurses"
1966	Sydney, Australia	Makes They're a Weird Mob with a script written by Emeric.
1969	Australia	Makes Age of Consent with James Mason & Helen Mirren.
1972	London	Makes The Boy Who Turned Yellow with a script written by Emeric.
1978	London & Foula	Makes Return to the Edge of the World as colour "bookends" for The Edge of the World (1937), revisiting Foula with some of the cast & crew
1978		Michael & Emeric start to be remembered, recognised for what they did and honoured. 1978, Hon DLitt, University of East Anglia 1978, Hon DLitt, University of Kent 1981, BAFTA Fellowship 1983, BFI Fellowship 1987, Hon Doctorate, Royal College of Arts	1970, retrospective of P&P films at the NFT 1973, Europalia exhibition, Belgium 1978, complete retrospective of extant works, London 1978, publication of "Powell, Pressburger and others" by Ian Christie 1985, publication of "Arrows of Desire" by Ian Christie
1979		Published novel "A Waiting Game"
1981	Zoetrope Studios, California	Michael is made Director in Residence at Francis Ford Coppola's short lived Zoetrope Studios
		Martin Scorsese, long fascinated by the films of P&P which he's seen on TV in B&W (even the colour films) as a youth, tracks down Micky & Emeric
5th July 1983		Frankie dies after surgery following a stroke
19th May 1984	Avening, Gloucestershire	Michael marries Thelma Scoonmaker, Scorsese's long time editor
1985		First volume of autobiography "A Life in Movies" is published
1990	Avening, Gloucestershire	Michael dies after battling cancer for some time
1995		The second volume of his autobiography, "Million Dollar Movie", is published posthumously