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]

Submitted by Roger Mellor

The Lion Has Wings (1939)
"Radio Times" film guide

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Director - Michael Powell, Brian Desmond Hurst and Adrian Brunel
Starring - Merle Oberon & Ralph Richardson
Running Time - 72 mins
Country of Origin - UK

Produced with foresight by Alexander Korda, and hustled into cinemas a mere eight weeks after it started shooting, this propagandist feature attempts to predict what would happen if war broke out, a sort of Things to Come meets the GPO Film Unit. The film falls into two halves. The first, brilliantly edited (by William Hornbeck) documentary section contrasts peaceful England with a Germany arming for war; the second and, frankly, ludicrous fictional section has Merle Oberon (Mrs Korda) fretting over RAF hubby Ralph Richardson. It's still interesting to see today, though. Watch for Flora Robson in an excerpt from Fire over England and great chunks of the air raid featurette The Gap.

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