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]

The Tales of Hoffmann
Capsule by Dave Kehr
From the Chicago Reader

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Hard to take, despite the clear personal commitment of director Michael Powell and the enormous amount of talent on display in the photography, set design, and choreography (1953). Powell had made The Red Shoes five years earlier; here he was clearly hoping to expand the style of the final ballet segment into feature length. But without dramatic grounding Powell's voluptuous visuals seem empty, and his manic inventiveness operates in a void. Still, Offenbach's opera does serve Powell's themes remarkably well, and the film has its articulate defenders. With Robert Rounseville, Robert Helpmann, Pamela Brown, Moira Shearer, and Frederick Ashton.

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