1. Black Narcissus
2. 49th Parallel
3. The Edge of the World
4. The Red Shoes
5. Age of Consent
6. The Small Back Room
7. I Know Where I'm Going!
8. The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp
9. Stairway To Heaven
10. A Canterbury Tale
11. Something Always Happens
12. The Thief of Bagdad
13. Crown vs. Stevens
14. Peeping Tom
15. The Volunteer
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BORIS LIKES A LOT OF LITTLE THINGS TO KICK
I still have a lot to see...
1. Black Narcissus
2. The Thief of Bagdad
3. I Know Where I'm Going!
4. A Canterbury Tale
5. A Matter of Life and Death
6. The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp
7. The Red Shoes
8. The Small Back Room
9. Peeping Tom
I still have a lot to see...That's a lovely journey you have ahead of you
I know! The Thief of Bagdad is a childhood favourite and still one of my most beloved movies, while I've adored Black Narcissus for quite a few years now. I'm gradually catching up on some of Powell's other films and loveing every minute of the trip.
share1. Black Narcissus
2. The Red Shoes
3. The Small Back Room
4. Peeping Tom
5. I Know Where I'm Going!
Still desperately need to see A Matter of Life and Death/Stairway to Heaven and The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp.
"GOD--WAS--WRONG!"--James Mason, Bigger Than Life
Still desperately need to see A Matter of Life and Death/Stairway to Heaven and The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp.
Both are major films. Pressburger when pushed to a corner for his favourite would say Colonel Blimp, no doubt because of the autobiographical details. And Powell always cited A Matter of Life and Death(he hated, loathed, detested the title - Stairway to Heaven) as his favourite. Both films are related in that they deal with British history and society as it changed from an Empire to a post-colonial world but the styles are totally different. They're both really amazing, funny and deeply moving with casts to die for.
"Ça va by me, madame...Ça va by me!" - The Red Shoes
Still desperately need to see A Matter of Life and Death/Stairway to Heaven and The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp.
Most of them are 10/10 stuff, but Colonel Blimp is my favourite old darling.
Their chain of masterpieces in the 40s is simply stunning.
You're right that many of the individual films are 10/10 but it's the complete body of work that's totally stunning.
49th Parallel (1941)
One of Our Aircraft Is Missing (1942)
The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943)
A Canterbury Tale (1944)
I Know Where I'm Going! (1945)
A Matter of Life and Death (1946)
Black Narcissus (1947)
The Red Shoes (1948)
The Small Back Room (1949)
Gone to Earth (1950)
10 world class films in 10 years. That's a helluva run.
Then you add on the others they did together at either end of that run and the films Powell did by himself like Peeping Tom (1960)
Steve
1. Black Narcissus
2. The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp
3. The Red Shoes
4. I Know Where I'm Going!
5. The Small Back Room
6. 49th Parallel
7. A Matter of Life and Death
8. Peeping Tom
I haven't watched all of the films included in The Powell and Pressburger Collection yet but I will soon. Such an amazing body of work: I feel infinitely grateful to have discovered the magic of P & P.
>>10 world class films in 10 years. That's a helluva run. <<
Yes, it is. What other directors have had similar runs? One possibility would be John Ford.
I may have missed it, but I don't think P&P's '51 production of The Tales of Hoffmann made anyone's list. It is really wonderful, maybe in a class apart, but certainly top-tier. If you haven't seen it, you're in for a treat.
shareYes, it's great. But it's outside their "10 in 10 years" run because it came after The Small Back Room (1949), The Elusive Pimpernel (1950) and Gone to Earth (1950). Those last two are both very good in their own way and by anyone else would probably be considered a masterpiece. But P&P set the bar so high with their other films and TEP & GTE don't quite match up to them.
Also, they weren't original stories by Emeric Pressburger.
Steve
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I just discovered them, so I've only seen four, but here they are:
1. Black Narcissus
2. The Red Shoes
3. The Small Back Room
4. A Matter of Life and Death
I just have to say I think THE SMALL BACK ROOM is extremely underrated. I mean, who's ever heard of it anywhere else? But even though it's a little smaller than some of their other films, I think it's tense, tightly plotted, psychologically complex, and altogether brilliant. Spread the word about it, everyone!
Well Criterion thought it was worth doing a DVD of The Small Back Room and they usually select the very best films to make their DVDs.
[http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0019X400I/papas-20]
They wanted to do a DVD of A Matter of Life and Death as well but they didn't have the rights to it. But at least Sony have now done a DVD (along with Age of Consent)
[http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001IZNIV4/papas-20]
So what's next after those 4? What about some of their B&W films like A Canterbury Tale or I Know Where I'm Going!? Or their other Technicolor classic, The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp
Steve
I got A Canterbury Tale from the library, but I was unavoidably ripped away from it about halfway through, so I haven't seen it all yet. I'm definitely going to see I Know Where I'm Going! and The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, but after those three and Peeping Tom, I don't know what else I'll actually be able to find.
shareAll of their major films, and quite a few of their "not quite so major but still pretty darned good" films are available on DVD
Check the list at http://www.powell-pressburger.org/FAQ/FAQ271.html
Steve
Alright, I've seen a couple more now, so here's my updated list:
1. The Red Shoes
2. Black Narcissus (I could just as easily switch these top two)
3. The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp
4. Peeping Tom
5. The Small Back Room
6. A Matter of Life and Death
7. I Know Where I'm Going!
8. A Canterbury Tale
I've liked every one of them a lot, and been awed by my of them. Powell really is one of the all-time great directors, and I don't think he gets recognized enough for that.
As to what I'll watch next, I'm a poor college student who can't really afford to go buy a bunch of Criterion DVDs. So Age of Consent and Thief of Baghdad are both readily available at my local library, and Tales of Hoffmann at a library a little farther away. 49th Parallel and The Edge of the World are available on Netflix, but I can't take advantage of that at the moment. I'd really like to see One of Our Aircraft is Missing, and Gone to Earth, The Spy in Black, and Contraband all look interesting, but I can't seem to find any of them anywhere.
I haven't seen many yet, but I think this is how I'd place them:
1. The Small Back Room
2. Black Narcissus
3. The Red Shoes
4. 'I Know Where I'm Going!'
5. A Canterbury Tale
And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.
My Top Ten Powell & Pressburger (So Far):
1. The Red Shoes
2. The Small Back Room
3. Black Narcissus
4. A Canterbury Tale
5. The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp
6. I Know Where I'm Going!
7. 49th Parallel
8. A Matter of Life and Death
9. Contraband
10. Tales of Hoffman
1. Peeping Tom
2. The Red Shoes
3. Life and Death of Colonel Blimp
4. Black Narcissus
5. A Matter of Life and Death
6. I Know Where I'm going!