Overview

Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger were true visionaries of British cinema, creating glorious Technicolor masterpieces including A Matter of Life and Death (1946), Black Narcissus (1947) and The Red Shoes (1948). Delving into their magical and obsessive worlds, this lavishly-illustrated publication presents fresh perspectives on the filmmaking duo, shining the spotlight not only on them, but also on their circle of talented collaborators. Thelma Schoonmaker, Caitlin McDonald, Alexandra Harris, Mahesh Rao, Sarah Street, Ian Christie and Marina Warner write about the key figures who shared Powell and Pressburger’s creative journey, and Tilda Swinton, Tim Walker, Sarah Greenwood, Michelle Williams Gamaker, Sandy Powell, Joanna Hogg and Stephen Jones reflect on the ways in which Powell and Pressburger’s stories and images have haunted and inspired them in their own work. The Cinema of Powell and Pressburger draws on the BFI’s stunning design and archive collections, as well as key objects held in other public and private collections.

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9781838719173

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Reviews

This book is a pleasure to read, full of generous appreciations of Powell and Pressburger’s work from a multitude of personal angles. -- Philip Kemp * Sight & Sound * A lavish volume. -- Robin Ashenden * The Spectator * The Cinema of Powell and Pressburger raids the BFI’s archive to provide definitive visual gloss on the partnership’s career. Gorgeous paintings from the production-design teams. Reproductions of pages from Powell’s diary revealing his immaculately vertical penmanship. Lavish promotional stills that work subtle variations on the moving images. No coffee table is complete without it. -- Donald Clake * The Irish Times * A superb acknowledgement of the powerfully collaborative nature of filmmaking … [And] a record of remarkable artistic freedom made possible for a prolifically imaginative director and writer to cast their spells, enthusiasm and love. * London Grip *

This book is a pleasure to read, full of generous appreciations of Powell and Pressburger’s work from a multitude of personal angles. -- Philip Kemp * Sight & Sound * A lavish volume. -- Robin Ashenden * The Spectator * A superb acknowledgement of the powerfully collaborative nature of filmmaking … [And] a record of remarkable artistic freedom made possible for a prolifically imaginative director and writer to cast their spells, enthusiasm and love. * London Grip *

Author Information

Nathalie Morris is a writer, film historian and curator. She has held senior curatorial positions at the BFI National Archive and the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles, and has organised exhibitions on many aspects of cinema history including the art of the Hollywood backdrop, Indian cinema posters, women and silent cinema in Britain, and British Hitchcock. Claire Smith is Senior Curator of Special Collections at the BFI National Archive, where she curates filmmakers’ paper archives and the photographic and graphic arts collections. She has contributed to publications for the V&A Museum, The Henry Moore Foundation, the Royal Academy, The Courtauld Institute of Art and the BFI, as well as conducting research for exhibitions across these organisations.

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