The Cinema of Powell and Pressburger

by Nathalie Morris (editor), Claire Smith (Editor)

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.

Genres: Film

216 pages, Hardcover

Published October 5, 2023

Reviews

[Clare · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book contained some interesting views and essays about the more famous Arrow films. It also covered their influence on other creatives with examples of the work generated, which was fascinating. What came across most strongly was the love and passion so many people had for these films. Something of the character of Powell and Pressburger was conveyed. This isn't a biography or in depth analysis of their films and how they were made, but it gives an overall feel of what the aims of the team were, and how it truly was teamwork. The production artwork was beautiful. The details of unmade films made me wish someone would give them a go!

[Gary Fowles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scholarly but still immensely readable, in a way that many film books like this tend not to be. I like the fact that various people tackle various aspects of Powell & Pressburger’s lives and work, rather than a film by film analysis.
On top of that is the fact that this book is packed with a sumptuous array of foreign posters, press stills and production design work.
All in all this doesn’t make up for the fact that I couldn’t make it to the BFIs recent retrospective on P&P, but it comes a close second.

[PJ Ebbrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating look various aspects of Powell & Pressburger's films by other film makers. There are a lot of preproduction artwork, which I have never seen.