The Cinema of Powell and Pressburger
Claire Smith editor Nathalie Morris editor
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Published:5th Oct '23
£30.00
Available for immediate dispatch.
Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger were true visionaries of British film, creating glorious technicolor cinematic masterpieces including A Matter of Life and Death (1946), Black Narcissus (1947) and The Red Shoes (1948). Delving into their magical, mystical and obsessive worlds, this lavishly illustrated publication presents fresh perspectives on the film-making duo, while presenting stunning previously unseen and unpublished images.
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.
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 richly illustrated book … Alongside the films themselves, this splendid book is testament to a unique creative collaboration. -- Jacqueline Riding * The Art Newspaper *
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 *
Echoing the laudatory tone of the BFI season, The Cinema of Powell and Pressburger is the kind of elegant, thoughtful book museums issue to commemorate an exhibition... Morris and Smith's book is a valuable addition to the literature on Powell and Pressburger. * Cineaste Magazine *
Morris and Smith’s collection is a superb resource, and there is so much here on which scholars of multiple disciplines can profitably draw and build ... The composite structure of each chapter and the juxtaposition of the analytical, archival, and reflective components set this volume apart from previous scholarship on Powell and Pressburger, offering different insights from those found in autobiographical and biographical works. The editors’ expert knowledge of the archival material is a particular strength here. This book will delight and inform those coming to Powell and Pressburger’s works for the first time. It will send those familiar with the Archers back to the films themselves with a new set of critical tools and also invites further attention to be directed to the filmmakers’ materials in the BFI archive itself. -- Matthew Woodcock, University of Leeds * History *
ISBN: 9781838719173
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
216 pages