The Cinema of Powell and Pressburger

(Hardback)

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Description

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 which ties in with a major BFI exhibition and film programme presents fresh perspectives on the film-making duo, shining the spotlight not only on them, but also on their circle of talented collaborators, including cinematographer Jack Cardiff, designers Alfred Junge and Hein Heckroth and composers Brian Easdale and Allan Gray. The book's high profile contributors consider the concept of influence, too: those who had an impact on Powell and Pressburgers creative development, and the vast range of contemporary voices - from director Martin Scorsese to musician Kate Bush - who have found themselves haunted by their stories and images. Drawing on the BFIs stunning design and archive collections, as well as key objects held in other public and private collections, many of the images presented here are unique, previously unseen and unpublished.

Author Bio

Nathalie Morris is senior curator of Special Collections at the BFI. She writes for magazines including Sight & Sound; websites including Khoollect and BFI News & Opinion; and for DVD labels including Arrow, Indicator and BFI. She regularly speaks about film and has appeared on Nightwaves (Radio 3); Great Lives (Radio 4); and television documentaries and programmes including Mastermind (not as a contestant!). Nathalie has contributed to books including British Womens Cinema (2009); Women Screenwriters: An International Guide (2015); Ealing Studios Revisited (BFI, 2019). She has cooked Alfred Hitchcocks Quiche Lorraine on camera for the BFIs 2012 Hitchcock project and in her spare time she writes about movies and meals for her blog Food on Film. Claire Smith is Curator of Stills, Posters and Designs at the British Film Institute. She has contributed to exhibitions and publications on art, design, moving image and material history, including Quilts 1700 -2010 (2010), Henry Moore: Plasters (2011), 39 Steps to the Genius of Hitchcock (BFI, 2012) and Gothic: the Dark Heart of Film (BFI, 2013).