The Archers (Powell & Pressburger): S/D

monday 19th 13:15: the elusive pimpernel
tuesday 20th 13:00: a canterbury tale
thursday 22nd 13:20: ill met by moonlight

Destroy: Powell's autobiography, rivaled only by Isaac Asimov's in length and tediousness.

The Pressburger bio that came out several years back was pretty good though. Maybe the guy who wrote it was his nephew or grandson?

And has anybody seen any of Powell's quota quickies? I have this strange memory of being in a hotel and a movie called something like Rynox came on the television and then it said "Directed by Michael Powell," but I had to go out so I didn't watch it. The beginning was nothing special.

http://telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2005/08/13/bfdvds13.xml&menuId=564&sSheet=/arts/2005/08/13/ixfilmmain.html

The Powell & Pressburger Box Set:
Battle of the River Plate;
A Canterbury Tale;
49th Parallel;
I Know Where I'm Going;
Ill Met by Moonlight;
The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp;
The Red Shoes;
A Matter of Life and Death;
They're a Weird Mob
Granada Ventures, DVD (9 discs), £17.99; only in HMV

18 quid is a good deal.
"only in HMV"?

I saw A Canterbury Tale last year, then went to Canterbury with the Vicar and Rener! It was a bit like, in the film.

I seem to have had half an eye on I Know Where I'm Going so many times.

A Matter Of Life and Death will always be the central picture for me.

including the HMV website (where it's still 40 quid). i guess this is an instore deal or the website's old. (or the guardian and the times were both wrong)

I saw a (WWII?) lifeboat movie that was shot by Jack Cardiff once that was pretty interesting- google tells me it was called Western Approaches.

Is it only £17.99 if you pick it up "in store"? I'm not familiar with HMV as I'm not from the UK. But damn, I want this.

No, the radio subplot involves her fiancé. Checking up on this led me to discover that Petula Clark has a small role in the movie.

not even then according to starry who popped out at lunchtime. appears both papers were incorrect.

Next Sunday is The Red Shoes and the TCM premiere of- they said it couldn't be shown on television - Peeping Tom.

have seen Peeping Tom at least twice on english tv, last time was as recently as May.

However, Matter Of Life & Death is flawless. Wonderful in every way. I liked Peeping Tom but still, it pales next to most Hitchcock.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0033627/

Saturday 29th

9:00 pm
In Which We Serve
Classic drama starring Noel Coward and John Mills. Adrift at sea after their Royal Navy destroyer is attacked and sunk, the surviving crew members recount their stories in flashback. [1942, b&w][S]

10:50 pm
The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp
Powell and Pressburger's masterpiece of British cinema chronicles the extraordinary life story of British army officer Clive Candy, beginning with his early career in the Boer War. [1943][S]

Sunday 30th

7:00 pm
The Colditz Story
John Mills stars in the true story of the notorious German POW establishment and the officers who tried to escape from it. [1955, b&w][S]

8:35 pm
A Bridge Too Far
Star-studded epic war film recounting Operation Market Garden, the daring Allied plan to parachute 35,000 troops into occupied Holland to capture a strategic line of bridges. [1977]

Monday 1st May

7:20 pm
The Man Who Never Was
Spring 1943. As the Allies plan to invade Europe through Sicily they must deceive the enemy into expecting the attack elsewhere. Two British officers propose a daring and ingenious plan. [1956]

(which is a nice little selection. needs more submarines though)

No Taster’s Choice Freeze-dried for The Archers

https://cinemacats.com/the-small-back-room-1949/

This 111 minute DCP version of GONE TO EARTH has clearly been restored since the 82 minute WILD AT HEART version they showed seven years ago.

Sorry, THE WILD HEART

Reminds me that I geeked out and listened to an audio adaptation of BLACK NARCISSUS with Cyril Cusack’s daughter Sinéad as Sister Clodagh.

Xpost Looks kind of interesting - had no idea he was a novelist as well until I saw the doco. What struck me watching the doco was how all these quintessentially British movies of the 40s were made by Hungarian emigre Pressburger and Powell who got his break working for an American studio in France. I guess the experimental side of their movies is not so British...

Kinda but you also have to take into account that when the Archers were working the UK as a film industry was much more open to foreign talent, there was a lot of give and take with the continent and elsewhere. The Kordas, Cavalcanti, René Clair...

my other half has read Pressburger's novel and says it is very good

my other half has read Pressburger's novel and says it is very good

oops so interesting I had to post it twice!

it was a kindle-daily-deal a month or so ago (but only kindle, it didn't filter down to the kobo-friendly stores)

Kinda but you also have to take into account that when the Archers were working the UK as a film industry was much more open to foreign talent, there was a lot of give and take with the continent and elsewhere. The Kordas, Cavalcanti, René Clair...

Think Pressburger may have actually written more than one novel

Xpost Yes good point, and I guess also that not all the films of their imperial phase were so quintessentially English - I can imagine The Red Shoes as a late 40s French movie. Can't really see A Canterbury Tales transposed to Rouen or wherever though!

Parts of ACT aren't so very far from e.g. Vigo

been a long time since I've seen it, but perhaps Clouzot's Le Corbeau?

Got my eye on GONE TO EARTH and THE ELUSIVE PIMPERNEL this weekend

Guess there is also a version of this series in LA right now.

These BFI notes linked by MoMA are pretty good.

Although sometimes the story changes a bit. Here Powell is quoted as saying the germ of the idea of BLIMP was from Emeric, but elsewhere he says the suggestion came from David Lean.

been a long time since I've seen it, but perhaps Clouzot's Le Corbeau?

also a very distinctively weird movie that I liked, in many ways they both directors were at odds with over-censorious arseholes from right-wing/fascist regimes, but still managed to make a great movie

https://www.shropshirestar.com/entertainment/2016/04/04/pontesbury-woman-talks-about-her-familys-time-on-film/

Because I saw GONE TO EARTH yesterday.

Today was THE ELUSIVE PIMPERNEL

BBC2 this weekend, new documentary

SAT 16th 13:30 The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp
SAT 16th 16:10 I Know Where I'm Going!

SUN 17th 22:00 Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger

and then BBC4

THU 21st 20:00 Martin Scorcese remembers P&P
THU 21st 20:20 I Know Where I'm Going!
THU 21st 21:50 I Know Where I'm Going! (Making Of)
THU 21st 22:25 The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp

Doc is pretty good

agreed

sorry wait no I was thinking of the merchant ivory doc. i haven't seen this one yet

I have the blus of Powell's early quota quickies and that amazing looking late career opera adaptation they did on my "to watch" pile, gotta get around to those.

I've never seen it but the clips of tales of hoffmann in the 'made in England' doc make it look absolutely incredible

Yeah, it's pretty good to look at. Of a piece with The Red Shoes, but maybe not quite as, um, focused.
Bluebeard's Castle also worth seeing tbh.

rare showing for The Edge Of The World and the documentary on bbc4 on Saturday.

Made In England was great btw. hard to miss given the subject matter really.

Looks like it’s streaming on Kanopy now.

https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v47/n05/alex-harvey/heaven-s-waiting-room

Didn't know Pressburger had written novels

Sky Arts (ch36) did one of their Classic Movies: The Story Of... on Colonel Blimp this week. it's repeated saturday (14:00) and sunday (monday 01:00). i don't suppose there's much new in there.