Martin Scorsese presents an impassioned and highly personal tribute to Powell and Pressburger’s work, richly illustrated with clips and rare archive material. It’s been said that had Martin Scorsese not become one of the world’s great filmmakers, he would still have been one of its greatest teachers of film history. This impassioned exploration of the films of two of his formative and most treasured inspirations follows the US filmmaker’s film essays on American and Italian cinema, delivering deeply personal reflections on what Powell and Pressburger’s work has meant to his life, alongside wonderfully illuminating analyses of the films themselves. Drawing richly from the BFI National Archive, as well as private material from Scorsese and the film’s editor (and Powell’s widow) Thelma Schoonmaker, David Hinton’s film is both an ideal introduction to Powell and Pressburger’s work, and the perfect complement to our recent Cinema Unbound: The Films of Powell + Pressburger season.
Martin Scorsese first encountered the films of Powell and Pressburger when he was a child, sitting in front of the family TV. When their famous logo came up on screen, Scorsese says, "You knew you were in for fantasy, wonder, magic - real film magic."
Now, in this documentary directed by David Hinton, he tells the story of his lifelong love-affair with their movies, including The Red Shoes, Black Narcissus, The Life and Death Of Colonel Blimp, and The Tales of Hoffmann.
"Certain films you simply run all the time and you live with them," Scorsese says. "As you grow older they grow deeper. I’m not sure how it happens, but it does. For me, that body of work is a wondrous presence, a constant source of energy, and a reminder of what life and art are all about."
Scorsese explores in full the collaboration between the Englishman Powell and the Hungarian Pressburger - two romantics and idealists, who thrived in the face of adversity during World War II but were eventually brought low by the film industry of the 1950s.
Scorsese celebrates their ability to create "subversive commercial movies" and describes how deeply their films have influenced his own work.
★★★★★
THE GUARDIAN
“A valentine to British cinema’s great dreamers”
VARIETY
“Glorious”
TOTAL FILM
“A unique homage to two legends”
EMPIRE
“A long overdue celebration”
DEADLINE
“A testament to mentorship and friendship”
THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
“A stunning compendium”
ROGEREBERT.COM