The Tales of Hoffman

While carousing in a basement barroom during intermission, a sworn enemy intercepts a rendez-vous note from the show’s star as the poet tells the tragic stories of three long-lost loves. Done in Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s grand style, The Tales of Hoffman is an uncompromising vision of Jacques Offenbach’s opera featuring stunning singing and dancing (including Moira Shearer fresh off of her appearance in the filmmakers’ The Red Shoes) and outlandish and unforgettable set design.

*** ½ out of ****

The Thief of Bagdad (1924 and 1940)

In the first of these two diverging tellings of the Arabian Nights tales, Douglas Fairbanks stars as a beggar and master pickpocket in the Bagdad bazar who becomes completely awestruck at the sight of the princess (Julanne Johnston) and seeks to break into the castle at the same time she is visited by an evil Mongolian sultan and two other loutish princes all trying to win her hand. An Alexander Korda produced (and partially directed by Michael Powell) barely related follow-up sees a feckless King (John Justin) overthrown by his iniquitous right-hand Jafar (Conrad Viedt), finding his purpose in the princess (played by June Duprez also targeted by Jafar), and sharing the fate of an industrious street urchin (Sabu) who happens upon an insolent, all-powerful genie. Raoul Walsh’s 1924 treatment of The Thief of Bagdad is a rousing silent entertainment, boasting an exciting story, remarkable sets, and an engaging Fairbanks performance. The 1940 British update, released to a besieged wartime audience, is a fantastic family entertainment featuring state of the art Technicolor special effects that make you lament the current state of the magic-lacking movies. Sabu, Justin, Viegt and Ingram all leave an imprint.

1924 version: *** ½ out of ****

1940 version: *** ½ out of ****

The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp

An aged British officer (Roger Livesey) and member of the Home Guard as World War II breaks out in Europe, is the victim of an insensitive prank by a junior officer. After berating the young lad, he flashes back to his distinguished military career spanning both the Boer War and the First Great War, as well as his personal involvements with a German soldier and friend (Anton Walbrook) and his three great loves (all played by Deborah Kerr). Filmmakers Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger adapted the popular 1930s Colonel Blimp comic strip which, according to the Wikipedia entry, depicted a "pompous, irascible, jingoistic, and stereotypically British" type, and crafted a deeply felt, sympathetic character, played with gusto by Livesey, in an impeccably made film. Walbrook and Kerr contribute greatly and some exciting, innovative filmmaking, including some quick cutting montages, make this the essence of The Archer's considerable work.

Peeping Tom

A disturbed photographer (Karlheinz Bohm), damaged by his over-analytical psychiatrist father during childhood, devises a method of capturing women at their most horrifyingly expressionistic moment possible, with his handheld camera which doubles as a bayonet. While becoming a suspect after an extra (Moira Shearer) on the film set he has been contracted on disappears, he begins a relationship with the kind young woman (Anna Massey) living in the flat below as he starts work on his latest masterpiece. Following a  career of astounding, against the grain projects, many with his longtime partner Emeric Pressburger, Michael Powell's "Peeping Tom" was panned as trash by a stuffy 1960's Britain and essentially marked the end of the distinguished director's career. In the passing years, the tide of opinion has shifted, and Powell's disquieting statement on voyeurism and psychoanalysis has been heralded as the unflinching masterpiece it is. Bohm gives a shocking, non-emotive performance and Massey is likewise excellent in this uncompromising and frightening picture.

......One of Our Aircraft Is Missing

After an RAF bomber is shot down over Nazi occupied Holland, a team of six fighter pilots relies on the charity of the Dutch freedom fighting underground as they make their way to the North Sea for their escape back to Britain. "......One of Our Aircraft Is Missing" is one of the early of films of the lengthy collaboration between Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, known collectively as The Archers, and one of several they made to assist the Allied war effort during WWII. The film is wonderfully written, with much patriotic verve, and painstakingly made, but it does feel somewhat rushed, as surely it must have been to serve its purpose at the time. The mumbled Britspeak is also very difficult to understand. Of its cast, you can glimpse a young Peter Ustinov as a priest and Googie Withers delivers an excellent speech as a Dutch resistance member. A better example of a similar film can be seen in "49th Parallel," the Archers' previous work which details a band of marooned Nazis who are also confronted by the goodness and resilience of the people they encounter as they maraud their way through Canada to a then neutral United States. 

Age of Consent

An aging artist (James Mason), feeling uninspired in New York City, returns to his native country for inspiration, seeking solace on a gorgeous, supposedly deserted isle off The Great Barrier Reef. To his surprise, he meets a beautiful, teen aged island inhabitant (Helen Mirren) who quickly becomes his muse, which leads to cases of blackmail and extortion, initiated by an old chum (Jack MacGowran) and the girl's wicked, boozy grandmother (Neva Carr-Glynn). "Age of Consent" was the last film in the remarkable career of the innovative director Michael Powell, and was made after a period of ostracism following the release of his controversial, ahead of its time "Peeping Tom" in 1960. Based on an autobiographical book by the Australian artist Norman Lindsay, it features a late career performance from Mason and a very early one from Mirren (who is incredibly sexy in the picture), both of which are excellent, and the central relationship between the two is surprisingly sweet. This is also a great looking picture, containing many of Powell's expected flourishes and like most of his films, many which were made with Emeric Pressburger, it ends well. The only flaw are the supporting performances from MacGowran and Carr-Glynn which are highly obnoxious and counter the tone of the film.

A Matter of Life and Death

In the middle of an air raid, a British RAF pilot (David Niven) makes a brief and undeniable connection with an American radio operator (Kim Hunter) before evacuating his plane without  a parachute, an action that should have claimed his life had his heavenly handler been on point. Now while embarking on a love affair with the operator, the pilot is informed that he will have to argue the case for his life before an ethereal court and seek a representative who can best testify on his behalf. "A Matter of Life and Death" (released as "Stairway to Heaven" in the U.S.) is an incredible work from Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger and serves as a summation for their numerous WWII films.  A young Niven delivers a remarkable performance as the quintessential Brit and Hunter is his match playing his sweet soulmate. Roger Livesey has a great supporting role as a doctor helping Niven with his visions as does Raymond Massey who plays the prosecuting attorney, an English hating American revolutionary. Filmed where heaven is seen in tints and earth is shown in ebullient complexion, a counter to the color scheme presented in "The Wizard of Oz", "A Matter of Life and Death" ranks among The Archers most visually fantastic, imaginative, and touching features.

49th Parallel

The crew of a German U-boat is stranded in Hudson Bay and begins to terrorize its way to the still neutral U.S.A. From fur trappers, to a Hutterite commune, to a camping intellectual, to a discouraged AWOL soldier, the Nazis only reinforce Canadian solidarity as the members of their group begin to dwindle. "49th Parallel" was a WWII propaganda film from the inimitable directing and writing team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger and shows the cruel and brutal actions of the brainwashed Germans against the colorful Canadian inhabitants, played by the likes of greats such as Laurence Olivier, Anton Walbrook, Leslie Howard, and Raymond Massey. "49th Parallel" serves dual purposes in being both a rousing and formidable entertainment.

The Criterion DVD features another propaganda film made for the war by the directing duo called "The Volunteer and made in 1943 to stir recruitment. It stars Ralph Richardson, currently performing Othello in London and follows his dresser as he becomes a war hero. Also featuring Olivier, this is a slight but not uninteresting relic from a great directing team.

The Red Shoes

While attending the ballet which was composed by his professor, a young composer notices his own work being used and writes an angry letter to the company's impresario. Trying to retrieve the letter the next morning, the impressed impresario offers him a job while at the same time extending an opportunity to an ambitious young dancer. As the troupe travels from London first to Paris and then to Monte Carlo, the lead dancer becomes engaged, and the furious impresario names the plucky new dancer as the lead in his adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen's The Red Shoes, which the young composer will write the score to. Soon, these three intense personalities become interlocked, and the young dancer must chose between her love of the composer and her passion for dance. Like most of the work, Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's "The Red Shoes" is an almost impossibly beautiful Technicolor composition. Featuring an astounding extending performance of the title play that transcends the stage, fantasy and reality blend in a work of pure imagination. All comes together in an incredible tragic sequence in the end. Moira Shearer is absolutely riveting as the young dancer and Anton Walbrook is just as fine as the demanding leader of the dance company. The movie is also highly influential and Darren Aronofsky owes more then a little bit to it for the success of his "Black Swan". "The Red Shoes" is a beautiful film that is a high demonstration for the expressiveness of film.

Black Narcissus

Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's 1947 Black Narcissus may be the most beautiful film ever made. A film in which the plot and the scenery change roles, as the plot fades to the background and you are left to admire the beautiful scenery brought to the forefront. The story tells of a group of Calcutta nuns who are sent to establish a missionary school in The Himalayas. There they face not only the treachery of the physical conditions, but the temptations which challenge their religious vows. Although the plot of this once controversial film has become stale, the scenery of the Himalayan mountains is good enough to be used in the Planet Earth series. The camerawork is really unthinkable for the time it was released. Also the ending is quite effective as well.
***1/2