Powell and Pressburger aren’t names that would trip off the tongue of the average cinemagoer, but most people with even a passing interest in British cinema will be familiar with their work. The directing duo are beloved icons of British cinema’s golden age, with films like A Matter of Life and Death and The Red Shoes still considered to be among the best to be made in this country, or anywhere. Here, longtime champion Martin Scorsese takes you on a journey through their careers, their filmmaking skill, and their importance to cinema.
If you have no idea who these men are, let Scorsese’s enthusiasm take you to school. Paired with archive footage and interviews, the Oscar-winner eagerly going through each of their films with a fanboy’s affection, as well as trivia that will put a lot of the work in context. For instance, then-Prime Minister Winston Churchill felt personally affronted by 1943’s The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, which he saw as detrimental to the war effort.
These stories and more are amusingly recalled the men in old clips, while Scorsese beams with enthusiasm at their craft. It should be said that Powell in particular had a personal friendship with Scorsese toward the end of his life, and married the director’s long-time editor Thelma Schoonmaker. However, this adds tenderness rather than bias to our scholarly narrator.
It’s difficult to imagine anyone going into Made In England who isn’t a fan of its subjects, and so to an extent this retrospective will preach to the choir. However, anyone who considers themselves a bit of a film buff will feast on this celebration.
Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger review