The Masters  
The Powell & Pressburger Pages

Dedicated to the work of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger and all the other people, both actors and technicians who helped them make those wonderful films.

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Emeric Pressburger
Birth: 5th December 1902 - Miskolc, Hungary
Death: 5th February 1988 - Saxstead, England, UK
Occupation: Screenwriter, Director, Producer
Years Active: 1930-1972
Genre: Drama, Action, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy, Spy Film, Comedy, Drama

The screenwriter half of the Powell/ Pressburger team in association with Michael Powell, Hungarian-born Emeric Pressburger was a journalist before coming to films as a screenwriter in the late '20s. After working at Germany's UFA studios for several years, he fled after Hitler's rise to power and eventually came to England, where he joined London Films as a screenwriter and began his association with Michael Powell, a gifted young English filmmaker. The two worked together on The Spy in Black, and after leaving London Films, formed a filmmaking partnership -- known corporately as The Archers -- in which they shared joint screenwriter-producer-director credit. Their collaborations together included 49th Parallel, One of Our Aircraft Is Missing, The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, A Canterbury Tale, I Know Where I'm Going, A Matter of Life and Death (Stairway to Heaven), Black Narcissus, The Red Shoes, The Small Back Room, and The Tales of Hoffmann, most of which were extremely successful internationally, although British critics frequently gave their films mixed reviews. The partnership split up after 1956, and Pressburger returned to writing after one attempt at directing (Twice Upon a Time) and producing (Miracle in Soho). Pressburger's novel Killing a Mouse on Sunday was later adapted into the movie Behold a Pale Horse. The perception of many of those around them was in the Powell / Pressburger partnership, Powell was the partly out-of-control genius, while Pressburger was the force that focused the team onto their most viable projects. -- Bruce Eder, All-Movie Guide

**+ (2.5 stars) The Boy Who Turned Yellow 1972 Screenwriter
*** (3 stars) Boxcar Bertha 1972 Actor
(or was he?)
**+ (2.5 stars) They're a Weird Mob 1966 Screenwriter
(as Richard Imrie)
*** (3 stars) Operation Crossbow 1965 Screenwriter
(as Richard Imrie)
**+ (2.5 stars) Behold a Pale Horse 1964 Writer (novel)
**+ (2.5 stars) Ill Met by Moonlight
(Night Ambush)
1957 Director, Producer, Screenwriter
*** (3 stars) Miracle in Soho 1957 Producer, Screenwriter
**+ (2.5 stars) Oh ... Rosalinda!! 1956 Director, Producer, Screenwriter
** (2 stars) Battle of the River Plate
(Pursuit of the Graf Spee)
1956 Director, Producer, Screenwriter
*+ (1.5 stars) Twice upon a Time 1953 Director, Producer, Screenwriter
** (2 stars) The Wild Heart 1952 Director, Producer, Screenwriter
**+ (2.5 stars) The Elusive Pimpernel 1951 Director, Producer, Screenwriter
*** (3 stars) The Tales of Hoffmann 1951 Director, Producer, Screenwriter
*** (3 stars) Gone to Earth 1950 Director, Producer, Screenwriter
***+ (3.5 stars) The Small Back Room
(Hour of Glory)
1949 Actor, Director, Producer, Screenwriter
(Actor? I don't think so.)
****+ (4.5 stars) The Red Shoes 1948 Actor, Director, Producer, Screenwriter
(Actor? The man in the short sleeved blue shirt?)
**+ (2.5 stars) The End of the River 1947 Producer
**** (4 stars) Black Narcissus 1947 Director, Producer, Screenwriter
**+ (2.5 stars) Wanted for Murder 1946 Screenwriter
****+ (4.5 stars) A Matter of Life and Death
(Stairway to Heaven)
1946 Director, Producer, Screenwriter
**** (4 stars) I Know Where I'm Going! 1945 Director, Producer, Screenwriter
**+ (2.5 stars) The Volunteer 1944 Director, Producer, Screenwriter
*** (3 stars) A Canterbury Tale 1944 Director, Producer, Screenwriter
**+ (2.5 stars) The Silver Fleet 1943 Producer
**** (4 stars) The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp 1943 Director, Producer, Screenwriter
*** (3 stars) One of Our Aircraft Is Missing 1942 Director, Producer, Screenwriter
*+ (1.5 stars) Atlantic Ferry
(Sons of the Sea)
1941 Screenwriter
*** (3 stars) 49th Parallel
(The Invaders)
1941 Screenwriter
*** (3 stars) Contraband
(Blackout)
1940 Screenwriter
**+ (2.5 stars) Spy for a Day 1939 Screenwriter
*** (3 stars) The Spy in Black
(U-Boat 29)
1939 Screenwriter
*** (3 stars) The Challenge 1938 Screenwriter
**+ (2.5 stars) Leise Flehen Meine Lieder 1933 Producer
(Unlikely. It was probably Arnold Pressburger)
**+ (2.5 stars) Das Schoene Abenteuer 1932 Screenwriter
*+ (1.5 stars) Ronny 1931 Screenwriter
**+ (2.5 stars) Abschied 1930 Screenwriter
Best Writing, Original Story (Winner) 49th Parallel 1942 Academy
Best Picture (Nominated) 49th Parallel 1942 Academy
Best Writing, Screenplay (Nominated) 49th Parallel 1942 Academy
Best Original Screenplay (Nominated) One of Our Aircraft Is Missing 1942 Academy
Best Direction The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp 1945 New-York Film Critics Circle Award
Best Film The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp 1945 New-York Film Critics Circle Award
Best Direction A Matter of Life and Death 1946 New-York Film Critics Circle Award
Best Film A Matter of Life and Death 1946 New-York Film Critics Circle Award
Best European Film A Matter of Life and Death 1948 Bodil Festival, Denmark
Best British Film The Red Shoes 1948 British Academy Awards
Best Picture (Nominated) The Red Shoes 1948 Academy
Best Original Screenplay (Nominated) The Red Shoes 1948 Academy
Competing Film The Red Shoes 1948 Venice Film Festival
Competing Film The Elusive Pimpernel 1949 Venice Film Festival
Competing Film The Wild Heart 1950 Venice Film Festival
Competing Film The Tales of Hoffmann 1951 Cannes Film Festival
Special Prize for Originality
of Lyrical Adaptation
(Winner) The Tales of Hoffmann 1951 Cannes Film Festival
Competing Film The Tales of Hoffmann 1951 Berlin International Film Festival
Musical The Tales of Hoffmann 1951 Berlin International Film Festival
Best British Film Battle of the River Plate
(Pursuit of the Graf Spee)
1956 British Academy Awards
Best British Screenplay (Nominated) Battle of the River Plate
(Pursuit of the Graf Spee)
1956 British Academy Awards


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