I really need to see The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp. I enjoyed your right up of it and I love all the Powell and Pressburger films I have seen.
Speaking of...
I think Powell is a great example of an amazing director who was ignored and forgotten until the sixties when his work was "re-discovered" by guys like Scorsese and thanks to DVD, he's finding an even larger audience. Now it can be argued that he's part of some kind "pantheon" but in the late 80s when I was in college he was still barely even mentioned and I've got the text books to prove it. It's seems impossible now, but Powell's a fascinating example of how opinion can change.
Cinebeats | | Email | Homepage | 08.17.07 - 9:38 pm | #
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I couldn't agree more. When I was first studying film the only thing mentioned by Powell ever was The Red Shoes. What I like about Powell so much is his theatricality, almost staginess at times (So I guess Rosenbaum dislikes him too). In Black Narcissus the imagery is so strong that it fascinates me with its lack of subtlety, but not in a bad sense, like flash editing in an action film, but a feeling of not being shy about showing strong emotion visually.
Blimp has the same feeling at times. The World War One battle locales are clearly indoor sets and so on but the story is sweeping and grand and features three great performances: The two I've mentioned by Livesy and Walbrook and the third being Deborah Kerr playing three different women in Candy's life.
Make sure you see the Criterion DVD as, believe it or not, there are still a few copies floating around of the botched Blimp, edited down by an hour and with its flashback framework completely removed.
Jonathan Lapper | | Email | Homepage | 08.17.07 - 10:24 pm | #
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I really appreciate your wonderful dedication to one of my favourite performances and actors. Walbrook is unfortunately an actor who has been forgotten by time. Even when The Red Shoes is mentioned, the sets, the colours and the dancing are mentioned rarely Walbrook's brilliant and complex performance.
Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger are probably my favourite filmmakers. They manage to so effectively merge ideals of British culture, not only in terms of values but stage tradition (their films are incredibly theatrical in terms of acting and design, however the films are incredibly cinematic. Just looking at The Red Shoes ballet, one of the greatest musical sequences I've ever seen on screen). Thanks to DVD they seem to be gaining more of a following, although I still think it's a long time to come before they are classed among the all time greats where I believe they should be.
Justine | | Email | 08.27.07 - 3:09 pm | #
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Right now at least, they are my favorite filmmakers as well. I say right now only because I don't know if I have a permanent favorite overall but I do know that in the last few months I have been kind of obsessed with them. My most recent viewing was Black Narcissus which is why I mentioned it in my previous comment. The use of color is extraordinary! When Sister Ruth applies her lipstick, when she collapses in the cabin, and that look on her face at the climax when she swings open the door - WOW! The drama of it all just overwhelmed me and I plan on watching it again this week.
Powell and Pressburger truly do need wider acceptance. And yes, The Red Shoes had me hypnotized when I saw it for the first time. Anton Walbrook is superb and seeing him there first made his turn as the naive, then embittered, then resigned man in Colonel Blimp seem even more impressive.
I'll promote them to anyone who will listen.
Jonathan Lapper | | Email | Homepage | 08.27.07 - 9:02 pm |
