Features rare archival material from the personal collections of Powell, Pressburger and Scorsese.

Made in England (2024).mkv

General
Container:  	Matroska
Runtime: 	2 h 13 min
Size: 	5.64 GiB
Video
Codec: 	x264
Resolution: 	720x480 
Aspect ratio:  	4:3
Frame rate: 	29.970 fps
Bit rate: 	5 772 kb/s
BPP: 	0.557
Audio
#1:  	English 2.0ch AC-3 @ 256 kb/s

https://nitro.download/view/A319B10D37A6CAD/Made_in_England_(2024).mkv

Language(s):English
Subtitles:English

Many thanks to @Gene for this copy

The post David Hinton – Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger (2024) first appeared on Cinema of the World.

Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger formed the greatest creative partnership in the history of British Cinema – The Archers.
Their films were often controversial: Churchill tried to suppress the release of The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp. Later, The Red Shoes and The Tales of Hoffman startled and enchanted cinema audiences with their use of colour, form and music. In the last ten years the magic, poetry and passion of their work has been acknowledged around the world and they are firmly in the pantheon of film masters.

https://nitro.download/view/E525B705B10A757/Arrows_of_desire_-_Christie,_Ian_-_New_ed.,_London,_1994_-_Faber_and_Faber.pdf

no pass

The post Ian Christie – Arrows of Desire: The Films of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger (1994) first appeared on Cinema of the World.

In the fall of 1939, the German heavy cruiser (referred to as a pocket battleship) Graf Spee seems to have command of the Atlantic. In the first three months of World War II, she was responsible for sinking nine ships. The British sent three cruisers commanded by Commodore Henry Harwood to confront her. The battle took place on December 13, 1939 and the British came out on top. The Graf Spee headed for the neutral harbor of Montevideo, Uruguay. They were given only a short time to effect repairs and the British did their best to make them believe a British fleet of six or eight ships awaited them. Rather than chance the loss of his men, the German Captain ordered the Graf Spee scuttled.

The Battle of the River Plate (1956).mkv

General
Container:  	Matroska
Runtime: 	1 h 56 min
Size: 	4.48 GiB
Video
Codec: 	x264
Resolution: 	1918x1080
Aspect ratio:  	16:9
Frame rate: 	30.000 fps
Bit rate: 	4 619 kb/s
BPP: 	0.074
Audio
#1:  	English 2.0ch DTS @ 768 kb/s

https://nitro.download/view/99ABEDEF495C36C/The_Battle_of_the_River_Plate_(1956).mkv
https://nitro.download/view/B30DA38174F697C/The_Battle_of_the_River_Plate_(1956)_extras.rar

Language(s):English
Subtitles:English, French

The post Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger – The Battle of the River Plate AKA Pursuit of the Graf Spee (1956) first appeared on Cinema of the World.

Led by British officers, partisans on Crete plan to kidnap the island’s German commander and smuggle him to Cairo to embarrass the occupiers.

Ill.Met.by.Moonlight (1957).mkv

General
Container:  	Matroska
Runtime: 	1h 40mn
Size: 	1.68 GiB
Video
Codec: 	x264
Resolution: 	1929x1040
Aspect ratio:  	1.85:1
Frame rate: 	25.000 fps
Bit rate: 	2 250 Kbps
BPP: 	0.045
Audio
#1:  	2.0ch AAC LC @ 127 Kbps

https://nitro.download/view/574610CCECC36E2/Ill.Met.by.Moonlight_(1957).mkv

Language(s):English
Subtitles:English,French

The post Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger – Ill Met by Moonlight AKA Night Ambush (1957) first appeared on Cinema of the World.

Quote:
A magnificent spectacle. A truly filmic version of a classic opera. Often mentioned as a favourite movie and constant inspiration for young Martin Scorsese.

With the audacity that Powell & Pressburger were famous for we are presented with a wonderful performance of a truly “composed” film. All the soundtrack was recorded by Sir Thomas Beecham and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and then the filming was all done on the open stage (it didn’t need a sound stage) at Shepperton.

With choreography by Sir Frederick Ashton and performances by ballet luminaries such as Moira Shearer, Ludmilla Tchérina, Robert Helpmann, Léonide Massine and Sir Frederick Ashton himself. Assisted by opera stars such as Robert Rounseville and Anne Ayars and the Sadler’s Wells Chorus. All this backed by the designs of Hein Heckroth and the experienced team of technicians that worked regularly under the banner of The Archers leads to a treat to behold.

The plot – from a 1951 (year of release) programme.

The Prologue : The Opera House in Nurnberg. Hoffmann sits in the auditorium watching a performance of the Dragonfly ballet. He is in love with Stella, the prima ballerina, who seems the embodiment of all his past loves. In the interval Hoffmann goes to Luther’s Tavern. Here young students greet him. He sings them the ballad of Kleinzack. But the sight of Stella has reopened old wounds. “Would YOU hear the three tales of my folly of love?” lie asks. The students gather round the punch bowl, with Hoffmann’s companion, Nicklaus, who has accompanied him throughout his adventures, and his enemy Lindorf.

The Tale Of Olympia : As an inexperienced student in Paris, Hoffmann was tricked by two puppet-makers, Spalanzani and Coppelius, into falling in love with their latest creation, the doll Olympia. Spalanzani passes Olympia off as his daughter and hopes by this means to get some money from Hoffmann. At a ball given for her, Olympia sings the “Doll Song” and dances a ballet. Hoffmann is entranced. Only when Spalanzani and Coppelius fall out, and Coppelius destroys the doll in revenge does Hoffmann realise how he was fooled.

The Tale Of Giulietta : As a young man of the world, he was enslaved by a beautiful Venetian courtesan, Giulietta. Acting under the influence of the magician Dapertutto, Giulietta captures his reflection and so gains possession of his soul. Hoffmann kills her former lover Schlemil in a duel, to get the key to her room. He hurries back to her, but finds she has left with Dapertutto. Mad with rage, he flings the key against her mirror. It cracks, and his reflection reappears. He has regained his soul.

The Tale Of Antonia : As a mature artist and poet, Hoffmann falls in love with Antonia. Her mother, a singer, has already died of consumption (Tuberculosis). Crespel, her father, through grief at his wife’s death, is now the half-mad wreck of a formerly great conductor. Crespel keeps his daughter in seclusion on an island in the Greek Archipelago and forbids her to aggravate her own weakness by singing. He also forbids his deaf servant Franz to admit either Hoffmann or the quack Dr. Miracle who killed his wife. Franz misunderstands, and in turn shows them in. Hoffmann realises Antonia is ill, and she promises him not to sing again. Dr. Miracle persuades her it is her mother’s wish she should disobey. She does so, and dies in his arms.

The Epilogue : On the stage of the Opera House, it is the finale of the Stella Ballet. In the tavern Hoffmann’s audience is spellbound. Hoffmann’s tales are told and with the telling Hoffmann finds his true destiny as a poet. Stella appears at the door of the tavern and looks down at him. But Lindorf, who has also understood the meaning of the Tales goes to meet her and together they pass out into the town.

Steve Crook@IMDb

The.Tales.Of.Hoffmann (1951).mkv

General
Container:  	Matroska
Runtime: 	2h 14mn
Size: 	6.09 GiB
Video
Codec: 	x264
Resolution: 	1480x1080
Aspect ratio:  	1. 370
Frame rate: 	30.000 fps
Bit rate: 	4 856 Kbps
BPP: 	0.101
Audio
#1:  	English 1.0ch DTS @ 1509 Kbps

https://nitro.download/view/34E587A6F7282A1/The.Tales.Of.Hoffmann_(1951).mkv

Language(s):English
Subtitles:English

The post Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger – The Tales of Hoffmann (1951) (HD) first appeared on Cinema of the World.

Synopsis
After the lavish Technicolor spectacle of The Red Shoes, British filmmakers Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger retreated into the inward, shadowy recesses of this moody, crackling character study. Based on the acclaimed novel by Nigel Balchin, The Small Back Room details the professional and personal travails of troubled, alcoholic research scientist and military bomb-disposal expert Sammy Rice (David Farrar), who, while struggling with a complex relationship with secretary girlfriend Susan (Kathleen Byron), is hired by the government to advise on a dangerous new German weapon. Deftly mixing suspense and romance, The Small Back Room is an atmospheric, post–World War II gem.

The.Small.Back.Room (1949).mkv

General
Container:  	Matroska
Runtime: 	1 h 47 min
Size: 	2.09 GiB
Video
Codec: 	x264
Resolution: 	1444x1080 
Aspect ratio:  	4:3
Frame rate: 	23.976 fps
Bit rate: 	2 500 kb/s
BPP: 	0.067
Audio
#1:  	English 2.0ch AAC LC @ 224 kb/s
#2:  	1.0ch (Audio commentary featuring film scholar Charles Barr)

https://nitro.download/view/DBBC36A07C1DE0F/The.Small.Back.Room_(1949).mkv

Language(s):English
Subtitles:English

The post Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger – The Small Back Room (1949) first appeared on Cinema of the World.

Under the authoritarian rule of charismatic ballet impressario Boris Lermontov, his proteges realize the full promise of their talents, but at a price: utter devotion to their art and complete loyalty to Lermontov himself. Under his near-obsessive guidance, young ballerina Victoria Page is poised for superstardom, but earns Lermontov’s scorn when she falls in love with Julian Craster, composer of “The Red Shoes,” the ballet Lermontov is staging to showcase her talents. Vicky leaves the company and marries Craster, but still finds herself torn between Lermontov’s demands and those of her heart.

The.Red.Shoes (1948).mkv

General
Container:  	Matroska
Runtime: 	2h 15mn
Size: 	7.86 GiB
Video
Codec: 	x264
Resolution: 	2960x2160
Aspect ratio:  	1.370
Frame rate: 	23.976 fps
Bit rate: 	8 021 Kbps
BPP: 	0.052
Audio
#1:  	English 1.0ch E-AC-3 @ 128 Kbps

https://nitro.download/view/DF696C143C9A89F/The.Red.Shoes_(1948).mkv
https://nitro.download/view/19F83FE347FC5FC/The.Red.Shoes_(1948)_extras.rar

Language(s):English +commentary
Subtitles:English, French, German, Italian, Spanish

The post Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger – The Red Shoes (1948) first appeared on Cinema of the World.