Michael Powell

Directing

Michael Powell

Born 1905-09-30 · Bekesbourne, Kent, England

Michael Latham Powell (30 September 1905 – 19 February 1990) was a renowned English film director, celebrated for his partnership with Emeric Pressburger. They worked together under the name of "The Archers" and produced a series of classic British films, notably The Thief of Bagdad (1940), 49th Parallel (1941), The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943), A Matter of Life and Death (1946, also called Stairway to Heaven), Black Narcissus (1947) and The Red Shoes (1948). His controversial 1960 film Peeping Tom, however, was so vilified that his career was seriously damaged.

Acting credits

Peeping Tom poster
7.5

Loner Mark Lewis works at a film studio during the day and, at night, takes racy photographs of women. Also he's making a documentary on fear, which involves recording the reactions of victims as he murders them. He befriends Helen, the daughter of the family living in the apartment below his, and he tells her vaguely about the movie he is making.

Peeping Tom

1960

One of Our Aircraft Is Missing poster
6.6

During a raid on Germany, a British bomber crew is forced to bail out after their plane is damaged. They land in Holland, where they're aided by Dutch civilians.

One of Our Aircraft Is Missing

1942

Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger poster
7.7

Martin Scorsese presents this very personal and insightful new feature-length documentary about British filmmakers Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger.

Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger

2024

The Magician poster
6.1

A young woman, Margaret Dauncey, is caught between the forces of a charlatan magician, Oliver Haddo, whom she is unable to resist, and the love of a handsome surgeon, Arthur Burdon, who has saved her from being a helpless cripple by performing a delicate operation on her spine.

The Magician

1926

Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff poster
6.6

In 2001 Jack Cardiff (1914-2009) became the first director of photography in the history of the Academy Awards to win an Honorary Oscar. But the first time he clasped the famous statuette in his hand was a half-century earlier when his Technicolor camerawork was awarded for Powell and Pressburger's Black Narcissus. Beyond John Huston's The African Queen and King Vidor's War and Peace, the films of the British-Hungarian creative duo (The Red Shoes and A Matter of Life and Death too) guaranteed immortality for the renowned cameraman whose career spanned seventy years.

Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff

2010

The Volunteer poster
5.0

After a masterful Shakespearean performance in a London theater, Ralph Richardson is sought for an autograph by Fred, his dresser. Later, Fred has joined the Fleet Air Arm (Fly Navy) and become a hero, rescuing a pilot from his burning plane. When Fred arrives at Buckingham Palace, it's Ralph's turn to ask for an autograph.

The Volunteer

1944

Honeymoon poster
5.9

Australian famer Kit Kelly and his new bride Anna are driving through Europe when they help a stranded motorist. They discover he is Antonio, a famous dancer. Upon learning that Anna was a ballerina before she married, Antonio attempts to persuade her to join his company.

Honeymoon

1959

Churchill and the Movie Mogul poster
7.3

Winston Churchill understood the power of films, but the true extent of his use of cinema as a propaganda tool is rarely explored. In 1934, one of Britain's most celebrated film producers, Alexander Korda, signed Churchill up as a screenwriter and historical advisor. It was the start of a unique collaboration. Churchill provided script notes for Korda's productions and penned an epic screenplay. When war broke out, their collaboration took on national importance. Korda was sent on a mission to Hollywood to help bring America into the war, with positive results. With access to previously undiscovered documents, this film documentary examines that mission and a friendship that underpinned a unique, creative partnership.

Churchill and the Movie Mogul

2019

The Garden of Allah poster
10.0

Father Adrien had taken the vows of eternal silence, prayer and, of course, celibacy, when he entered the Trappist Monastry of Notre Dame d'Afrique in Algeria. One day, he chopped down a tree that blocked a part of the Monastery wall, but as it fell it knocked a young girl senseless. As Father Adrien bathes her face she regains consciousness and in a mischievous mood embraces him. The embrace was seen by another monk but the Monastic discipline imposed is as nothing compared to the torturing penances of mind and body which the contrite Father Adrien has imposed upon himself. In the end it is all too much for poor Father Adrien and he abandons his vows and escapes into the desert, resuming his secular name Androvsky. On the way to the oasis of Beni-Mora he encounters Domini Enfilden who has been brought up as a Catholic. Androvsky rescues Domini from a rioting crowd and she finds herself deeply attracted to him.

The Garden of Allah

1927

No artwork available
8.0

After starting his career producing religious film shorts, J. Arthur Rank went on to become Britain's first and only movie mogul with his establishment of the legendary Pinewood Studios. Narrated by Michael Caine, THE GOLDEN GONG chronicles Pinewood's rise to success.

The Golden Gong: The Story of Rank Films - British Cinema's Legendary Studio

1985

No artwork available
9.0

The tourists travel on to Grasse, the perfume factory, and the valley of the Wolves.

Riviera Revels - Travelaugh No. 11: Scents and Nonsense

1927

The Edge of the World poster
7.1

A way of life is dying on a remote Scottish island, but some of the inhabitants resist evacuating to the mainland.

The Edge of the World

1937

No artwork available
10.0

The tarvelling party inluding Cicero Simps (Michael Powell) move to St. Paul de vence and la Colombe d'Or ans showcases a dreamcase in which he dreams he's a faun.

Riviera Revels - Travelaugh No. 10: Fauny Business

1927

No artwork available
9.0

The tourists set off for the Mountains of the Alpes Maritimes, visit the medieval hilltop of Tourette, and play in the snow.

Riviera Revels - Travelaugh No. 9: Cold Feats

1927

A Very British Psycho poster
8.0

A documentary film examining Michael Powell's 1960 film "Peeping Tom," the controversy surrounding its release, and the life of its screenwriter, Leo Marks.

A Very British Psycho

1997

No artwork available
9.0

The further adventures of the group of tourists on a trip around the French Riviera. From Cannes they travel to Juan les Pins, the Grimaldi Chateau in Monaco, Port-carre, Antibes and the pottery makers of Biot. A love interest developes between Ophelia Beetle and Apollo Naris, an Englishman, while the Arab Sheik, Abdrool Krimp is vamped by Mme. Papillon.

Riviera Revels - Travelaugh No. 2: A Nasty Jar

1927

The Scorsese Machine poster
8.0

Amazing documentary shows rarely seen side of a master director. 1990 was a very good year for Martin Scorsese. After making a diverse group of films in the 80s, he reunited with Robert DeNiro for "Goodfellas" and later that year shot a segment for "New York Stories", an anthology film of three shorts by Scorsese, Woody Allen, and Francis Ford Coppola. During the editing, the French documentary series "Cinéma, de notre temps" filmed a documentary on the director, and it's a fascinating glimpse into his life, personality, and working habits as he edits his short with long-time collaborator Thelma Schoonmaker.

The Scorsese Machine

1990

No artwork available
10.0

The tourist group are in Monte Carlo, where Mdm Papillion wins a fortune.

Riviera Revels - Travelaugh No. 6

1927

No artwork available
8.0

Concerning the adventures of a party of tourists on their journey from Cannes to visit the Islands of Lérins.

Riviera Revels - Travelaugh No. 1: Spooky Islands

1927

No artwork available
7.0

The tour comes to an end and the party returns to Cannes. The sheik's disguise is dropped and he disappears with all of Mme. Papilion's belongings. The party boards a train and leave Cannes.

Riviera Revels - Travelaugh No. 12

1927

No artwork available
NR

Thelma Schoonmaker on Martin Scorsese and 'The King of Comedy'

Inside Rupert Pupkin

2014

Picture Business: Michael Powell at Dartmouth poster
NR

In June 1980, Michael Powell came to Dartmouth as an artist in residence, developing and producing a fifteen-minute pilot film with the students based on Ursula Le Guin's Earthsea trilogy.

Picture Business: Michael Powell at Dartmouth

1980

Chaplin Today: A Woman of Paris poster
6.0

"A Woman of Paris" (1923) was the first film Chaplin made for United Artists Film Corporation, which he founded with his friends Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks and D. W. Griffith. Chaplin had long considered making a dramatic feature. For the first time, he decided to direct. Actress and filmmaker Liv Ullmann analyses the film. She talks about the acting, the originality of the characterizations, as well as the "feminine" viewpoint Chaplin adopted for the first time in his films.

Chaplin Today: A Woman of Paris

2003

The Compulsory Husband poster
8.0

A recently engaged girl invites her parents to meet her fiance. They learn that he also loves another woman.

The Compulsory Husband

1929

Behind the camera

Peeping Tom poster
7.5

Loner Mark Lewis works at a film studio during the day and, at night, takes racy photographs of women. Also he's making a documentary on fear, which involves recording the reactions of victims as he murders them. He befriends Helen, the daughter of the family living in the apartment below his, and he tells her vaguely about the movie he is making.

Peeping Tom

1960

Peeping Tom poster
7.5

Loner Mark Lewis works at a film studio during the day and, at night, takes racy photographs of women. Also he's making a documentary on fear, which involves recording the reactions of victims as he murders them. He befriends Helen, the daughter of the family living in the apartment below his, and he tells her vaguely about the movie he is making.

Peeping Tom

1960

The Battle of the River Plate poster
6.4

In the early years of the World War II, the Royal Navy is fighting a desperate battle to keep the Atlantic convoy routes open to supply the British Isles, facing the great danger posed by the many German warships, such as the Admiral Graf Spee, which are scouring the ocean for cargo ships to sink.

The Battle of the River Plate

1956

The Battle of the River Plate poster
6.4

In the early years of the World War II, the Royal Navy is fighting a desperate battle to keep the Atlantic convoy routes open to supply the British Isles, facing the great danger posed by the many German warships, such as the Admiral Graf Spee, which are scouring the ocean for cargo ships to sink.

The Battle of the River Plate

1956

The Battle of the River Plate poster
6.4

In the early years of the World War II, the Royal Navy is fighting a desperate battle to keep the Atlantic convoy routes open to supply the British Isles, facing the great danger posed by the many German warships, such as the Admiral Graf Spee, which are scouring the ocean for cargo ships to sink.

The Battle of the River Plate

1956

The Red Shoes poster
8.0

A fledgling ballerina falls in love with a brilliant composer, but the jealous head of the ballet company plots to drive them apart.

The Red Shoes

1948

The Red Shoes poster
8.0

A fledgling ballerina falls in love with a brilliant composer, but the jealous head of the ballet company plots to drive them apart.

The Red Shoes

1948

The Red Shoes poster
8.0

A fledgling ballerina falls in love with a brilliant composer, but the jealous head of the ballet company plots to drive them apart.

The Red Shoes

1948

The Thief of Bagdad poster
7.1

When Prince Ahmad is blinded and cast out of Bagdad by the nefarious Jaffar, he joins forces with the scrappy thief Abu to win back his royal place, as well as the heart of a beautiful princess.

The Thief of Bagdad

1940

A Matter of Life and Death poster
7.8

A British wartime aviator who cheats death must argue for his life before a celestial court, hoping to prolong his fledgling romance with an American girl.

A Matter of Life and Death

1946

A Matter of Life and Death poster
7.8

A British wartime aviator who cheats death must argue for his life before a celestial court, hoping to prolong his fledgling romance with an American girl.

A Matter of Life and Death

1946

A Matter of Life and Death poster
7.8

A British wartime aviator who cheats death must argue for his life before a celestial court, hoping to prolong his fledgling romance with an American girl.

A Matter of Life and Death

1946

49th Parallel poster
7.0

In the early days of World War II, a German U-boat is sunk in Canada's Hudson Bay. Hoping to evade capture, a small band of German soldiers led by commanding officer Lieutenant Hirth attempts to cross the border into the United States, which has not yet entered the war and is officially neutral. Along the way, the German soldiers encounter brave men such as a French-Canadian fur trapper, Johnnie, a leader of a Hutterite farming community, Peter, an author, Philip and a soldier, Andy Brock.

49th Parallel

1941

49th Parallel poster
7.0

In the early days of World War II, a German U-boat is sunk in Canada's Hudson Bay. Hoping to evade capture, a small band of German soldiers led by commanding officer Lieutenant Hirth attempts to cross the border into the United States, which has not yet entered the war and is officially neutral. Along the way, the German soldiers encounter brave men such as a French-Canadian fur trapper, Johnnie, a leader of a Hutterite farming community, Peter, an author, Philip and a soldier, Andy Brock.

49th Parallel

1941

Black Narcissus poster
7.5

A group of Anglican nuns, led by Sister Clodagh, are sent to a mountain in the Himalayas. The climate in the region is hostile and the nuns are housed in an odd old palace. They work to establish a school and a hospital, but slowly their focus shifts. Sister Ruth falls for a government worker, Mr. Dean, and begins to question her vow of celibacy. As Sister Ruth obsesses over Mr. Dean, Sister Clodagh becomes immersed in her own memories of love.

Black Narcissus

1947

Black Narcissus poster
7.5

A group of Anglican nuns, led by Sister Clodagh, are sent to a mountain in the Himalayas. The climate in the region is hostile and the nuns are housed in an odd old palace. They work to establish a school and a hospital, but slowly their focus shifts. Sister Ruth falls for a government worker, Mr. Dean, and begins to question her vow of celibacy. As Sister Ruth obsesses over Mr. Dean, Sister Clodagh becomes immersed in her own memories of love.

Black Narcissus

1947

Black Narcissus poster
7.5

A group of Anglican nuns, led by Sister Clodagh, are sent to a mountain in the Himalayas. The climate in the region is hostile and the nuns are housed in an odd old palace. They work to establish a school and a hospital, but slowly their focus shifts. Sister Ruth falls for a government worker, Mr. Dean, and begins to question her vow of celibacy. As Sister Ruth obsesses over Mr. Dean, Sister Clodagh becomes immersed in her own memories of love.

Black Narcissus

1947

Age of Consent poster
6.0

An elderly artist thinks he has become too stale and is past his prime. His friend (and agent) persuades him to go to an offshore island to try once more. On the island he re-discovers his muse in the form of a young girl.

Age of Consent

1969

Age of Consent poster
6.0

An elderly artist thinks he has become too stale and is past his prime. His friend (and agent) persuades him to go to an offshore island to try once more. On the island he re-discovers his muse in the form of a young girl.

Age of Consent

1969

The Small Back Room poster
6.7

As the Germans drop explosive booby-traps on 1943 Britain, the embittered expert who'll have to disarm them fights a private battle with alcohol.

The Small Back Room

1949

The Small Back Room poster
6.7

As the Germans drop explosive booby-traps on 1943 Britain, the embittered expert who'll have to disarm them fights a private battle with alcohol.

The Small Back Room

1949

The Small Back Room poster
6.7

As the Germans drop explosive booby-traps on 1943 Britain, the embittered expert who'll have to disarm them fights a private battle with alcohol.

The Small Back Room

1949

The Tales of Hoffmann poster
7.1

A melancholy poet reflects on three women he loved and lost in the past: a mechanical performing doll, a Venetian courtesan, and the consumptive daughter of a celebrated composer.

The Tales of Hoffmann

1951

The Tales of Hoffmann poster
7.1

A melancholy poet reflects on three women he loved and lost in the past: a mechanical performing doll, a Venetian courtesan, and the consumptive daughter of a celebrated composer.

The Tales of Hoffmann

1951