Cohen Media Group revealed the trailer and theatrical playdates for Made In England: The Films of Powell & Pressburger, a documentary looking back at the art of filmmakers Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger through the eyes of Martin Scorsese, whom narrates the documentary. The documentary features rare archival materials from the collection of Powell, Pressburger, and Scorsese.
Release Date
Directed by David Hinton, ‘Made In England: The Films of Powell & Pressburger’ opens in select US theaters starting on July 12, 2024.
Synopsis
Martin Scorsese reflects on the influence of filmmakers Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, whose decades-long collaboration led to a series of classics that made the duo a crucial part of British cinema.
Martin Scorsese first encountered the films of Powell and Pressburger when he was a child, sitting in front of the family TV. When their famous logo came up on screen, Scorsese says, “You knew you were in for fantasy, wonder, magic – real film magic.” Now, in this documentary, he tells the story of his lifelong love-affair with their movies, including The Life and Death Of Colonel Blimp, Black Narcissus, The Red Shoes and The Tales of Hoffmann.
“Certain films you simply run all the time and you live with them.” Scorsese says. “As you grow older they grow deeper. I’m not sure how it happens, but it does. For me, that body of work is a wondrous presence, a constant source of energy, and a reminder of what life and art are all about.”
Drawing on a rich array of archive material, Scorsese explores in full the collaboration between the Englishman Powell and the Hungarian Pressburger – two romantics and idealists, who thrived in the face of adversity during World War II but were eventually brought low by the film industry of the 1950’s. Scorsese celebrates their ability to create “subversive commercial movies” and describes how deeply their films have influenced his own work.
Reviews
Kyle Smith in a Wall Street Journal review praised Scorsese’s narration in the documentary, writing “Martin Scorsese is the ideal moviegoing companion: His fandom is so exuberant, so well-informed, and so contagious, that he makes you want to see every work he mentions (or see it again) to luxuriate in the images as he does.”
Peter Sobczynski in a RogerEbert.com review gave the film a stellar 4/4 rating, writing “This is an examination of cinema history so rich in detail and observation that it rivals most current film school curricula while being uncommonly watchable and entertaining.”
Official Trailer
Watch the official trailer for ‘Made In England: The Films of Powell & Pressburger’.