CD-Charts Position 1
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The Tales of Hoffmann - Criterion Collection

starring: Moira Shearer, Robert Rounseville, Ludmilla Tchérina, Anne Ayars, Pamela Brown
directed by: Emeric Pressburger, Michael Powell

Release Date November 22, 2005
A treasure! If only for the two rare and marvelous acts by the incredibly lithe and lovely Moira Shearer. The video quality is surprisingly good, also.

CD-Charts Position 2
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Black Narcissus (1946) [Blu-ray]

starring: Deborah Kerr, Shaun Noble, Eddie Whaley Jr., David Farrar, Flora Robson
directed by: Michael Powell;Emeric Pressburger

Release Date November 25, 2008
I own this UK import. The movie itself is region free and does indeed work on North American Blu-Ray players; however, the featurette "A Profile of Black Narcissus" is presented in standard-def PAL (on the same BR disc as the HD feature), and is not playable on most US BR machines.

So, if you are only interested in the main feature (which does like quite nice in HD) and don't mind being somewhat ripped off in the extra features department, go for it. It wouldn't surprise me to see Criterion eventually release a Region A Blu-Ray edition of this stateside, however.

CD-Charts Position 3
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I Know Where I'm Going! - Criterion Collection

starring: Wendy Hiller, Roger Livesey, Pamela Brown, Finlay Currie, George Carney
directed by: Emeric Pressburger, Michael Powell

Release Date February 20, 2001
It simply is. Brilliant. Dame Wendy has it all. She's extraordinary, and so's the movie.

CD-Charts Position 4
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Classic British Thrillers (The Phantom Light / Red Ensign / The Upturned Glass)

starring: James Mason
directed by: Michael Powell

Release Date July 29, 2008
I discovered this DVD in a recent review in the NYT. They highly recommended it, and so do I. The DVD consists of three unrelated films: The Red Ensign (1935), The Phantom Light (1935), and the Upturned Glass (1947). All address different subjects.

The first movie, The Red Ensign, tells the tale of a patriotic British shipbuilder, who intends to use his radical new cargo ship design to bolster the declining British shipbuilding industry. Unable to attract the necessary capitol, he funds the building himself and runs into financial ruin and commercial disasters. It is a highly patriotic story, tracing the shipbuilder's willingness to do anything at any cost to achieve his ends.

The Phantom Light is set in Wales (probably ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 5
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The Small Back Room

starring: David Farrar, Kathleen Byron, Jack Hawkins, Leslie Banks, Henry Caine
directed by: Michael Powell;Emeric Pressburger

Release Date August 19, 2008
This review is for the Criterion Collection DVD edition of the film.

The Small Back Room is a film directed by the well known team, Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger.

The film is about a British bomb defuser and scientist during World War II. He is hired by the British government to help diffuse German bombs that have been showing up on the beaches. He is having trouble with his girlfriend due to his drinking problem and it is affecting his work. This is all I want to say without spoiling the plot.

The special features are audio dictations by Michael Powell for his autobiography, an interview with the film's cinematographer and audio commentary by film scholar, Charles Barr.

This is a great film and ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 6
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Black Narcissus - Criterion Collection

starring: Deborah Kerr, Flora Robson, Jean Simmons, David Farrar, Sabu
directed by: Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger

Release Date January 30, 2001
The Oscar-winning 1947 story of a group of 5 nuns establishing a school/hospital mission at an ancient remote Himalayan palace . . . a former harem. They are to serve the village in the valley far below. Remarkably, this was all shot in a London studio - not the windswept mountainside that the viewer seems to be looking at.

The nuns seem to all be having serious misgivings regarding their vocation, and the pull of their former lives. There is arising sexual tension (usually masterfully subtle) between the sisters and the king's male liaison. Beautiful Deborah Kerr somehow manages to pull off playing the role of a rather severe but compassionate, young and fast-rising Sister Superior, at all times decorous, yet frequently oozing sensuality. She ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 7
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The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp - Criterion Collection

starring: Roger Livesey, Deborah Kerr, Anton Walbrook, James McKechnie, Neville Mapp
directed by: Emeric Pressburger, Michael Powell

Release Date October 22, 2002
The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp is a true rarity in moviedom, a film that is intellectually engaging, filled with life and innovation, a film that stands as a celebration of cinema, that explores the medium to the fullest. It was released not too long after Citizen Kane, and deserves to be held on the same level of esteem because of its glorious innovation and storytelling techniques. Blimp is a uniquely British film, yet universal, a film of its period(early '40's), yet light years ahead of its time. In my opinion, it demands to be seen and appreciated by a wider audience because it is unquestionably a landmark motion picture.

Comparisons between Blimp and Citizen Kane are not uncalled for. Both films are daring in their assertion that the cinematic style of a ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 8
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49th Parallel - Criterion Collection

starring: Richard George, Eric Portman, Raymond Lovell, Niall MacGinnis, Peter Moore (XII)
directed by: Michael Powell

Release Date February 20, 2007
First of all, this Criterion-restored version is a great quality picture, clean and crisp. Second, it is a movie with an ulterior motive, that of getting the then-neutral USA into the war. While I don't think it detracts from the entertainment merits, some people do. The story begins with a German U-Boat somewhere in the northern part of Canada. It destroys a Canadian cargo ship and then refuses to help save the survivors. The commander decides to head for Hudson Bay to lay low for awhile until they can escape. They send a small crew ashore to steal supplies they will need. While the U-Boat is surfaced, it is spotted by the Canadian Air Force and destroyed. The stranded crew on shore must try to navigate their way to the 49TH PARALLEL (the line dividing the US and Canada) and the neutral U.S. ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 9
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A Canterbury Tale - Criterion Collection

starring: Eric Portman, Sheila Sim, Dennis Price, Sergeant John Sweet, Esmond Knight
directed by: David Thompson, Emeric Pressburger, Michael Powell

Release Date July 25, 2006
This is another of those movies I caught on late-night TV, and eventually ended up buying.

In some ways it kind of reminds me of Rudyard Kipling's "Kim". There's not really a plot, as such, there's just people who come together for a while, do their thing, and part.

A couple of things make it clear this is a WWII propaganda film made to encourage wartime Anglo-American friendship and understanding: Sgt Johnson impresses the locals with his knowledge of lumber, and then goes on to slam isolationists who oppose the Lend Lease program. At the end he is completely overwhelmed by the glory of Canterbury Cathedral, but remains proud of his small rural church back in Oregon.

What else to say. Well, Kent is laid out in all its glory. I lived in the UK for a couple ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 10
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Thief of Bagdad (1940)

starring: Conrad Veidt, Sabu, June Duprez, John Justin, Rex Ingram
directed by: Zoltan Korda, Ludwig Berger, Michael Powell

Release Date December 03, 2002
Back when we knew a bit less about the real Middle East, the "Easterns",Arabian-Nights-inspired fantasy movies, were a popular genre--and "The Thief of Bagdad" is the granddaddy of them all. The acting is very good and the special effects (no computers then) are a wonder.
The movie is splendid entertainment, but for those who insist on reality, the added discussion material deals with how Easterns fit in with ideas about colonialism that were current back then.