Films of Michael Powell and the Archers

Michael Powell was introduced to film relatively late in life, and feeling dissatisfied with what British films had to offer, he took his primary influences from American and German films. Emeric Pressburger was a Hungarian emigre who was educated in the German film industry before fleeing from the threat of the Nazi party. These two men of diverse backgrounds would successfully collaborate on 16 films over a period of fifteen years, most often with their identities united as the Archers. The Archers' collaboration began during World War II, where they attempted to identify the causes for which thousands were dying. Following the war, their focus was on art and why it was worth dying for. The results were such classics as Black Narcissus, The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, The Red Shoes, and The Tales of Hoffman. The Archers' popularity waned in the mid fifties when the two men seemed to lack focus. Never popular with British critics, they ended their career with a pair of mediocre films that seemed to be shadows of their previous successes.

...reliable study along currently orthodox lines, with sagacious observations and some nicely disconcerting insights..., Salwolke writes with style and grace. Salwolke's bibliography of material on individual films is invaluable. His filmography is extensive, accurate and well worth having. Anyone interested in British cinema, particularly thinking of researching the subject, should be aware of this excellent book., A conscientious, well-documented account of Powell's work., I'm tremendously impressed by your book on Michael Powell. Well written, very interesting, not dry and tedious. Excellent work., Describes and analyzes the work of Michael Powell and his partner, Emeric Pressburger, who released 16 films in 15 years, from the beginning of their partnership until its end in 1956.

Scott Salwolke is a free-lance writer and vocational instructor with mentally handicapped adults.