Amazon.com

Jacques Offenbach died with his masterpiece not quite finished, and thathas made The Tales of Hoffmann a predestined victim for adapters who havedropped some numbers, inserted others, altered the plot, fiddled with thecasting, and changed the order of scenes. It has survived and kept its essentialidentity through many adaptations because its music is so witty and compelling,its imagination so vivid and varied, its story of the poet Hoffmann's unhappyloves so intriguing they can transcend such tinkering.

A critical performing edition prepared by musicologist Michael Kaye has made itpossible to come close to Offenbach's original intentions after more than acentury of misunderstanding, and major companies have begun to use that edition,but so far no universally satisfying production of it has reached video. An Opera de Lyon production, usingKaye's research but with a radically untraditional staging, has won wholeheartedapproval from some fans but unequivocal rejection from more.

As adaptations go, this 1951 film is the best compromise currently available onvideo and will always be a classic in its own right, even when a more faithfultreatment becomes available. It drops some of Offenbach's music and includessome that is spurious, and it changes the plot (Hoffman's beloved Stella is madea dancer--Moira Shearer--not a singer). But at least it treats the story withaffection, imagination, and technical expertise. The music presents onlyhighlights of the score, but it is in the hands of a great conductor, Sir ThomasBeecham. The movie is essentially the work of the same team that produced TheRed Shoes (directors Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger); it has the samekind of imaginative appeal and its technical resourcefulness is still exciting,still on the cutting edge despite its age. I expect eventually to add a morefaithful Tales of Hoffmann to my video collection, but I will never stopenjoying this one. --Joe McLellan ... Read more

Reviews (17)

A BENCHMARK FOR OPERA ON FILM
It is true that, as other reviewrs have asserted, this may not be "Tales" as Offenbach originally concieved it. A case can be made that the current 2nd act was originally intended as the final act. (where can you go after loosing and retrieving your soul?). And the english translation used in the film has some awkward phrasing - Crespel to Antonia: "Now did you not swear that that you'd not do?". This said, The film nevertheless stands as a brilliant, imaginative interpretation in its own right.

The current issue on VHS states that it restores scenes eliminated prior to its release. This is not the case. (I attended the initial release in Southern California). The restored scenes are those eliminated from the film for its application to U.S. television release - a real hatchet job to its last act. As might have been expected it had no home on American TV.

In addition to making it whole with the initial theatrical presentation color has been substantially improved as compared with the original VHS release. This makes it true to what was seen in comercial release and well worth the price of admission.

However, there are still scenes tantalizingly referenced in the video packaging which wound up on the cutting-room floor before comercial release of the film and which do not appear on the VHS video. First is Franz's aria "Day & Night I Am Always Slaving" and brief exchanges with Crespel which serve to establish his deafness (These can be heard on the London LP recording of the sound track, and a still of Massine during this aria appeared in the color program which was sold at the Premier). Second was the scene in which Nicklaus became Hoffmann's golden-gilded muse.

Should this film be released on DVD, which it certainly deserves to be, some effort should be made to find these missing pieces so the film can finally be seen as Powell & Pressburger originally intended.

Opera Becomes A High Class Fantasy Film
The same producers behind the magic of the 1949 film, "The Red Shoes" (about a ballerina doomed to dance to her death), bring you the colorful 1950's film adaptation of the Offenbach French opera "Tales Of Hoffman." The Tales Of Hoffman was Offenbach's last opera and his most revised work. In this production, there have been alterations and only the highlights from the opera are showcased. An extraordinary cinematic sequence is the entire "Venice Act", featuring the famous Barcarolle and a sumptuous display of costume and color. Moira Sheer (the heroine in "The Red Shoes" and herself an accomplished ballerina, appears in this film as Stella. They have changed Stella's original career as an opera singer to a ballerina (in an effort to show more ballet sequences). None of this really matters, nor does it ruin the opera as film. In fact, French opera tradition has used ballet sequences in the grand operas of Meyerbeer (Robert Le Diable, La Prophete) and Gounod (Faust).

Moira Sheer's performance is excellent, an equal match to her previous performances with this director and his team. Hoffman is genuine, romantic and effectively portrayed as the dreaming artist. Every scene is full of magic, full of rich and colorful fantasy (the Doll Olympia has her moments) and striking visuals make this film worth going after. If you enjoy ballet, if you enjoy opera and if you are interested in this particular style of film (surrealist, fantasy) then you will enjoy this film. Even more specialized for fans of "The Red Shoes", for which this film is a follow up.

An Extravaganza of Music, Color and Beauty
As a great lover of art, music and ballet, I have to say that this is my absolute favorite dance film - a true must-see, and must-own. Offenbach's music is played with great sensitivity and skill, the sets, staging and costumes are easily the finest I have seen on stage or screen, and the dancing of Moira Shearer, Leonide Massine and the cast is perfection.

It was not easy for me to locate a copy of this film, and when at last I did, I paid a hefty price. But absolutely worth it - I would have paid twice the amount without hesitation. This film takes "The Red Shoes" and its creativity to a level without precedent - it is like a dream caught on film, only more interesting. Some of the design concepts are almost inhuman in their genius. This is truly a film that must be seen to be believed.

Although I am no expert on the opera, I will say that I have a small knowledge, and great love for, the music of Jacques Offenbach. Here it is presented with wonderful precision and feeling, and the voice of Robert Rounseville is showcased to great advantage.

wonderful film
This is a wonderful film - I only wish it were available on DVD!

Please Criterion - WHEN?
I've owned this as a vhs and view it often. Perhaps Powell and Pressburger's most beautiful film, the scenes with Ludmilla Tcherina are spellbinding - especially walking on the sculptered faces! The forming of gems from candle wax. The Daliesque landscape near the conclusion. The...the...there's just too much. I better go watch it again. I hope CRITERION will issue this one on DVD soon! ... Read more

Reviews (39)

Remarkable, on many levels...
The Criterion DVD edition of "Black Narcissus" brings out the most brilliant aspects of the film, a brightness and splendor that makes the drab Order of Mary nuns re-think a few things. The magnificent & exotic locale, high in the Himalayas, as well as clashing cultures trying to meld, make this a most absorbing experience. Okay, the nuns take a castle in the mountains to teach the locals. That's all I'll tell of the plot. The psychological experiences of each nun are vividly portrayed, as well as the intrusion of a local girl and an Indian prince. A very mystic atmosphere pervades, and the nuns start thinking mundane thoughts. Ah! The mystery of the mountains! It's a bit of a downer to find out that you're not seeing the Himalayas in their splendor; rather, all was filmed on a stage in England. The Oscar-winning art direction and cinematography are totally responsible for creating this wonderfully mysterious place. The Criterion version preserves the phenomenal photography, with colors clashing against each other, creating a visual display of the confusion those poor nuns were facing. Indeed, they all changed, in one way or another. Clear and crisp, you can see every facial wrinkle and every minute detail of costumes and jewelry. A fine achievement. Shadows against sunlight, and brilliant color...quite lovely. It's fun to see a post-adolescent Sabu, though here he plays a fancy young guy and looks uncomfortable, considering his greatest fame came wearing a much more comfortable loincloth. The rest of the acting is excellent, without exception. Deborah Kerr, in one of her first big roles, is commanding, as well as Kathleen Byron, Flora Robson, David Farrar, and an amazing performance by a 17-year old Jean Simmons, as a little Indian tart. I was most taken with the performance of May Hallatt as the crazy caretaker of the palace, who really put a lot in perspective. It's impressive that director Powell and writer Pressburger were in such close collaboration that they took equal credit for everything. As the liner notes tell, England was slow to recover after WW II, and watching the English nuns leave the most spiritual surroundings somehow suggest that the English had no business in India. They didn't understand their surroundings. Interesting. (David Lean's wonderful "A Passage to India" had a similar message). There is a cleansing rainstorm as the nuns leave, which suggests that life will go on, as usual, though the look on Farrar's face at the end is less than hopeful. My favorite moment is when May Hallatt finds out a bunch of "ladies" will be coming, expecting the old days of the harems. Imagine her surprise when she gets a bunch of nuns. If you haven't seen this film already, prepare yourself for a truly visual treat. Young filmmakers should see this, to learn about plot/character development, real conflict & resolution. I'm glad to own it.I

The Crisp Air of the Himalayas
British cinema during the post-WWII years produced a string of terrific movies, and Black Narcissus is among the most remarkable of those films. There is an eerie, sexually charged atmosphere throughout this story of five nuns sent into a remote part of the Himalayas to establish a convent and work with the locals. There's something about the air that clears their heads and allows all sorts of worldly thoughts to permeate their consciousness. The results are tragic. Deborah Kerr stars as the Sister Superior and gives yet another excellent portrait of repression and duty mixed uneasily together. As good as she might be, it's Kathleen Byron as the disturbed Sister Ruth whose performance dominates the film. Her descent into madness is chilling and Byron is nothing short of amazing in the way she physically and emotionally plays it. The cinematography is justly famous, and the direction is superb, capturing and exploiting the repressed atmosphere and increasing mental unease of the experience using great camera angles. The score also deserves mention. The sound of the howling wind runs throughout the film, and choirs of voices are used with rising intensity to create dramatic tension. Black Narcissus is unlike any movie you have seen.

an unusual slow paced film.
This review is for the Criterion Collection DVD edition of the film.

In my opinion, this film's plot was kind of boring and slow.

In compensation however, the film has excellent matte shots and and well made scenery imitating the Himalayas. It is very hard to believe that the movie was made entirely in the British Isles.

The film is about fuve nuns who open a school and hospital in a remote region of the Himalaya mountains. Their efforts are plagued with many troubles and the results are disasterous.

The film also sparked a controversey with the Catholic Church's Leigon of Decency upon it's release in the US and as a result, a scene was cut for the US release. As a non-Catholic Christian, I am very glad that the Legion of Decency no longer censors films in the US because I strongly oppose many teachings of the Catholic church and their views could have caused many Protestant films to be banned as anti-Catholic.

I did not find anything offensive in this film but can see why Catholics might.

The special features are good and one of them is excellent.
There is a theatrical trailer, production photos, photos of cut scene, and audio commentary by Michael Powell and Martin Scorsese. The other feature which I really like is a 27 minute documentary "Painting with Light" which is about the technicolor canera and the cinematography of the film. The documentary also has a visual "tour" of the different parts of the technicolor video camera.

The film remains a classic, though not one of my favorites.

Eroticism runs riot in a nunnery
Not only is this the most erotic British film ever made... it is one of the most erotic films ever and in terms of understanding what IS erotic, is a pre-eminent example of 'less is more'. It has been remarked about some famous religious art works that there appears to be a conjunction between the face in a moment of religious ecstasy and the face in a moment of sexual ecstasy. Mr Powell and Mr Pressburger understood that entirely and made a feast of it. Just to consider the use of red: blushing nuns, red flowers, blood on a white habit, cherry lipstick, magenta dress, ruby shoes, a maroon compact... Combine this with the pulsating drums, everpresent wind, the oiled bodies of the "natives" and images of a booted foot hovering near the prostrate body of one of the nuns and you have a film of extraordinary sexual power. Never have the bare legs of a male, from just above the knees down, looked so provocative as they do in this film. But this is just part of this magnificent work. To own.

One of Powell and Pressburger's best.
Visualy perfect, colorful, brilliantly directed and acted. My favorite Criterion Collection DVD. Only gets better with each viewing. One of the most beautiful DVD transfers I have ever seen. Only equaled in it's use of color by Micheal Powell and Emeric Pressburger's other color films like THE RED SHOES. A must have. ... Read more

Amazon.com

It's been said that this 1948 classic has been responsible for the ballet lessons of more young girls than any other film. It's not hard to understand why: Michael Powell and Emerich Pressburger's dark fairy tale presents the ballet as an exquisite, magical work of art; but under the theatrics and glory is an all-consuming lifestyle with the power to destroy those who love it perhaps too much. Moira Shearer practically glows as Victoria "Vicky" Page, a young woman consumed by a will to dance who is accepted into the highly prestigious ballet company run by perfectionist Boris Lermontov (Anton Walbrook). Meanwhile, a gifted young composer, Julian Craster (Marius Goring), is brought on board as an orchestra coach, and later conductor and composer of the ballet that will make Vicky's name: The Red Shoes, one of the most beautiful and dramatic dances ever captured on film. Professional and personal jealousies soon pull this creative team apart, however, and Vicky is torn between her love of Julian, her responsibility to Boris, and her need to dance. Powell and Pressburger recast Hans Christian Andersen's sad story as a modern romantic melodrama, highlighted by beautiful dances and shot, not as stage ballets, but rather as expressionist cinematic dramas on impossibly grand sets awash with bold color and beautifully captured in glorious Technicolor by cinematographer Jack Cardiff. It's a brilliant melding of dance and drama as Vicky's real life mirror's the tragic story she danced in the Red Shoes ballet. --Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Reviews (36)

Moira Shearer exquisite in debut (VHS Edition)
This film directed by Emeric Pressburger and Michael Powell, and released as one their Archers productions in 1948, is one of the films which I truly cherish. It tells the tragic story of the very talented young ballerina Victoria Page who has to make an agonizing choice between her love for composer Julian Craster and her dedication to art, which is personified by impresario Boris Lermontow. A film about the ballet world, art and love. It features several real dancers such as Moira Shearer, Leonide Massine, Robert Helpmann and Ludmilla Tcherina. This contributes to the feel of authenticity. Volatile/prima donna tempers flare. We certainly get an intimate look into a fascinating world. As with many other Powell and Pressburger films, there's an underlying myth, in this case Hans Christian Andersen's tale of the red shoes [Andersen's downbeat tale deals with a girl who desires a lovely pair of red shoes so much but once she has them in her possession, she can't stop dancing, and only death will liberate her from what has now become a torture]. In this production of 'The Red Shoes' life will irrevocably imitate art. Filmed in lavish technicolour it captures all of the magic of ballet perfectly. It is accompanied by an interesting and haunting music score by Brian Easdale.

The beautiful and luminous center of this film however is Moira Shearer's exquisite performance as the tragic Vicky. She brings Vicky's devotion to ballet and vunerability poignantly to life. 'The Red Shoes' would be Moira Shearer's debut, who was at the time a rising star with 'The Sadler's Wells Ballet' and it definitely earned her a place in cinematic history. Not in the least because of the stunning fifteen minute dance sequence which Lermontow's company performs: 'The Ballet of the Red Shoes'. Herein Moira Shearer's and Leonide Massine's performances as the girl and the shoemaker stand out. A spectacular and surrealistic ballet on its own, this was choreographed by Robert Helpmann and designed by painter Heinz Heckroth. Also shown are interesting and very well executed fragments from such classic ballets as 'Giselle' or 'Le Boutique Fantastique'.

Further stood out for me Anton Walbrook's performance as the fanatical and tyrannical impresario Lermontow, who demands total commitment of his employees to their art. Together with Moira Shearer's Vicky his intelligent, intense and ultimate poignant interpretation carries this picture. In Lermontow we meet a man who has the vision, knowledge, connections and creative instinct to bring a dancer such as Vicky to greatness. Marius Goering is adequate as Vicky's love but Leonide Massine as Grischa/the shoemaker was very eloquent and poignant.

An intense, passionate and unforgettable film which occupies a special place of honour in my film collection.

A Must See For Ballet Fans
The 1948 classic film starring Moira Shearer (herself a professional ballerina) is no only an enjoyable semi-realistic fantasy film, in much the same lines as say The Wizard Of Oz, but a brilliant film technically to look at. It's drawn from the dark fairy tale by Hans Christian Anderson (responsible for such stories as The Little Mermaid), in which a young girl is forced to wear red shoes with a will of their own. The poor girl dances until she dies. The concept is taken to a late 40's England, where the aspiring ballerina Victoria Page seeks to dance in the prestigious company headed by the eccentric, perfectionist and intensely driven impresario Lentmontov. The story provides the audience with a glimpse of dance rehearsals, theatrical life both pre-performance and during, the charm of the glamourosu life ballerinas are said to enjoy. But in reality, it is a study on obscession, the demand for virtuouso performance and the conflict between love of one's career and romantic love. Victoria Page is herself doomed to dance to her death when she is torn between her duty to Lentmontov and her love for his musical composer and choreographer. This movie is excellent for ballet fans, and for stage magic fans- the Ballet of the Red Shoes is the most striking moment in the film, an original ballet set against surreal, nightmarish backgrounds of carnivals, ballrooms and ghostly netherworlds where neon lights change colors in blinding and dizzying speed and danced to jazzy 40's music. The film is sure to impress adults (I disagree that it is for children due to the drama of the whole thing), and it is marvelously shot in Paris, London and Monte Carlo. A film like this does'nt come often.

Don't ignore human nature
Amazon Reviewer "ploompy" notes, "...Look for Lermontov's great advice to Kraster when his intellectual & creative material is purloined by a professor. Lermontov says simply, "It is better to be stolen from than to have to steal..." I agree, this is an excellent piece of advice to remember in life.

Another line in the "Red Shoes" by the Lermontov character is worth noting. Lermontov is warned about "human nature" and how current events within his theatre group is breaking up the act. Lermontov responds to this by saying "I simply ignore it". As events unfold with the "Red Shoes" story Lermontov's ignoring of human nature comes back to haunt him in the end. One can never IGNORE human nature. It trumps eveything else.

Excellent movie on all levels. A true movie classic.

Enjoy

Great movie
My husband and I just saw this movie on Turner Classic movies last nite and we just loved it. My husband had seen this movie when he was 5 years old, around the time the movie was made and had not seen it since. The ballet sequences were great, the technicolor and special effects were super. We highly recommend this movie to anyone who has a taste for the ballet or just folks who enjoy a good movie

Thanks to Turner Classic Movies.....
I saw "The Red Shoes" tonight once more on TCM and my heart pounds each time I see it...The color, the acting, the art direction, the music. This is a film that has aged well like fine wine...... you just want more and more of it.
I am so glad to have finally ordered the DVD. I have had the VHS tape a few years but now I will soon have the DVD thanks to CDNOW for making it so easy to order...
Dave Reep
Kansas City ... Read more

Reviews (26)

Greatest golden age fantasy still well worth owning
This masterpiece, often referred to as the greatest fantasy movie ever, still holds up well over 60 years later. The Thief of Bagad has a terrific story with enchanting magic, enticing romance and terrific suspense. The acting is absolutely superb with fine performances turned in by Sabu the little thief, Rex Ingram as the powerful and scary genie, and Conrad Veidt who as the evil Vizier Jaffar is one of the best villians ever. John Justin, the blinded Caliph and his beloved princess (June Deprez) provide an engaging and often tragic romance that lends terrific depth to this story.

Best yet is the awesome imagination brought to life in this masterpiece epic. While some of the effects show their age (The spider, for instance), others, such as the flying mechanical horse and the magical carpet are still captivating. The immense attention to detail is evident in the palaces, the ships and the sultan's toy collection. Miklos Rosza's musical score along with this movie's wonderful cinematography recreates the legendary time of the Arabian Nights.

For my one complaint, while this movie clearly rates 5 stars, I'm knocking my review down to 4 stars due to the lack of DVD extras. When compared to spectacular golden age DVDs like Robin Hood, one begins wish all were made this way. Children from 8-13 (as well as adults) will still find joy in this delightful picture.

Brilliant Fantasy Adventure!!!
A blinded beggar, Ahmad, with his wise dog, is begging for food and coins in the harbor of a distant city. The Grand Vizier Jaffar requests that the beggar should be brought to the palace to help his beloved Princess wake up from a deep trance like sleep, since legends tell him that only a blind man can awaken the princess. During the blind man's visit, he tells the story of his life and how he once was the King of Bagdad and his dog was a thief named Abu. The story also reveals that he was blinded by the evil Vizier Jaffar and how he fell in love with the Princess. Thief of Bagdad is a captivating fantasy tale with magical items, dubious creatures, and enchanting adventures of a long lost king. The wide variety of creatures, items, and adventures is delicately balanced with a well written story, precise cinematography, and special effects that do not ruin the story despite the age of the film. The experience that is provided through this cinematic event is a magical story that offers both entertainment as well as contemplation, which is useful for young and old.

A masterpiece to been seen by all generations
"The Thief of Baghdad" is a masterpiece and should be seen by the present and future generations. It is a movie complete and all its aspects. I was 10 when I first saw "The Thief of Baghdad" and since then I could never forget the moments of enchantment it brought to me everytime (more than 10 times)I went to the movies to see it on the big screen. It was and still is my fantasy favorite movie. In the Middle 60's I finally found a copy in 16mm at a distributor and had to rent a projector to show the film at home. Although the copy was in very bad conditions I could even so, be able to go back to the days of my childhood while enjoying this wondereful film.
Recently I púrchased a VHS copy at Amazon[.com] and virtually "obliged" my 18 year-old daughter to watch it. It was a prize to have the film with me at all times. The new edition in DVD is perfect and reveals all the splendor the film brings.

A Fairy Tale concealing the Prennial Wisdom
I first saw this movie as a child in the 1940's. The effects were the best ever for the time, and even look really good today. This is another hero tale complete with a lowly but likable thief who undergoes the classic perils all heros face, but the placement is beaufifully fantasic with the mystery of sultans, evil vizer, genii, minerets, blue rosess of forgetfulness, and magical toys that come to life in Baghdad and Basra. It became my family's all time favorite, along with another Sabu movie, Jungle Book. If this is the type of fantasy and truth you like, go for it.

A Dream
Superb remake of Douglas Fairbanks silent classic; with Sabu as the charming little thief, helping a blinded caliph (John Justin), victim of evil Jaffar (Conrad Veidt), to recover her position and her sweetheart (June Duprez), setting for just amazing adventures.

Filled with wild ideas (the menacing shadow of Jaffar, the blue rose, the horse-toy, the sculpture of many hands, the giant spider, the laughing Genius), and a very, very beautiful color photography (June Duprez is beautiful and John Justin's eyes sparkle with intensity), this film is a certainly unspeakable dazzle for me. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Briefed by the Ministry of Information to make a film that would foster Anglo-American relations in the post-war period, innovative filmmakers Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger came up with A Matter of Life and Death, an extravagant and extraordinary fantasy in which David Niven stars as a downed pilot who must justify his continuing existence to a heavenly panel because he has made the mistake of falling in love with an American girl (Kim Hunter) when he really should have been dead. National stereotypes are lampooned as the angelic judges squabble over his fate. In a neat reversal of expectations, the Heaven sequences are black and white, while Earth is seen in Technicolor. Daring cinematography mixes monochrome and color, incorporates time-lapse images, and even toys with background "time freezes" 50 years before The Matrix. Roger Livesey and Raymond Massey lead the fine supporting cast. This is one of the undoubted jewels of British cinema.--Mark Walker ... Read more

Reviews (43)

Brilliant, intelligent fantasy
I know this movie under its original UK title, A Matter of Life and Death, and it's one of the finest, wittiest meditations ever on the relationship between earth and heaven, law and justice, England and America.

Bomber pilot Niven finds himself in a rapidly disintegrating aircraft, shortly to come down over the sea. His last radio message is to an American WAC, Kim Hunter, who falls in love with him during their brief conversation. Then they lose contact, the plane comes down and Niven is washed up on a beach - but much to his surprise, he's not dead. He meets Hunter and they connect.

However, up in heaven, things are not well. Niven should have died, and a heavenly messenger (Marius Goring as a deeply camp French aristocrat) is sent to earth to persuade Niven that he's in the wrong place. Meanwhile, Niven is suffering appalling headaches. His doctor (lovably blurry-voiced Roger Livesey) diagnoses a brain injury. On earth, Niven must have a difficult operation. In heaven, he must go on trial for his right to stay alive.

Powell and Pressburger made the movie as part of a wartime propaganda effort to defuse tension between American servicemen stationed in Britain and the British people, who occasionally resented the Americans' higher pay, better uniforms and general chutzpah. But the film-makers exceeded their brief by several degrees. This is a lovely bit of movie-making; one of the wittier conceits is that life on earth is depicted on sumptuous technicolour, while heaven is in silvery black-and-white (the normal practice would have been to have it the other way round). Niven is a live wire, Livesey is as gruff and cuddly as ever, Goring is bright and cheeky (when he first arrives on earth and the rose in his buttonhole turns from grey to crimson, he sniffs it and sighs "Ah! Technicolor!"), Raymond Massey is cragginess incarnate, plus there's the gorgeous ice-queen Kathleen Byron as an angelic receptionist...ahhh. They don't make films as mad and as intelligent as this any more. (Well, maybe Trainspotting.) Great stuff.

Stairway To Heaven -- A Movie Classic Gem
This is one of the most overlooked gems Hollywood has ever produced. -- A young WWII British fighter ace whose plane is about to crash, has radio contact with a young American woman who comforts the brave pilot, knowing that within minutes he will be dead. For some reason the man who should certainly be dead walks away from the wreckage and eventually learns that he was meant to report to heaven. When a messanger is sent to ask the pilot to accompany him to heaven, the man refuses and demands to have his "day in court" to argue his case. The man argues that his situation had changed during the final moments of his earthly life, that he had fallen in love and therefor had become a different person, one who deserved a chance to live on. The "heavenly court" is a cinematic delight! The "announcement of the jury of peers" is a definite highlight. The story, as fantastic as it seems, is an engaging one and will keep you spellbound for the nearly 2 hours play time. The final scene is simply beautiful and will require a "Kleenex treatment" for most viewers. This film is in my personal all-time favorite top 10, it has my highest recommendation!

ssssssssssssssuper
Well... 42+ reviews and not one less than 5 stars certainly makes more of a statement about the quality, or at least value of this movie than I could ever hope to do. Yes it's sort of semi-centred around a partly cheesy but initially poetic romance, and it does ostensibly make some point about "the power of love", but its also about life's sentiments and quirks (love, nationalism, chess...) and perhaps even a point about the nature of reality (is it a dream, is it all real, is it a mix of both, does it matter, doesnt' it matter), the consequence and incosequence of imagination, real and fabricated.

All the BS about themes and cases aside, A Matter of Life and Death is a fabulously entertaining movie, quirky and likable characters, a lovely semi-halucenogenic storyline, a witty script, extrodinarily complex yet readily understood, and terrific visual style.

Certainly see this movie, although this is another movie I pray gets restored and released on DVD (the vhs is tolerable... but with such great visuals it is a travesty that it is yet to be released, when, in fact, it should have been one of the first "classic" titles on the medium).

Fantasy Vs. Reality
Produced by the inventive team of The Archers, A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH, also known as STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN, is a remarkable British fantasy from 1946. Fresh, innovative, and extremely original, the film inspired such directors as Brian DePalma, Vincente Minnelli, and Martin Scorsese. It tells a tale about the powers of love, pitted against the "powers that be." The movie was supposedly devised to smooth over the strained relationship between Britain and the U.S. after WWII. It is disarming in its gentle reminders of the horrors of war and the need to go on when faced with death. Its deception lies in the complexity of its "is it real or is it imaginary?" premise, taking the viewer alone for a fabulous ride of fantasy vs. reality.

Peter Carter (David Niven) is a WWII pilot returning from a bombing raid, who is forced to jump out of his moving airplane without a parachute after an enemy attack. While deciding his fate aboard the plane, he speaks to American W.A.C. June (Kim Hunter) over his transmitter radio, before finally leaping from the plane to what he thinks will be his death. Peter wakes up to find that he has landed utterly unharmed, which wasn't supposed to happen according to the rules of Heaven. Peter meets June on the nearly deserted beach and they fall in love. Before long, he is payed a visit by Conductor 71 (Marius Goring), a heavenly messenger who informs him that he should have died after jumping from the plane. Peter argues that he is now in love and cannot possibly give up his life, wishing to remain on earth. He is given that chance and a celestial trial is called to decide Peter's fate--whether to claim his life or let him survive.

The curious but artistic choice associated with the production was the decision to film the Earthbound scenes in Three-Strip Technicolor and the Heaven sequences in Black and White. The smooth transition from color to black and white works amazingly well, especially under Michael Powell's brilliant direction. The audience never knows if what is happening is real or not. Are the heaven scenes a part of Peter's imagination, or are they actually taking place? The film plays it both ways and leaves it to the audience to decide. The film does a brilliant job of playing with our emotions and making us care for the characters, giving even the heavenly creatures human qualities. It is a brilliant film, that is both important, and extremely enjoyable...

Classic Treasure
Before wasting his talents on many irritating chracterisations David Niven took centre stage in this whimsical, delightfully executed Hollywood fantasy. The story centres around a British WW2 pilot who falls in love with an American after being propelled into a heavenly court when surviving a plane crash. The editing of the dazzling opening sequence leaves much to be desired and for a film made in 1946 AMOLAD bristles with colourful cinematography and a miraculous creation of a heavenly afterlife.

Shining with surrealistic cinematic bravura (the fantasy sequences were shot in black and white, the earthly ones in color), STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN is a marvel, with a notable contribution from production designer Junge. Most remarkable is his monumental stairway which reaches majestically into the heavens, peopled with a cast of history's dead.

Not only is this a philosophically moving and emotionally effecting satire of love and post war politics but a witty, unabashfully joyful creation of pure art and craft. A visually stunning, funny, sad and timeless movie with an impeccably written script, A Matter of Life a Death is an oustanding creation and deserves to remain treasured in years to come. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Old War Time Classic
While it bit heavy-handed for today perhaps, this fine movie provides some interestig viewing and amusing portraits. Olivier's cameo as a Qubecois is highly hilarious, and worth seeing for its humor. The German sub-crew are portrayed as hardend Nazi's as they struugle across the depths of Canada attempting to reach a still neautral US. War time scenes of Canada and Canadian outlook at the time are interesting, but will probably be lost on most viewers today. Leslie Howard does a classic scripted scene as a neutral rustic turned into anti-Nazi patriot. Again, much here is pretty standard fare for 1940s war propaganda films, but the acting is solid, and the Germans are not all shown as fanatics. Worth seeing as a period piece, for some good acting, and for lesser known roles by well known actors.

The Germans are coming! The Germans are coming!!
Michael Powell directed this odd wartime propaganda film, set in Canada, before the American entry into WWII. A German U-boat has infiltrated the Canadian coastline, seeking to attack and subvert our neighbors to the North, before Uncle sam can wake up and get into the fight. The Canucks make short work of the Nazi, sub, sinking it in Hudson Bay, but a reconnaissance team, now stranded in Newfoundland, sets out to smuggle themselves into the US, where, sheltered by American neutrality, they intend on spreading Nazi propaganda, or perhaps even blowing up the American capitol, or some other act of terrorism. Viewed in the wake of the September 11th, 2001 bombings, this was a remarkable film, particularly as the German strategy was specifically to subvert the openness and freedom of the "decadent" democracies, and turn the rule of law into a weapon against them. Sound familiar? Two sequences bear the unique Powellian stamp of the director's odd, askew sense of humor. The first is a prolonged "Witness"-like interlude in a rural Mennonite community, where the gentleness and loving acceptance of the farmers threaten to upend the authority of the fanatical German leader. Once he manages to peel his men away from the embrace of pacifism and equality, the commandant leads his men Westward in a reckless race towards the border in the Pacific Northwest. The film's most brilliant scene unfolds as the manhunt traps them in an "Indian Days" celebration at a national park: when the police take over the PA system and address the crowd to warn them of the hidden spies, the Germans shrink with terror as they are described to the tiniest, most accurate detail. But the celebrants -- typical consumers of spectacle and passive entertainment -- don't even bother to look sideways at the sweating, tense terrorists in their midst. Why bother? Isn't that someone else's job? This is a fun film, both an historical oddity and prescient reminder that wicked people may always prey on the goodwill of those they see as "weak." Recommended!

Great!!
This film is genuinely great. Eric Portman is absolutely
perfect as a Nazi. Niall McGinniss is terrific as a "good"
Nazi. Leslie Howard is wasted. Laurence Olivier, a really
overrated actor, is completely ridiculous (what an AWFUL accent).
The scenery and music are really good for a war picture. Concentrate on Portman, ignore Olivier, and enjoy a great movie.

Huh?
What a terrible film. I taped it off the Tv a while back, intending to watch it when i got back from school.
Well i sat there, with my mouth hanging open. Once i seen my two favourite stars in action i turned it off and found my Maths homework much more interesting.
I understood exactly what was going on i just found it so boring that i couldn't watch after Laurence Olivier and Leslie Howard had made their brief apearances.
The general idea of the film was awful, i can't see a film so mind numbingly boring, inspiring the Americans to join the war or help the war effort at home, more like increase the suicide rate in both countries.
What i want to know why the Germans all spoke with English accents?
I couldn't work out where Laurence Olivier was supposed to be from, i thought he was russian at first (bit stupid of me as he was singing an obviously french song).

Why America should fight the Nazis
A damaged U-boat is stranded in a Canadian bay in the early years of World War II. The Fanatical Nazi captain and his crew must reach the neutral United States or be captured. Along the way they meet a variety of characters each with their own views on the war and nationalism. In this film Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger show their ideas of why the United States should join the Allied fight against the Nazis. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

A well-made, timeless British propaganda film
One of Our Aircraft Is Missing is a British propaganda film from 1941; leaving aside the propaganda aspects, it is a well-made motion picture that was nominated for best original screenplay as well as best special effects at the 1942 American Academy Awards (Casablanca took best picture). It also did quite well at the box office. The British bomber Bertie takes a hit during a nighttime bombing raid over Stuttgart, Germany, and her six-man RAF crew is forced to parachute to safety over German-occupied Dutch territory. Five of the men are discovered by some friendly children and are taken to town where an English-speaking schoolteacher helps facilitate their escape. The men are furtively passed along the sixty or so miles to the North Sea through a veritable underground railroad of Dutch resistance, eventually linking up with the pilot they feared had been lost. Interestingly, the most heroic assistance comes from women like the schoolteacher Els Mertens and the truly remarkable Jo de Vries. De Vries supposedly hates the British for having killed her husband in an air raid and works closely with the local German forces whom she secretly despises; this makes her the perfect final contact for the English airmen seeking to return home by sea. The final stages of the great escape do prove somewhat harrowing, but the RAF men do honor to the ancient creed of "being British" throughout the most dangerous moments. De Vries delivers a stirring ovation for the resistance and war efforts, and any Englishman or American who didn't already hate the Germans would have been more than willing to take up arms immediately and rush off to The Netherlands to free this remarkable woman and her friends in the Dutch resistance from Hitler's nefarious grip. One of the more interesting aspects of the film has to do with the Dutch resistance in general; the Dutch have a way of obeying German orders in a way that never fails to get under the occupying soldiers' skins. One of Our Aircraft Is Missing proves that propaganda can sometimes have a completely positive connotation, and the story itself is well-presented and quite timeless in its appeal.

"W" for Wonderful
In some ways, this is even better than that other great Powell-
Pressburger-Portman film, "49th Parallel." The casting here is
uniformly perfect. All of the stars act with a natural grace
that is a joy to watch. The propaganda is not too obvious, nor
forced. And the sly humor of certain scenes is fun (don't miss
Frank in a dress). Eric Portman is wonderful is usual, but the
entire cast is terrific. Yes, that is Peter Ustinov as a priest!
Don't miss this wonderful gem.

Never have so few done so much for so many.
During the Allied Bombing offensive of World War II the public was often informed that "A raid took place last night over ..., One (or often more) of Our Aircraft Is Missing". Behind these sombre words hid tales of death, destruction and derring-do. This is the story of one such bomber crew who were shot down and the brave Dutch patriots who helped them home.

Classic Propaganda
This war-time production by the Archers Studios and the famous writing/directing team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger is classic war time adventure. The crew of the British bomber, "B for Bertie" bails out over Nazi occupied Holland. The resistance finds the crew members and aids them in returning to England. Like their now out-of-print classic, 49th Parallel, the directorial team of Powell and Pressburger was assigned to make propaganda films to aid the war effort, what they produced were adventure epics. This film made such an impact that it was remade (presumably for the American audience) as Desperate Journey in 1942 with Errol Flyn and Ronald Reagan.

Not Gore but Camaraderie
This is a wonderful movie because it was done during the war. Movies about the war at this time did not focus on the horror of the war but how people were working together to solve and win the war conflicts. This movie is a fun way of portraying a war with out all the bad aspects. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Black Becomes Him
It's the middle of WWI, and Conrad Veidt is a U-Boat captain who is sent on a secret mission to the Orkney Islands. There he meets secret agent Fraulein Teal (Valerie Hobson) and a traitorous English ship captain, Ashenden (Sebastian Shaw - he who played Darth Vader at the end of Return of the Jedi). Objective, learn date and time that the English fleet is to sail so that German u-boats can sink them. But who'se really in the trap?

Not great, but interesting spy flick.
An early British WWII film, featuring Conrad Veidt as a German naval officer, afoot on a sinister mission in the Northern UK. This film was apparently the first pairing of director Michael Powell and producer Emeric Pressburger; the plot is pretty thin, but has a few interesting, offbeat Powell-ian moments, including a great comedic scene when Veidt's cover is blown and he takes control of the situation. Interesting to see how, at this early stage in the war, the German baddie was still allowed the trait of military honor. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Michael Powell broke with a decade of B movies with thispersonal project shot on the North Sea island of Foula, a magnificent,primal landscape of high, rocky inland plains and sheer cliffs juttingout of the sea like a dare. He renamed the island Hirta for thisfictional story (based on the real-life evacuation of the island of St.Kilda) of an isolated community's traditional way of life slowly dyingas the young men are drawn to the modern cities of the mainland. JohnLaurie and Finlay Currie play the two family patriarchs who struggleover the future of the island community, and Powell himself appears asthe yachtsman in a framing sequence. The romantic melodrama at theheart of the tale turns on a breathtaking race up the sheer cliffs andthe grudge it sparks when one of the climbers falls to his death.

The Edge of the World is more stately and still than Powell'scinematically playful and stylistically vibrant later films like TheRed Shoes and Black Narcissus. The proud, hard residents ofthe island are constantly framed against the dramatic sky, the craggymountains, or the rolling meadows with a dire seriousness. Yet there'sa poetry to his images, which are never less than gorgeous, and Powelldirects with a sense of tension, urgency, and desperation that pulls atthe easy pace of this harsh lifestyle. This edition also features thelovely 1941 short An Airman's Letter to His Mother (narrated byJohn Gielgud) and the Powells' 1978 documentary Return to the Edgeof the World, a 22-minute remembrance organized around a reunion onthe island of Foula. --Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Brilliant film, long unavailable...
Stunning 1937 film set in the Shetland Islands, and filmed on the North Sea isle of Foula. Director Michael Powell has been called "the British John Ford", and you'll see why when you watch this film.

Based on a newspaper article the director once read, "The Edge of the World" is a heartbreaking documentary-style look at a phenomenon that really faced island-dwellers off the coast of Scotland in the 1930's and 40s.

On Hirta, the ficticious isolated coastal island, the fishing is becoming impossible thanks to the mainland trawlers and their huge nets. The peat the islanders harvest and sell for fuel is almost exhausted. The youth of the island are leaving in droves.

As a result, the islanders face a harsh choice; try to go on with their way of life, or give up everything and ask the government to relocate them on the mainland. There is bitter debate among the inhabitants, with part in favor of leaving, others wanting to fight on, and still more who are uncertain what to do.

While the acting may occasionally seem a bit overdone today, the real winner here is the outstanding photography done on location. Hills sweep up and end abruptly with sheer cliffs. The pounding sea sprays the rocks, and clouds sweep over the expanse of the island, leaving telling shadows on all below. There is also a truly heartstopping race as two men climb the sheer cliffs to decide questions between them.

This is an amazing and moving film that focuses on characters, with their odd beliefs, their customs, their culture threatened, and their whole way of life hanging in the balance.

After one viewing, you will never be able to leave this film behind. Truly an overlooked work, it is indespensible to the serious film buff and student.

Cheers to Milestone, who copied the film's recently restored 35mm print for this tape (and in SP mode, no less!). Until a Criterion DVD edition comes out, this is the best version you're likely to find of this wonderful film, and well worth the price.

The tape includes the twenty minute documentary "Return to the Edge of the World" in its entirety, as well as the Powell WW2 short subject, "An Airman's Letter to His Mother".

Odd, but beautiful film
"The Edge of the World", directed by Michael Powell, is an odd little film. It's set in the 1930s on Hirta, a tiny remote Shetland island. Fishing trawlers are depleting the local cache of fish, and there are questions about the viability of continuing life on the island. Two young islanders disagree about the future of the island--Robbie believes that living on the island will soon become impossible, and Andrew believes that the island still offers a solid living. The two men, lifelong friends, decide to hold a race to decide their argument. The race ends in tragedy and a self-imposed exile.

This area of the world has always fascinated me, so when I discovered the existence of the film--combined with the fact that it was directed by Michael Powell, I had to track down a copy. "The Edge of The World" does a marvelous job of portraying island life--right before it disappeared. I was aware that life on the islands had to be harsh, but the film reveals the living conditions in some detail. The islanders' system for getting letters to the mainland has to be seen to be believed.

The cinematography is absolutely outstanding and lends itself to black and white--visually this is a beautiful film. The shots of the craggy rocks are stunning. The film was shot on location on the Shetland island of Foula. The story is a teensy bit corny, but it's not too over-the-top, and the romance plays second fiddle to the story of the island. "The Edge of the World" stands as a record for a way of life that is lost forever, and as such, the film is an amazing relic.

The sound quality was a little rough--especially in the beginning of the film. It was almost as through everything was recorded on a very windy day. The sound quality, however, evened out as the film progressed. If you enjoy this film, I recommend "I Know Where I'm Going." The DVD has some nice extra features--including 2 short extra pieces "A Letter from an Airman to his Mother", and "Return to the Edge of the World." The latter is a short documentary film--displacedhuman ... Read more

Description

The exploits of the original Scarlet Pimpernel dazzled audiences with one of the best adventure stories of their time.This version, based on the famous Baroness Orczy character, features Sir Percy Blakeney (David Niven, Stairway to Heaven, The Guns of Navarone), masquerading as the "indolent dandy of London"and leading a double life as Pimpernel.It is our dashing hero Pimpernel who rescues innocent French aristocrats from the guillotine of the French Revolution.A script wrought with intrigue and mystery, beautifully accentuated by a fine cast of actors. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Can't wait for the DVD to be out!
Great movie, filmed mostly on site with some very nice castles in the Loire Valley or Mt St-Michel. Costumes, history, humour, mystery and romance.. Very much worth to see. Oh, and don't miss out the young Patrick Macnee (John Steed, The Avengers) beside David Niven!! :o)

Sparkling with witty dialogue and a hero after my own heart.
This great movie captures the spirit of the book--with several improvements on the original too. David Niven gives a wonderful portrayal of Sir Percy Blakeney(bart.) Although the film was made a long time ago, the characters' refreshing sincerity comes through.

The film starts off in the typical "Scarlet Pimpernel" method--France, Mme. la Guillontine, the old hag, a thrilling carriage chase--but as it progresses, it starts to take on a familiar, yet refresshingly unique look.

My favourite part is when--. Sorry, I really musn't spoil the movie.

"The Elusive Pimpernel" is available now. Watch this movie and you will come to love it as much as I do. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Michael Powell lays bare the cinema's dark voyeuristic underside in this disturbing 1960 psychodrama thriller. Handsome young Carl Boehm is Mark Lewis, a shy, socially clumsy young man shaped by the psychic scars of an emotionally abusive parent, in this case a psychologist father (Michael Powell in a perverse cameo) who subjected his son to nightmarish experiments in fear and recorded every interaction with a movie camera. Now Mark continues his father's work, sadistically killing young women with a phallic-like blade attached to his movie camera and filming their final, terrified moments for his definitive documentary on fear. Set in contemporary London, which Powell evokes in a lush, colorful seediness, this film presents Mark as much victim as villain and implicates the audience in his scopophilic activities as we become the spectators to his snuff film screenings. Comparisons to Hitchcock's Psycho, released the same year, are inevitable. Powell's film was reviled upon release, and it practically destroyed his career, ironic in light of the acclaim and success that greeted Psycho, but Powell's picture hit a little too close to home with its urban setting, full color photography, documentary techniques, and especially its uneasy connections between sex, violence, and the cinema. We can thank Martin Scorsese for sponsoring its 1979 rerelease, which presented the complete, uncut version to appreciative American audiences for the first time. This powerfully perverse film was years ahead of its time and remains one of the most disturbing and psychologically complex horror films ever made. --Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Reviews (38)

Career Killing Mother of Slasher Films
If Hitchcock's Psycho can be called the father of the modern slasher film, than PEEPING TOM must be the mother of them. Director Michael Powell (Black Narcissus, The Red Shoes) kissed his career goodbye when he made this still disturbing, denounced, and banned film about a psychotic serial killer (much like Tod Browning did when he made Freaks). Most of the film is told from the perspective of a disturbed serial killer and several murder scenes are shown from the perspective of the killer and these are the ones which upset people a great deal in 1960. The film has many thematically similar ideas to Hitchcock's Rear Window and voyeurism. This film however took ideas where no man had gone before and did so in color. It's still a sometimes surprisingly brutal film, though it's minimal gore is quite tame by today's standards.

I'm sure there will be some who will call the film's mixture of psychological terror, voyuerism and mild gore dull. But these are people who need films to hit them over the head with images, loud noises, and be edited like an MTV music video.

Christopher J. Jarmick, Author of The Glass Cocoon with Serena F. Holder...

Subversive at the time, mild today
When British director Michael Powell and screenwriter Leo Marks collaborated on the 1960 film "Peeping Tom," the two really thought they had something special. The movie about a mentally unstable young man caught in the clutches of his father's psychological experiments horrified audiences and critics alike. Obscene, depraved, wildly inappropriate--these were only a few of the milder labels attached to the film. The movie played less than a week in cinema houses throughout Britain before disappearing. Powell, come to find out, was so devastated by the response to his movie that he promptly left England for Australia, never to return. In our crazy modern world, what people thought horribly twisted yesterday has an allure beyond reckoning for today's cranks. Thus, "Peeping Tom" has now become a movie lionized by modern filmmakers, students of film history, and critics. The Criterion Collection's release of the movie goes so far as to call Powell's film a "British 'Psycho.'" Well, I wouldn't go that far, but the movie is intriguing considering the date of its release (1960) and the subject matter it fearlessly tackles.

Mark Lewis (Carl Boehm) spends his days working the cameras at a film studio and his nights moonlighting as pin-up photographer and documentarian. He always carries a camera wherever he goes, photographing seemingly mundane objects as buildings and people. Lewis seems like a harmless sort of chap, but the dark secrets swirling in his mind would give the stoutest soul pause. He is a Peeping Tom, always gazing into windows or using his camera to spy on the intimate details of other people's lives. His illness seems to come from his childhood, when his famous psychologist father used Mark as a test subject in his work on human fears. Father would set up a camera in different rooms of the house, along with a tape recorder, and proceed to torment his son in various ways in order to monitor the boy's reaction. At some point in the proceedings, young Mark equated women with his terror fits, and as a full grown man he has decided to conduct his own amateur experiments. With camera and tripod firmly in tow, Lewis tricks women into situations where he can murder them and record their fear on celluloid. His first victim is a woman of the night, the next a would be actress at the studio. Mark initially gets away with his crimes because he blends easily into the background. He's polite to a fault, quiet in manner and movement, and solitary. He spends most of his time in the huge dark room at his house, endlessly replaying his sordid film footage and anguishing over his painful childhood.

Enter Helen Stephens (Anna Massey), an aspiring author and tenant in Lewis's house. Young Stephens notices Mark when she sees him staring into her apartment during her birthday party. Intrigued, Helen follows Lewis up to his apartment, discovers he owns the house and acts as its landlord, and witnesses some of his bizarre behavior. Despite the uneasiness of their first meeting, Mark and Helen become fast friends. In fact, Lewis takes such a shine to Helen that the mere idea of "photographing" her--code for committing another murder--shocks him to the very marrow of his being. Helen really likes this man even though her blind, alcoholic mother despises young Lewis because she has an intuition that he is up to no good. Things begin to turn south for Mark when the police launch an investigation into the murders, Helen's mother confronts him about his activities, and he learns that his little problem will take years of therapy to overcome. Lewis loses his cool as the authorities close in but discovers a peace of sorts during the film's conclusion.

Modern audiences will scratch their heads as they try to figure out why "Peeping Tom" was so controversial when it first came out. I think the primary reason this movie shocked British moviegoers and critics concerns how the movie presents such an appalling criminal as a figure worthy of sympathy and outright pity. No one wants to feel for a murderer of young women, but Powell's movie often gives Boehm's character endearing traits. When Helen comes to Mark requesting his aid with the photographs in her soon to be published book, Lewis visibly enthuses that anyone would honor him with such a request. The guy is genuinely happy about Helen's success, and further confounds audience perceptions by buying her a very nice brooch for her birthday. He gives her this gift not as a means for tricking her into a situation where he can victimize her, but because he likes her, respects her, and wants her to be happy. There are a few other reasons why "Peeping Tom" scandalized the British film industry, probably reasons best left unelaborated on here, but the film's refusal to judge Mark Lewis's behavior is probably the biggest reason for the insults heaped on this picture.

I liked the film even though it is a relatively bloodless affair. Carl Boehm's performance as the tortured Mark Lewis provides the primary impetus for viewing this film. He captures perfectly the concept of a scared, tormented little boy wrapped in a man's body. Hats off to Criterion as well; they did a grand job with the widescreen picture transfer and the heap of extras included on the disc. There's a stills gallery, a trailer for the film, a lengthy documentary about screenwriter Leo Marks, and a commentary by one of those hoity-toity film historians. Don't go into this movie looking for a gory thriller. What you will find is a colorful, quiet movie about a very disturbed young man looking for a way out of his personal darkness.

A true breakthrough
Micahel Powell made more than a movie, he opened the troubled mind of a disturbed man who suffered in his childhood exreme abuses from his father played this role by Michael Powell.
The use of the camera and the script opened the gate to new world of young directors who still are influenced by this film forty four years after.
This film is a cult movie. Powell reminds us that Peeping Tom are us too, the viewers every time we seat in front of the screen.
Psycho would come after, but this was the pioneer expression of a new genre of horror.
And that's why about its relevant place in the brittish cinema.
Do you need another advise for buying this landmark film?
Carl Boehm made an intimate and credible portrait that this difficult and even complex role demanded.

a film ahead of its time
This review is for the Criterion Collection DVD edition of the film.

This movie directed by Michael Powell, (after severing ties with longtime business partner, Emeric Pressburger) was highly controversial and almost cost him his career. The film was taken from theaters after only a week and was rarely distributed.

In the film a young filmmaker interested in feelings of terror, films women while killing them with a blade attached to his camera's tripod. The film captures the sadistic nature of people and shows how things are for them. He meets a young woman who is a tennant in his home. (he lives on the 2nd floor [1st floor in England] and has 2 apartments on the 1st floor. [ground floor in England]) She later becomes interesting in him and his life.

The film has great acting and the fright of the victims is very convincing. The DVD has a theatcical trailer as a special feature along with a behind the scenes slideshow, a documentary about the film called "A very british psycho" which aired on TV in England, and an audio essay about the film by Laura Mulvey.

Michael Powell crosses over the line with "Peeping Tom"
"Peeping Tom" is a film whose place in cinematic history cannot help but outweigh the critical value of the film itself. When it was released in Great Britain in 1960 it was universally condemned by the critics and pulled from released the first week, effectively ending the career of director Michael Powell ("I Know Where I'm Going," "Black Narcissus," "The Red Shoes"). "Peeping Tom" is about a young man who not only murders women, but who films them as he kills them. What upset the critics was that Powell used the perspective of the camera to turn the viewing audience into voyeurs as well, and that he made the murderer into a sympathetic figure.

Reducing "Peeping Tom" to the level of a slasher film misses the point, because this is much more of a psychological portrait of a troubled young man. Mark Lewis (Carl Boehm) works as an assistant cameraman at a film studio and has trouble appreciating the difference between the real world and what he sees through the lens of a camera. Mark has another job, taking "views" of half naked women for the owner of the local news agent shope (Bartlett Mullins) to sell discretely to his customers. But Mark's voyeurism is ultimately not about sex, but rather about fear: provoking it and recording it. As Mark slowly opens up to Helen (Anna Massey), the girl who lives downstairs in his building who shows an interest in his work, we learn that his father was a psychologist who filmed his son in a series of disquieting experiments into the nature of fear. The boy is following in daddy's footsteps. Powell and screenwriter Leo Marks had wanted to do a film about the work of Sigmund Freud, but John Huston was working on "Freud" in Hollywood, so Marks suggest a story about a voyeuristic murderer as an alternative psychological thriller. Ultimately, the psychological dimensions of "Peeping Tom" outweigh the thriller elements and are what make this a noteworthy film.

"Peeping Tom" came out before "Psycho," and the comparisons are inevitable, although they seem as much the work of different times as of different directors. Part of it is that Powell is working in technicolor, with rich colors which work against the horror elements in the film. But we also have to take into account that Powell is not dealing with suspense as a key part of the equation and that there is nothing in "Peeping Tom" anywhere near the level of the shower scene in "Psycho." The key scene is the opening sequences, where we see Mark approach a prostitute on the street, his camera becomes the point of view for the audience, and we see the terror on this face of his first victim before she dies. Then, during the opening credits, we see Mark watching the film he has just shot. The film's opening sets up the rules for the game in this film and no doubt outraged the London film credits before the director's name appeared (shown over Mark's projector no less). Add to this the fact that Powell and his son played Mark's father and Mark as a child, and that probably outraged them more than the half naked women lounging around in display positions. Powell's leading man was the son of a noted Austrian conductor and Boehm's slight German accent probably afforded the critics the small confort that this twisted individual was not a proper English lad.

Since this is a Criterion Collection DVD the presentation of the film is done right, with a commentary track by film theorist Laura Mulvey who combines criticism of the film with the history of the film, cast, and crew. Serious film students will enjoy her insights and her comprehensive critique of the film as a true commentary on "Peeping Tom," and not the gay banter of actors and crew trying to come up with things to say that are so disappointing on so many commentary tracks. There is a theatrical trailer, whose tenor seems quite at odds with the film itself, a gallery of production stills, and a Channel 4 U.K. documentary "A Very British Psycho," which relates the controversy of the film and interviews screenwriter Leo Marks and the critics who bashed the film on its release in 1962. You cannot help but feel that while it was Michael Powell's directing career that was ended up this film, it was Marks who should have suffered more as the writer is at least as disturbing a personality as his fictional creation in the film. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Appropriately enough for a picture named for a flower, Black Narcissus exists in a color-drenched, hothouse atmosphere. The setting is a nunnery in the Himalayas, where sister Deborah Kerr has her hands full with an envious nun (the remarkable Kathleen Byron) and a sardonic Englishman (David Farrar). Director Michael Powell and screenwriter Emeric Pressburger, the team responsible for the mid-forties masterpieces A Stairway to Heaven and The Red Shoes, decided to shoot Black Narcissus entirely in the studio, so they could create their own controlled, slightly unreal world. The choice paid off, as both art director Alfred Junge and cinematographer Jack Cardiff won Oscars for their blazing Technicolor work. The climactic sequence--a murder attempt on the cliffs of the cloister--bears special attention, as Powell "set" the sequence to a preexisting musical track, staging it as though it were a piece of visual choreography. Adding a bit of behind-the-scenes tension to the production was the fact that Kerr was the director's ex-mistress, and Byron his current one. "It was a situation not uncommon in show business, I was told," he later wrote, "but it was new to me." --Robert Horton ... Read more

Reviews (39)

Remarkable, on many levels...
The Criterion DVD edition of "Black Narcissus" brings out the most brilliant aspects of the film, a brightness and splendor that makes the drab Order of Mary nuns re-think a few things. The magnificent & exotic locale, high in the Himalayas, as well as clashing cultures trying to meld, make this a most absorbing experience. Okay, the nuns take a castle in the mountains to teach the locals. That's all I'll tell of the plot. The psychological experiences of each nun are vividly portrayed, as well as the intrusion of a local girl and an Indian prince. A very mystic atmosphere pervades, and the nuns start thinking mundane thoughts. Ah! The mystery of the mountains! It's a bit of a downer to find out that you're not seeing the Himalayas in their splendor; rather, all was filmed on a stage in England. The Oscar-winning art direction and cinematography are totally responsible for creating this wonderfully mysterious place. The Criterion version preserves the phenomenal photography, with colors clashing against each other, creating a visual display of the confusion those poor nuns were facing. Indeed, they all changed, in one way or another. Clear and crisp, you can see every facial wrinkle and every minute detail of costumes and jewelry. A fine achievement. Shadows against sunlight, and brilliant color...quite lovely. It's fun to see a post-adolescent Sabu, though here he plays a fancy young guy and looks uncomfortable, considering his greatest fame came wearing a much more comfortable loincloth. The rest of the acting is excellent, without exception. Deborah Kerr, in one of her first big roles, is commanding, as well as Kathleen Byron, Flora Robson, David Farrar, and an amazing performance by a 17-year old Jean Simmons, as a little Indian tart. I was most taken with the performance of May Hallatt as the crazy caretaker of the palace, who really put a lot in perspective. It's impressive that director Powell and writer Pressburger were in such close collaboration that they took equal credit for everything. As the liner notes tell, England was slow to recover after WW II, and watching the English nuns leave the most spiritual surroundings somehow suggest that the English had no business in India. They didn't understand their surroundings. Interesting. (David Lean's wonderful "A Passage to India" had a similar message). There is a cleansing rainstorm as the nuns leave, which suggests that life will go on, as usual, though the look on Farrar's face at the end is less than hopeful. My favorite moment is when May Hallatt finds out a bunch of "ladies" will be coming, expecting the old days of the harems. Imagine her surprise when she gets a bunch of nuns. If you haven't seen this film already, prepare yourself for a truly visual treat. Young filmmakers should see this, to learn about plot/character development, real conflict & resolution. I'm glad to own it.I

The Crisp Air of the Himalayas
British cinema during the post-WWII years produced a string of terrific movies, and Black Narcissus is among the most remarkable of those films. There is an eerie, sexually charged atmosphere throughout this story of five nuns sent into a remote part of the Himalayas to establish a convent and work with the locals. There's something about the air that clears their heads and allows all sorts of worldly thoughts to permeate their consciousness. The results are tragic. Deborah Kerr stars as the Sister Superior and gives yet another excellent portrait of repression and duty mixed uneasily together. As good as she might be, it's Kathleen Byron as the disturbed Sister Ruth whose performance dominates the film. Her descent into madness is chilling and Byron is nothing short of amazing in the way she physically and emotionally plays it. The cinematography is justly famous, and the direction is superb, capturing and exploiting the repressed atmosphere and increasing mental unease of the experience using great camera angles. The score also deserves mention. The sound of the howling wind runs throughout the film, and choirs of voices are used with rising intensity to create dramatic tension. Black Narcissus is unlike any movie you have seen.

an unusual slow paced film.
This review is for the Criterion Collection DVD edition of the film.

In my opinion, this film's plot was kind of boring and slow.

In compensation however, the film has excellent matte shots and and well made scenery imitating the Himalayas. It is very hard to believe that the movie was made entirely in the British Isles.

The film is about fuve nuns who open a school and hospital in a remote region of the Himalaya mountains. Their efforts are plagued with many troubles and the results are disasterous.

The film also sparked a controversey with the Catholic Church's Leigon of Decency upon it's release in the US and as a result, a scene was cut for the US release. As a non-Catholic Christian, I am very glad that the Legion of Decency no longer censors films in the US because I strongly oppose many teachings of the Catholic church and their views could have caused many Protestant films to be banned as anti-Catholic.

I did not find anything offensive in this film but can see why Catholics might.

The special features are good and one of them is excellent.
There is a theatrical trailer, production photos, photos of cut scene, and audio commentary by Michael Powell and Martin Scorsese. The other feature which I really like is a 27 minute documentary "Painting with Light" which is about the technicolor canera and the cinematography of the film. The documentary also has a visual "tour" of the different parts of the technicolor video camera.

The film remains a classic, though not one of my favorites.

Eroticism runs riot in a nunnery
Not only is this the most erotic British film ever made... it is one of the most erotic films ever and in terms of understanding what IS erotic, is a pre-eminent example of 'less is more'. It has been remarked about some famous religious art works that there appears to be a conjunction between the face in a moment of religious ecstasy and the face in a moment of sexual ecstasy. Mr Powell and Mr Pressburger understood that entirely and made a feast of it. Just to consider the use of red: blushing nuns, red flowers, blood on a white habit, cherry lipstick, magenta dress, ruby shoes, a maroon compact... Combine this with the pulsating drums, everpresent wind, the oiled bodies of the "natives" and images of a booted foot hovering near the prostrate body of one of the nuns and you have a film of extraordinary sexual power. Never have the bare legs of a male, from just above the knees down, looked so provocative as they do in this film. But this is just part of this magnificent work. To own.

One of Powell and Pressburger's best.
Visualy perfect, colorful, brilliantly directed and acted. My favorite Criterion Collection DVD. Only gets better with each viewing. One of the most beautiful DVD transfers I have ever seen. Only equaled in it's use of color by Micheal Powell and Emeric Pressburger's other color films like THE RED SHOES. A must have. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

A well-made, timeless British propaganda film
One of Our Aircraft Is Missing is a British propaganda film from 1941; leaving aside the propaganda aspects, it is a well-made motion picture that was nominated for best original screenplay as well as best special effects