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

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)

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

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

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 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

Amazon.com

Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's first Technicolor masterpiece, The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943), transcends its narrow wartime propaganda to portray in warm-hearted detail the life and loves of one extraordinary man. The film's clever narrative structure first presents us with the imposingly rotund General Clive Wynne-Candy (Roger Livesey in his greatest screen performance), a blustering old duffer who seems the epitome of stuffy, outmoded values. But traveling backwards 40 years we see a different man altogether: the young and dashing officer "Sugar" Candy. Through a series of affecting relationships with three women (all played to perfection by Deborah Kerr) and his touching lifelong friendship with a German officer (Anton Wallbrook), we see Candy's life unfold and come to understand how difficult it is for him to adapt his sense of military honor to modern notions of "total war." Notoriously, this is the film that Winston Churchill tried to have banned, and indeed its sympathetic portrayal of a German officer was contentious in 1943, though one suspects that Churchill's own blimpishness was a factor too. --Mark Walker ... Read more

Reviews (8)

What Criterion is all about
I found "The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp" to be a haunting story, rich in story and superbly acted. I found the film to be a very private experience - one that you will be thinking about for a long time.

I really can't add anything to the comments made before other than to say that this is the type of film that makes Criterion a special mark. I would question many of their choices, films are available in other formats and of questionable importance (e.g. "Armageddon", "The Royal Tennanbaums" and "The Rock"). "The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp" probably would have been lost forever (or show up as a $...DVD on a "Bargains" rack) without the work put in by Criterion and the "legitimacy" conferred on it by being recognized by the brand.

myke

Powell & Pressburger will never fail to engage an audience..
The fascination of Powell and Pressburger began many years ago and their films never seem to fail to entertain, allure pondering, and engage creativity. This film has all of the same characteristics that sign a film by Powell and Pressburger, and this time they have done it with an old fashioned military officer, Clive Candy (Roger Livesey), who is comfortable with his own opinions and traditions. The very same opinions and traditions will come under close scrutiny by an entertained audience that will have to contemplate the insightful development of the film as well as the outcome of Clive Candy. In the end, Life and Death of Colonel Blimp will have proven itself to be an outmost terrific film.

A Masterpiece Restored
How wonderful it is to have this unique movie beautifully restored to its original length and scene order by the British Film Institute.

Until about ten years ago, I had never seen this film. I had never rented the cut, reconfigured tape, because I didn't think I'd like the film (in any form). But the L.A. County Museum of Art had an Archers' retrospective several years ago that included the BFI restoration print. Despite many of there pictures being among my favorites, I still thought I was in for a hoary WW II propaganda film. I could walk if I didn't like it.

Was I ever wrong. I came out considering it among The Archers best works. which in my book, means one of the finest films ever.

"The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp," in the original version, is a brilliant mix of WW II propaganda, an often whimisical loving satire of the system. It is ultimately one of the most winning anti-war films ever. In a different way, as good as "Grand Illusion."

This low-key epic begins with the Boer War, when Blimp is a young (too) gung-ho officer to the time the film was made--mid-war 1943. The cast is superb. Roger Livesey gives one of the best performances imaginable. Deborah Kerr (18) at the time, gives a tour-de-force performance as the three different women Blimp falls for in the 40-year span of the film. Anton Walbrook Is so brilliant in this film. This man I am now convinced was one of the greatest actors of the 20th Century. His controversial character is a German officer Blimp befriends in the Boer War and they become life-time friends, with Blimp vouching for him being permitted to stay in England during WW II. Walbrook's scene explaining why he has left Germany is as great, if not greater than his curtain speech in "Red Shoes." Most other actors would have turned this into maudlin sentimentality. Walbrook instead gave me a giant lump in my throat. I don't lump easily.

If you've never seen the complete, uncut and untampered with film and are Archers devotee, this is the version for you.

The extras are uniformly fine. The commentary track with Martin Scorsesse and director Michael Powell, from a recording he made on first viewing the restored film, is sharp and perceptive. He sounds very old and can be hard to understand because of it, but it is worth the extra effort to hear him comment on one of his personal favorites.
There is also an excellent half-hour or so documentary, that includes Emeric Pressburger's grandson, that helps explain why and how the film was tampered with and almost never seen as a result of Prime Minister Winston Churchill trying to ban it. No luck in England. J. Arthur Rank released it in his English theatres and advertised "See The Banned Film." And it was a huge hit. The "banned" got the initial audiences in, word-of-mouth made it the movie too see. Winnie also failed in his attempts to stop exportation to other countries.

One of the most intelligent, witty,serious, breathtakingingly beautiful Technicolor films ever released.

Get this Criterion treasure now. It also includes several Colonel Blimp "original" editorial cartoons, by Blimp creator David Low. Some are timely today and could run with the names changed to suit today's political and military madness. The editorial cartoons were a revelation to me.

Archer Fans, order now and have a really complete collection of these unique gems.

The chap from England, below, is absolutey, right.

The REAL Triumph of the Will
This and "A Matter of Life and Death" are Powell & Presberger's masterpieces, before they descended into the schmalz of "The Red Shoes". The tale of the essentially decent British and German gentlemen, played by Roger Livesey and Anton Walbrook respectively, rapidly becoming dinosaurs in the changing Europe between the Boer War and the Blitz, yet clinging to their values despite being kicked in the face by the brutalisation of Germany and by the consequent brutalisation of a Britain attempting to survive against barbarism. Their friendship begins from the mutual respect engendered by a duel fought reluctantly for the honour of their respective traditions at the time of the Boer War. During convalescence they vie for the hand of Deborah Kerr, turning up in the first of 3 roles. Livesey's shyness leaves Walbrook holding the field. Nearly 20 years pass until they meet again, at a POW camp in Britain. Livesey's essential naivete rides roughshod over the wartime enmity, but Walbrook's response is ambivalent, and the reunion is short-lived and bittersweet. Livesey marries Deborah Kerr's reincarnation as a nurse, because of a resemlance to his first love. A further 20 years pass. Livesey, widowed, is asked to act as sponsor for Walbrook, now exiled from Germany, also widowed and estranged from his Nazi children. Together they come to terms with their sidelining in a world of younger men with few of the old values. Deborah Kerr turns up for the third time as Livesey's driver as he moves from army officer to Home Guard organiser,refusing to be pushed out of the fight. In appearance Livesey's character assumes the appearaqnce of David Low's cartoon Colonel Blimp, but underneath he is more rounded; decent,generous to and loyal to friends, slow to denegrate his foes and totally patriotic, but finally nobody's fool. John Laurie appears in a delicious cameo as Livesey's batman/manservant, crusty but loyal. His boss may occasionally infuriate and perlex, but Laurie recognises the basic decency, as, finally, all do who come into contact with him. It may be propaganda, but it is still magnificent.

Propaganda that still works, a view from england
This is the best film by the best chroniclers of english life. I put this review on the American site because I feel the need to evangelise! Emeric Pressburger was an Hungarian refugee, and put much of his experience into the mouth of Theo, the sympathetic German character (in 1943! No wonder Churchill wanted it banned without seeing it). The film has three sections, set in 1902, 1918 and ww2. It shows the friendship between the title character, Clive Wynne Candy, and Theo Kretchsmar-Shuldorf. It's also a love story, with Deborah Kerr as three identical looking women. Most of all it's a requiem for a lost golden age, and a call to arms to defeat Nazism. The best set pieces are given to Theo (Anton Walbrook) a German refugee actor, emphasising that this is not a conflict between two equal and honourable countries, but between good and between evil, and this time, if good loses, there is no return match.This propaganda is 60 years old, but every time I watch it by the end I'm ready to sign up. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

A Real Gem That Will Hopefully Be Available Soon
It is World War II and 3 people (a young girl and a British and American soldier on leave) are making a modern day pilgrimage to Canterbury. Each has their own reason and problem to resolve on the way. All that is interupted at a sleepy English village when the "Glueman" attacks. Not as serious as it sounds but it is the catalyst for Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger to have our characters open up while giving us a slice of English countryside life that is mostly vanished. Simple things as the GI and village lumberman discussing wood or the village children enacting an elaborate game of war. There is much that is quite funny and very touching about this film that despite its being set at a particular time makes it timeless. In the end 4 wind up in Canterbury. Our original 3 and the "Glueman". As always with Powell and Pressburger the script is literate and whimsical and the overal production superbly handled. With a fine ensemble cast of actors this film is a treasure that will hopefully be restored to video.

A gem of a movie
A strange, numinous little gem of a movie, shot in and around a luftwaffe-devastated Canterbury in the run-up to D Day, 1945. Renowned director Michael Powell returns to his beloved home City to update the Canterbury Tales - 3 modern-day "pilgrims" - a Land Girl, US GI & British soldier, brought together by their hunt for the mysterious "glue man" who pours glue on local girls who date soldiers - all receive their "blessings", as indeed does the glue man. The fantastic cloudscapes & vast skies of East Kent are stunning backdrops to crucial scenes & the amazing & typical Powell/Pressburger/Renoir use of light throughout adds to the air of magical realism. A must-buy!!!

One of Portman's Best
Haunting, troubling, hilarious, and saddening. Eric Portman was England's greatest actor, and he and the rest of the cast shine in this underrated gem about the nature of truth.

Touching and ambiguous evocation of WW2 England
Beautifully shot, with a mature and sensitive eye, this intelligent and slightly troubling telling of life in a Hampshire village in WW2 is a Powell and Pressburger classic. Catch the excellent lead performance by a US airman (ie, not an actor). This film has great weepie qualities - remember how many were in mourning - but is also engaging, eccentric, intelligent and hugely allegorical. ... Read more

Reviews (31)

actually, she doesn't
This very fine romance tells the story of Joan Webster, a determined young woman at the tail end of WWII, who has always known where
she's going, which is mainly getting ahead. At the moment, she's on her way to the island of Kiloran, off the coast of Western Scotland, to
marry Sir Robert Bellinger. Sir Robert has amassed a considerable fortune during the war via his Consolidated Chemical company. He makes
sure that Joan travels in style, according to a precise schedule, with folks waiting on her every step of the way, right up until the time comes for
her to take a boat over to the isle. At that point, nature intervenes, in the form of gale force winds, and she's prevented from joining Sir Robert
for several days.

Meanwhile, she meets the colorful inhabitants of the little town, among them the handsome and dashing Torquil MacNeil, a Naval Lieutenant,
who it turns out is the real Laird of Kiloran, forced to rent out the family estate for several years at a time to get the money to maintain it the
rest of the time. The entirely predictable complications follow, but where a modern film would rely on slapstick and broad humor, Pressburger
and Powell are more subtle. The film is humorous, but the filmmakers are more intent on exploiting the natural beauty and wildness of their
setting than in getting cheap laughs and they cleverly tap in to several mythological themes. There is a castle with a curse on it and a
treacherous whirlpool lies between the town and the isle. In the end, legend and convention combine to bring the story to its necessarily
romantic conclusion.

I have to admit, I normally loathe these stories where one betrothed, or the other, or both, break off an engagement because they've found "true
love." (I guess at the time it was also considered daring to implicitly criticize war profiteering by having Joan choose the poor sailor over the
industrialist.) But the movie's so enchanting and the use of myth so effective that I eventually surrendered to it. Powell and Pressburger made
many great films and this one, though I'd not rank it with their very best, is delightful. Highly recommended for husbands who owe their wives
a chick flick.

GRADE : A-

Beautifully scripted, acted and photographed.
Bless my public library having offered this on video tape in the past, and bless the Criterion Collection for now making it available on DVD. This simple movie has not one false step. Those who have only seen Wendy Hiller in old age (e.g., in "A Man for All Seasons") will love seeing her play a modern (1940's) woman who "knows where she's going."

In this case, she is going to the Scottish Hebrides to marry one of the richest men in the world when a storm intervenes, stranding her among an eccentric mix of locals, including a (young, handsome, down-to-earth) naval officer on leave from the war.

The rest of the cast is as charming as Hiller, playing characters who are utterly believable. (A young Petula Clark endures particularly materialistic parents, who are not, of course, locals.)

A DVD edition should make the black and white photography of this film even more striking.

An excellent film with great scenery
This review is for the Criterion Collection DVD edition of the film.

This movie is one of the more interesting that I have seen. The story follows a woman on the way to her wedding to a wealthy man on an island in Scotland. Inclement weather prevents her from taking a boat to the island and she subsequently meets a naval officer and begins to have feelings for him.

The film has excellent scenery of Mull Island in Scotland.
The DVD special features include a revisit to the sites featured in the film.
There is also a theatrical trailer. There is feature length audio commentary by Ian Christie. There are several home movies made by Director Michael Powell, narrated by his widow Thelma who also narrated a slideshow of production photos on the DVD.

There area also excerpts from Michael Powell's "The Edge of The World" a documentary "Return to the Edge of the World" and another documentary "I Know Where I'm Going! Revisited" by Mark Cousins.

A haunting and treasureable film.
IKWIG (as its creative team of Powell and Pressburger dubbed it) was made on a black-and-white stock right after WWII, when technicolor film and equipment were temporarily unavailable. It was the tale of a London-based woman who has always known what she's wanted all her life, and has decided to marry a wealthy, nice, but elderly business tycoon. ("You can't marry Consolidated Chemical Industries!" sputters her father. "Can't I?" is her reply.) He has rented a sprawling castle on a distant isle of the remote, nature-claimed Hebrides Islands, off the coast of Scotland, and she's traveling to meet him for the wedding, there. Unfortunately, the weather doesn't cooperate, and she's stuck for days one island short of her goal, where she encounters endless local traditions, people, and scenery, along with the young Laird of Killoran. Her desperation to achieve her goal nearly causes the death of several people, and has a profound effect on her understanding of the culture she's dropped into from London.

I would venture to call IKWIG the uber-chick film. It has several of the qualities that succeed so well in romance novels/film making: a self-reliant, intelligent heroine; a rugged hero who is at first perceived as the antagonist; a growth in understanding about the world around her, that allows ultimately for a complete change of POV in the heroine. It is that rare creature, a romance film that isn't a romantic comedy. It has some brilliantly inventive comic moments, especially (and significantly) before the film moves leaves England--like the heroine's dream sequence as she sleeps aboard a train, climaxing in a distant shot from above that has the hills covered in tartan as the train passes into Scotland--but that isn't the focus. (If anything, it is a bit of magical theater that represents a flight *away* from reality, showing us the early values of the heroine; just as the culture she finds in the Hebrides becomes a massive section of magical theater which, less brilliant, hammers away at her preconceptions both through its human and elemental aspects.)

However, there are many things about IKWIG that lift it above the chick film genre presented by such horrific stuff as Scriptless in Seattle. Powell was in love with the Hebrides, and, unusually for a fictional film of this period, IKWIG is filled with the culture of its surroundings. There's no sense of embarassing "types" as in so many Hollywood films-on-location, but rather more than a dozen subsidiary characters, none of them models, who fit naturally into their assigned roles, with or without dialog, and contribute to the film's sense of otherness. The writing is unsentimental and never cloys, but brings out many of the local traditions, superstitions, and myths surrounding the Hebrides in a natural and seemingly impromptu fashion; so that when we attend a party given in honor of the sixtieth wedding anniversary of the Laird of the Campbells, we actually see three bagpipers playing as the floor shakes under the heels of dancers; and we witness an extremely good amateur a capella group sing a glee. IGWIG takes its time to give us the full value of these things, and we're left grateful for the sense of connection. How different it feels than Pretty Lady, with a cliched plot hitched to endless shopping sprees and "let's do lunch" dates.

The extraordinary beauty of the environment was captured live without special effects--in fact, Powell said they never used a smoke machine; all their fog, brilliant sunshine, gales, and scenery were natural. Everything save the interiors (and shots with the Laird; Livesey had a commitment that kept him in London) were made on location, near a village of several hundred inhabitants which was largest settlement on the isle. Erwin Hillier, the editor on the film, was a student of Fritz Lang, and much preferred the heavily contrasted depth photography he'd been trained in to the soft-edged, romantic tone of Hollywood, or the stolidly outlined b&w of contemporary British films.

The script is subtle, rich, and impeccably characterized, with a lot going on beneath the surface. (For example, it's a film about growing up emotionally; of coming to terms with the world around you, and determining what values are real. Yet on another level, there's an unstated three-way contrast among the heroine, an ambitious, educated, lower-class girl, the tycoon and his new money, waiting out the war safely in his island castle, and the traditional upper-middle class landowners and gentry of the Hebrides, impoverished by war deprivations but quietly, heroically making do.) The acting is flawless, without any of the "beautiful people" syndrome in evidence which has so dogged cinema over the years. A comparative failure upon its release (critics and audience weren't in the mood for mystical landscapes and romance after WWII), it's racked up numerous awards and a very large following, since. Martin Scorsese speaks of it as among his favorite films. Although a few stylistic points creak with age (notably the use of music in the background behind dialog in some sections), this is a powerful, lyrical, intimate film with enormous replay value, thanks to the great subtlety of its images and performances. If you're looking for the perfect film to see with a date, or a loved one, consider this. Even if you're not, consider it, anyway. You won't regret it.

Highland Fling !
What are the truly great, classic romances on film ? Many would think of "Casablanca", and justifiably so. However, in its own charming, subtle way, "I Know Where I'm Going" deserves a high place on any such list. My wife and I decided to watch this as our "Valentine's Day" movie--a perfect choice.

I suppose the big question is--why is a movie that is so predictable, so great ? As usual, the answer is a combination of fine ingredients--script, direction, setting and performances, both lead and support.

Dame Wendy Hiller stars as a bright, independent and arrogant young woman who "knows where she is going". Actually, she is "going" to a remote island off the west coast of Scotland to marry a much older, but incredibly wealthy man. There is never any suggestion of a relationship between these two people or that they love one another. It is presented to us as an "arranged" marriage, just as this fellow ( we never actually see him on screen ) would set up one of his business deals. Of course, fate intervenes.

Several days of bad weather prevent our heroine from leaving the coastal village to meet her intended on the island. During this time, she meets a naval officer who also happens to be the local laird, played by Roger Livesey. Even though he is attracted to Ms. Hiller, the Livesey character does not try to "sweep her off her feet"--he simply opens her eyes to the charms and rewards of a simple life where "people are not poor--they just don't have any money". Before long, she develops feelings for this man, which makes her even more anxious to reach the island and her husband-to-be, so that she can keep her word and "do the right thing". Of course, you can't fight fate--can you ?

There are various subplots involving an ancient Scottish curse, a terrifying encounter with a whirlpool, and relationships involving some of the local people. Although shot in black and white, the beauty of Scotland is definitely one of the "stars" of this film. While Hiller and Livesey are superb in the leading roles, they receive fine support from Pamela Brown and a group of Scottish actors, including Finlay Currie. Actually, were there any films involving Scotland from the 30s to 60s which did not have Finlay Currie in the cast ? He is like the patron saint of Scottish movie actors !

Criterion, as usual, gives us a beautiful image, and some nice extras to go with this Powell/Pressburger classic. When Martin Scorcese is asked if he would "remake" the film, he basically says no--why mess around with perfection ? Thank you, Mr. Scorcese--a man of taste, as well as talent !

This is a movie where you can just curl up with your partner, relax ( except for that whirlpool ! )and enjoy some unforgettable characters who learn what is really important in life. A wonderful DVD to own. Now--when is the next flight to Scotland ? ... 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