By Jonathan Monovich.
The way film history should be taught, recognizing greatness and encouraging students to be excited about classic films of the past.”
David Hinton’s Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger (2024) is and should go down as one of the great documentaries about film history. Just as Robert Bresson, Orson Welles, and Alfred Hitchcock were idols of Paul Schrader, Peter Bogdanovich, and Brian De Palma, respectively, Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger were among Martin Scorsese’s greatest influences. Scorsese passionately shares his admiration for the duo in Made in England and it is his affection for Powell and Pressburger as men and as artists that gives the film a special quality. The brilliance of Hinton’s film is owed to Scorsese for if he were not involved the documentary would not have had the same effect. Following A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies (1995) and My Voyage to Italy (1999), the film’s narrator, Martin Scorsese, reaffirms that he is among the most effective storytellers. Equally captivating and informative, Made in England succeeds for it exudes a crying passion for film history. This passion never wavers throughout the film’s one-hundred-and-thirty-one minute runtime. Fans of Scorsese will know that he has dedicated much of his life to film preservation with his organization, The Film Foundation, including famous restorations of Powell and Pressburger films. The importance of Powell and Pressburger to Scorsese is well-known, but it is the intimacy in which the story is told that makes Made in England feel excitingly new. Furthermore, the commitment and care in crafting this exceptional study should be respected for bringing forth a long overdue celebration of two of the greatest directors of all time.
Made in England begins similarly to Scorsese’s other forementioned documentaries. The same memories of an asthmatic child glued to his 16-inch black-and-white television set in his parents’ New York City apartment are nostalgically retold. In place of Italian and American cinema, Scorsese’s latest foray into the past explores a time when the films of the Brits occupied American family rooms. In the era of movie palaces and a celebrated spectacle of the moviegoing experience, Hollywood distributors refused to sell to television. Fortunate for young Marty, this allowed for the works of Powell and Pressburger to become engrained in his infantile mind. In the words of Scorsese “every image filled me with wonder.” These images were so powerful that Scorsese can distinctly recall The Thief of Bagdad (1940) was one of the earliest films that he saw as a child. Though he recants “their films are about color, light, movement, and a sense of music,” several years would pass by before Scorsese had the chance to see the works of Powell and Pressburger the way they were meant to be seen in glorious technicolor. As Scorsese became older, these films continued to become more and more important to him.
In explaining his Powell and Pressburger obsession, Scorsese states “certain films you simply run all the time, and you live with them. As you grow older, they grow deeper. I’m not sure how it happens, but it does. For me, that body of work is a wondrous presence, a constant source of energy, and a reminder of what life and art are all about.” In exploring the wide spanning oeuvre of Powell and Pressburger, Scorsese convincingly exhibits both why these films are noteworthy and how they inspired his own work. Early works like The Spy in Black (1939), and 49th Parallel (1941) are analyzed for their historical significance and the changing nature of the pair’s collaborative relationship. In the early days, Powell was the director and Pressburger was the writer. When the two earned creative control, their opening credits began to hold the stamp “written, produced, and directed by Powell and Pressburger.” By the time The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943) arrived, the duo had truly emerged. Scorsese’s fixation on the film’s duel scene and love story and their comparisons to Raging Bull (1980) and The Age of Innocence (1993) are utterly fascinating. Equally interesting is the spiritual connection between Boris Lermontov (Anton Walbrook) of The Red Shoes (1948)and Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro) of Taxi Driver (1976) and Scorsese’s attraction to Powell and Pressburger’s “egocentric, volatile, addictive personalities… always on the verge of exploding.”
Other films explored include A Canterbury Tale (1944)and I Know Where I’m Going! (1945). These titles are of note in exploring the moralism of Powell and Pressburger and their “crusade against materialism.” Scorsese is also keen to note that the tactics/tricks learned during the silent era would continue throughout the men’s career. Extravagant set design and a heavy musical focus would become integral in defining the auteurist qualities of Powell and Pressburger. In making surrealist films like A Matter of Life and Death (1946), Powell and Pressburger became professionals in “heightened intensity that is only possible through artifice.” With Black Narcissus (1947) onward, the films of Powell and Pressburger became increasingly more expressionist. Shots started to become composed with paintings in mind, and the duo’s artistry only continued to strengthen. Black Narcissus’ concept of “composed film” in letting music serve operatic qualities to direct the characters in place of words serves as the first instance of what would become yet another mark of auteurism for Powell and Pressburger. The Red Shoes and The Tales of Hoffman (1951) would center on this ideology, showcasing the most extravagant, intricate, and artful cinema of their career. Just as Kenneth Anger’s Scorpio Rising (1963) was the catalyst for Scorsese’s use of pop music in his films, Powell and Pressburger’s filmography played a similar role in helping influence Scorsese’s strategic use of memorable musical cues to poignant effect.
While Powell and Pressburger’s collaborative relationship would eventually end due to creative differences and studio intervention, their legacy lives on. Powell continued as a filmmaker with the unforgettable Peeping Tom (1960)and lesser known entries like Age of Consent (1969), while Pressburger would become a novelist. Now heralded as all-time greats, Powell and Pressburger were long forgotten by many. In an archival interview clip, when questioned if the British didn’t appreciate Powell and Pressburger, Powell cheekily replied “when did the British ever appreciate their great men?” It was Scorsese who helped Powell to feel rejuvenated as he confessed his profound appreciation for his work when he had the opportunity to meet him as an up-and-coming filmmaker. In Made in England, Scorsese shares this was the beginning of a lifelong friendship and that Powell helped him through his darkest times. Scorsese reciprocated and even helped introduce Powell to his future wife Thelma Schoonmaker (Scorsese’s longtime editor).
Scorsese shares “true artists make art not because they want to, but because they have to. It’s not a choice. It’s a compulsion.” Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger is very clearly something that Scorsese had to do. Within the film’s first moments, it is obvious that he is sincerely indebted to these men and the project was not a choice but simply something that he personally felt he had to do. Just as New York film critics Bob Benjamin and Arthur Krim were responsible in The Red Shoes’ success, the film critics of today should feel a sense of responsibility in doing the same to ensure that Made in England be seen. Made in England is the way film history should be taught, recognizing greatness and encouraging students to be excited about classic films of the past. Because Scorsese had this mindset, it helped him to make classics of his own.
Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger is now exclusively playing in theaters via Cohen Media Group.
Jonathan Monovich is a Chicago-based writer and a regular contributor for Film International. His writing has also been featured in Film Matters, Bright Lights Film Journal, and PopMatters.