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Michael Powell
Birth name	Michael Latham Powell
Born	September 30, 1905(1905-09-30) Bekesbourne, Kent, England
Died	February 19, 1990 aged 84 Avening, Gloucestershire, England
Spouse(s)	Gloria Mary Rouger (1927-1927) Frankie Reidy (1943-1983) Thelma Schoonmaker (1984-1990)
Influenced	Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, George A. Romero
Awards Academy Awards Nominated: Best Original Screenplay 1942 One of Our Aircraft Is Missing Nominated: Best Picture 1942 49th Parallel 1948 The Red Shoes BAFTA Awards Nominated: Best British Screenplay 1956 The Battle of the River Plate

Michael Latham Powell (September 30, 1905 – February 19, 1990) was a British film director, renowned for his partnership with Emeric Pressburger which produced a series of classic British films.

Powell was born in Bekesbourne, Kent, and educated at The King's School, Canterbury and then at Dulwich College. He started work with the National Provincial Bank in 1922 before becoming an actor and entering the film industry in 1925 through working with Rex Ingram in France (the contact with Ingram was made through Powell's father, who owned a hotel in Nice). He developed his skills directing 'quota quickies', sometimes making up to seven films a year. In 1939, he met Emeric Pressburger while they worked together on The Spy in Black.

Working together as co-producers, writers and directors in a partnership they dubbed "The Archers", they made nineteen feature films, many of which received critical and commercial success. Their best films are still regarded as classics of 20th century British cinema.

Although admirers would argue that Powell ought to rank alongside fellow British directors Alfred Hitchcock and David Lean, his career suffered a severe reversal after the release of the controversial psychological thriller film Peeping Tom, made in 1960 as a solo effort. The film was excoriated by British critics, who were offended by its sexual and violent images; Powell was ostracized by the film industry and found it almost impossible to work thereafter. However, his reputation was restored over the years, and by the time of his death, he and Pressburger were recognised as one of the foremost film partnerships of all time - and cited as a key influence by many noted filmmakers such as Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola.

Contents 1 Family and marriages 2 Filmography 2.1 Early work 2.2 Other films 2.3 Non-directorial 3 Other works 3.1 Books 3.2 Theatre 4 Awards, nominations and honours 5 Legacy 6 References 7 Literature 8 External links

Powell was the second son and younger child of Thomas William Powell, a hop farmer, and Mabel, daughter of Frederick Corbett, of Worcester.

In 1927 Powell married Gloria Mary Rouger, an American dancer; they were married in France and stayed together for only three weeks. Powell was married to Frances ('Frankie') May Reidy, the daughter of medical practitioner Jerome Reidy, from July 1, 1943 until her death on July 5, 1983; they had two sons: Kevin Michael Powell (b. 1945) and Columba Jerome Reidy Powell (b. 1951).

Subsequently, he was married to Thelma Schoonmaker from May 19, 1984 until his own death from cancer at his home in Avening, Gloucestershire. He also lived with actress Pamela Brown for many years.

For his films with Emeric Pressburger, see Powell and Pressburger and Powell and Pressburger films

Many of his early films are disparagingly referred to as 'quota quickies'. Not all of them were, and the ones that were are often of a much higher standard than most other quota films. Some of his early films are now missing and are believed lost. But those that have survived often show some very sophisticated techniques and early versions of ideas that were reused, done better, in his later films.

• 1928: Riviera Revels (co-director)
• 1930: Caste (uncredited) *
• 1931: Two Crowded Hours *
• 1932: His Lordship *
• 1932: C.O.D. *
• 1932: Hotel Splendide
• 1932: The Star Reporter *
• 1932: Rynox
• 1932: The Rasp *
• 1932: My Friend the King *
• 1933: Born Lucky *
• 1934: Something Always Happens
• 1934: Red Ensign (US title: Strike!)
• 1934: The Fire Raisers
• 1935: Some Day (aka Young Nowheres) *
• 1935: The Price of a Song *
• 1935: The Phantom Light
• 1935: The Night of the Party (US title: The Murder Party)
• 1935: The Love Test
• 1935: Lazybones
• 1935: The Girl in the Crowd *
• 1936: The Man Behind the Mask (reissued as Behind the Mask)
• 1936: Crown Vs. Stevens (aka Third Time Unlucky)
• 1936: The Brown Wallet *
• 1936: Her Last Affaire

Those marked with a * are "Missing, believed lost"

From late 1930s onwards, most of Powell's films were in collaboration with Pressburger; his solo films were:

• The Edge of the World (1937)
• Smith (1939)
• The Lion Has Wings (1939) RAF documentary footage with some fictional intercuts
• The Thief of Bagdad (1940) co-director
• An Airman's Letter to His Mother (1941) a 5-minute short
• The Sorcerer's Apprentice (1955) a short ballet
• Luna de miel (1959, aka Honeymoon)
• Peeping Tom (1960)
• The Queen's Guards (1961)
• Herzog Blaubarts Burg (1964) aka Bluebeard's Castle
• They're a Weird Mob (1966) Pressburger helped on script as Richard Imrie
• Age of Consent (1969)
• Return to the Edge of the World (1978) for British TV, framing of the original 1937 film

Powell also directed episodes of the TV series The Defenders, Espionage and The Nurses.

Powell was also involved in the following films in a non-directorial role:

• The Silver Fleet (1943) - Producer
• The End of the River (1947) - Producer
• Sebastian (1968) - Producer
• Anna Pavlova (1983) - Associate Producer

• 1938: 200,000 feet on Foula - the story of the making of The Edge of the World
• 1956: The Last Voyage of the Graf Spee - includes a lot of information that they couldn't fit in the film The Battle of the River Plate. ISBN 0-7274-0256-0
• 1975: A Waiting Game. ISBN 0-7181-1368-3
• 1978: The Red Shoes. ISBN 0-8044-2687-2 (pbk), ISBN 0-312-14034-7, ISBN 0-312-15637-5 (pbk)
• 1986: A Life In Movies - autobiography (Part I). ISBN 0-434-59945-X, ISBN 0-413-16510-8 (pbk), ISBN 0-394-55935-5, ISBN 0-7493-1177-0, ISBN 0-571-20431-7 (pbk)
• 1990: The Edge of the World - updated reprint of 200,000 feet on Foula. ISBN 0-571-15306-2
• 1992: Million Dollar Movie - autobiography (Part II). ISBN 0-434-59947-6, ISBN 0-679-43443-7
• 1994: The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp- Includes memos from Churchill and notes showing how the script developed. ISBN 0-571-14355-5

• 1944: Directed Jan de Hartog's Skipper Next To God at the Theatre Royal, Windsor
• 1944: Directed Ernest Hemingway's The Fifth Column at the Theatre Royal, Glasgow
• 1951: Directed James Forsyth's Heloise at the Golders Green Theatre, London

• 1943: Oscar nominated for 49th Parallel as Best Picture
• 1943: Oscar nominated for One of Our Aircraft is Missing for Best Writing, Original Screenplay. Shared with Emeric Pressburger
• 1949: Oscar nominated for The Red Shoes as Best Picture. Shared with Emeric Pressburger

• 1978: Awarded Hon DLitt, University of East Anglia

• 1978: Awarded Hon DLitt, University of Kent

• 1981: Made fellow of BAFTA

• 1983: Made fellow of the British Film Institute (BFI)

• 1987: Awarded Hon Doctorate, Royal College of Art

• Cited as a major influence on many film-makers such as Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, George A. Romero and Bertrand Tavernier ^[1].
• The Michael Powell Award for the Best New British Feature was instigated in 1993 at the Edinburgh International Film Festival and is sponsored by the UK Film Council and is "named in homage to one of Britain's most original filmmakers". [1]

• Powell, Pressburger and Others by Ian Christie, London: British Film Institute, 1978.
• Arrows of Desire: The Films of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger by Ian Christie. London: Waterstone, 1985. ISBN 0-947752-13-7, ISBN 0-571-16271-1
• Michael Powell y Emeric Pressburger by Llorenç Esteve. Spain, Catedra, 2002.
• Michael Powell: Interviews edited by David Lazar. University Press of Mississippi, 2003. ISBN 1-57806-498-8
• Powell and Pressburger: A Cinema of Magic Spaces by Andrew Moor. I.B. Tauris, 2005. ISBN 1-85043-947-8
• The Cinema of Michael Powell: International Perspectives on an English Filmmaker edited by Ian Christie and Andrew Moor. BFI, 2005. ISBN 1-84457-093-2, ISBN 1-84457-094-0 (pbk)

• Michael Powell at the Powell & Pressburger Pages.
• Michael Powell at the Internet Movie Database
• Michael Powell at All Movie Guide
• Essay, Filmography, Bibliography, Links at Senses of Cinema
• BFI Filmography
• NFT interviews (audio clips)
• Articles about Michael Powell at the British Film Institute's Screenonline:
  • early work
  • sense of landscape
  • work with Pressburger
  • classic Powell & Pressburger
  • the war years
  • later years

v • d • e The films of Michael Powell
With and without Emeric Pressburger – films made with Emeric Pressburger are shown in bold
1930s:	Two Crowded Hours · My Friend the King · The Rasp · Rynox · The Star Reporter · Hotel Splendide · C.O.D. · His Lordship · Born Lucky · The Fire Raisers · Red Ensign · Something Always Happens · The Girl in the Crowd · Lazybones · The Love Test · The Night of the Party · The Phantom Light · The Price of a Song · Someday · Her Last Affaire · The Brown Wallet · Crown vs. Stevens · The Man Behind the Mask · The Edge of the World · Smith · The Spy in Black · The Lion Has Wings
1940s:	The Thief of Bagdad · Contraband · An Airman's Letter to His Mother · Forty-Ninth Parallel · One of Our Aircraft is Missing · The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp · The Volunteer · A Canterbury Tale · I Know Where I'm Going! · A Matter of Life and Death · Black Narcissus · The Red Shoes · The Small Back Room
1950s:	The Elusive Pimpernel · Gone to Earth · The Tales of Hoffmann · The Sorcerer's Apprentice · Oh... Rosalinda!! · The Battle of the River Plate · Ill Met by Moonlight · Luna de Miel
1960s:	Peeping Tom · The Queen's Guards · Herzog Blaubarts Burg · Espionage: Never Turn Your Back on a Friend · Espionage: The Frantick Rebel · Espionage: A Free Agent · The Defenders: The Sworn Twelve · The Nurses: A39846 · They're a Weird Mob · Age of Consent
1970s:	The Boy Who Turned Yellow · Return to the Edge of the World

Persondata
NAME	Powell, Michael
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Powell, Michael Latham (birth name)
SHORT DESCRIPTION	Film Director
DATE OF BIRTH	September 30, 1905
PLACE OF BIRTH	Bekesbourne, Kent
DATE OF DEATH	February 19, 1990
PLACE OF DEATH	Avening, Gloucestershire