The Archers (Powell & Pressburger): S/D

xp
Yeah, your initial response made me rethink things and while it is a little tacked-on (and forgettable, ha!) it still has some nice footage and that hunting bit. And I agree it makes sense thematically and narratively in the way you're suggesting. Also in retrospect it adds to the tragedy that Andrew is reduced to piloting around some English swell's yacht after leaving Hirta.

Donna, you should see Edge of the World if you haven't--the location shooting might even be superior to IKWIG's at times. Maybe not superior, but wilder and very beautiful.

The eagle sequence is a fore-runner of the hawk-into-Spitfire shot at the beginning of A Canterbury Tale if I'm remembering right.

This thread is making me want a fancy TV btw

I have to confess I ordered RS and BN despite not owning either a bluray player (yet) or a fancy TV. In my defense, they were 50% off and uh... :/

vibing out to 'the spy in black'

conrad veidt seems like a suitable case for some kind of treatment - biography, biopic - v. interesting figure - get on it, nrq!

The Spy in Black is excellent. Also look for Contraband from around the same time (also with Veidt).

Veidt's also pretty much my favorite actor ever.

Given the one-a-year drip feed of hi-def reissues, I finally ponied up and bought the 11-disc dvd box set so I can fill in the gaps of what I've seen in the meantime. Watched A Canterbury Tale last night, enjoyed it enormously for many of the reasons people have noted upthread. Another standout scene for me was Colpeper's speech during his presentation about the old pilgrims' road:

"When you lie flat on your back and rest, and watch the clouds sailing, as I often do, you're so close to those other people, that you can hear the thrumming of the hoofs of their horses, and the sound of the wheels on the road, and their laughter and talk, and the music of the instruments they carried. And when I turn the bend in the road, where they too saw the towers of Canterbury, I feel I've only to turn my head, to see them on the road behind me."

beautiful.

Been running these boxset discs as Sunday-afternoon-specials, which has always been the best time for filmic drama imo. Last week's was I Know Where I'm Going!, another that I'd never seen, and was absolutely delighted again. My wife made a point that their films are often actually very strange in many regards, but because they are so well made, acted and written one just accepts this.

On a Powell related note, "Peeping Tom" is out on blu-ray next week (and is getting some stupendous reviews). Currently only on Region-B locked issue from Optimum, but I'd be surprised if Criterion don't issue it too in the near future.

just saw 'the red shoes', not even on blu, but the new dvd

just astonishing in every way

must see 'hoffman'

ya man.

I watched Hoffmann before going to bed and when I closed my eyes I saw nothing but bright saturated colors.

tales of albert hofmann

hadn't noticed before how when vicky and the composer meet after getting their new jobs, it's looks very obviously like a stage set, but at the end, it's the spot she falls from and it's a real location... moira shearer apparently hadn't acted before? she's so affecting in this.

beautiful too.

gonna sit down with the fam and watch a bunch of P&P movies today.

<3 powell's red hair obsession

>gonna sit down with the fam and watch a bunch of P&P movies today.

Best idea I've heard this week.

has anyone seen his episodes of the 1960s series 'espionage'? it's on dvd but not to rent

fopp adverts in papers today have the 9dvd box set for £9

£18 today

anyone seen this early German sound film co-written by Pressbuger? (dir R Siodmak)

http://germanyinnyc.org/index.php?section=catevent&cat_evt_id=1880&cat_id=9

Newly restored Col. Blimp begins run in NYC today; Scorsese introduces tonight, Thelma Schoonmaker tomorrow.

http://www.filmforum.org/films/blimp.html

so fuckin jealous

You going, Morbius? Don't think I can.

this would come along in the midst of the year-end/in-review shitstorm, of course. It's for 2 weeks, I guess I'll try during Thanksgiving break.

(Scorsese sold out online)

plus i'm sure he'll be speaking on the DVD, plus his Britfilm doc.

Finally getting around to watching Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff. Very good so far. Wish I had bought a copy of Magic Hour when I had the chance.

Wish i had DVRed some other things that night like Pandora and the Flying Dutchman

Don't think I've ever seen anything he directed, not even Sons and Lovers.

The documentary does not mention his relationship with Sophia Loren.

That Cardiff documentary was great, I was really happy to happen across it on TCM one evening when nothing more interesting was going on.

how's The 49th Parallel?

awesome, as you might expect.

trivia: that was actually their most popular film in britain on original release! (If you don't count korda's thief of bagdad.)

I can believe it, based on what I've read.

I barely remember it now, but here's what I said when CC released it.

eric portman is great as a nazi. and it has laurence olivier as a french-canadian fur trapper. do you need a higher recommendation?

A critical roundup marking the Criterion BluRay and the new 4K digital restoration of Black Narcissus, which I would see at Film Forum if I didn't know there'll be shitheads laughing all the way through.

http://www.fandor.com/blog/daily-powell-and-pressburgers-black-narcissus

laughing because of the colonial (and other) stereotypes?

one glare from kathleen byron shld silence the gigglers:

http://www.independent.co.uk/migration_catalog/article5119886.ece/ALTERNATES/w460/kathleen-byron.jpeg

There is a hardcore group of under-35s in NYC who go to old films simply to laugh condescendingly at them. For any reason.

The resto of Colonel Blimp is out on disc in March I think.

xp I think I've told this here before. I went to see All That Heaven Allows and throughout people were laughing at some of the (non-funny) dialog. Some woman shouted out, "This is not a comedy! Why don't you all go home and watch television!" Which shut everyone up for the rest of the movie. Later, there's a shocking scene at which point she adds, "Not so funny now is it?!"

Haha. Bravo!

hero

<333

that is a fantastic story, fit and working again (wld happily buy a volume of ppl's cinema-going stories, anecdotes etc)

in a nice piece of synchronicity, i'm planning to spend the weekend w/ a sirk collection before lending it to a friend - looking at the set, i realised i'd never seen Magnificent Obsession, and can always re-watch All That Heaven Allows (my favourite)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Cjv755LkaIE#!

^Scorsese on Col Blimp restoration

print looked fabulous

Thanks. Near the end it sounded like he said that "The Great Lebowski" contributed to the restoration.