Martin Scorsese‘s admiration for filmmakers Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger has finally led to a documentary narrated by the auteur.
Scorsese was key in ushering in the film, titled “Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger,” and directed by David Hinton. The “Raging Bull” director narrates the feature and assisted Hinton with the script. IndieWire can exclusively debut the trailer for the documentary, which premiered at the Berlin Film Festival earlier this year. Billed as a “profoundly personal” project for both Scorsese and Hinton, Scorsese’s friendship with Powell was instrumental in bringing “Made in England” to life.
The official synopsis reads: “Martin Scorsese’s personal journey through the films of Powell and Pressburger, the visionary British filmmakers behind classics like ‘The Red Shoes’ and ‘Black Narcissus,’ offers a captivating exploration of their genius and enduring influence on cinema.”
Powell and Pressburger collaborated on 24 films between 1939 and 1972, with Powell directing and Pressburger writing scripts. However, both often held the writer/director title in credits for the films they produced together as The Archers.
Scorsese’s longtime editor and collaborator Thelma Schoonmaker was married to Powell from 1984 until his death in 1990. (Pressburger died in 1988.) Schoonmaker, along with Scorsese, executive produces “Made in England,” in addition to Olivia Harrison, Will Clark, Charles S. Cohen, Thomas Hoegh, Mark Thomas, Claudia Yousef, and Eva Yates. The documentary is produced by Matthew Wells and Nick Varley.
Scorsese’s favorite Powell and Pressburger films, “The Life and Death Of Colonel Blimp,” “Black Narcissus,” “The Red Shoes,” and “The Tales of Hoffmann,” are included in the feature.
Scorsese said in a press statement, “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.”
Scorsese deemed Powell and Pressburgers’ joint films “subversive commercial movies” that directly influenced his own filmography, especially after Scorsese sought out Powell following the debut of “Mean Streets” in 1973. Their friendship cemented the re-examining of Powell and Pressburgers’ work, including establishing Powell’s 1960 film “Peeping Tom” among the classics of cinema. Scorsese helped pay for the restoration of the film.
In addition to “Made in England,” the films of Powell and Pressburger are back in the 2024 zeitgeist with a retrospective at MoMA. Titled “Cinema Unbound: The Creative Worlds of Powell and Pressburger,” the screening series is presented in collaboration with the BFI and will take place from June 21 to July 31. The program includes more than 50 films — many of which are new restorations — and was curated by conservation experts, archivists, and curators at the BFI National Archive. “Cinema Unbound” is the largest and most wide-ranging exploration of Powell and Pressburger’s work to date.
“Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger” premieres in New York at the Quad Cinema on July 12 and will open in Los Angeles at Landmark’s Nuart Theater on July 26. Check out the trailer below and read the IndieWire review for “Made in England” here.
