Michael Powell | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Michael Latham Powell 30 September 1905 Bekesbourne, Kent, England |
| Died | 19 February 1990 (aged 84) Avening, Gloucestershire, England |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1925–1983 |
| Spouses | Gloria Mary Rouger
(m. 1927; div. 1927)Frankie Reidy
(m. 1943; died 1983) |
| Partner(s) | Pamela Brown (1962; died 1975)[1] |
| Children | 2 |
Michael Latham Powell (30 September 1905 – 19 February 1990) was an English filmmaker, celebrated for his partnership with Emeric Pressburger. Through their production company The Archers, they together wrote, produced and directed a series of classic British films, notably The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943), A Canterbury Tale (1944), I Know Where I'm Going! (1945), A Matter of Life and Death (1946, also called Stairway to Heaven), Black Narcissus (1947), The Red Shoes (1948), and The Tales of Hoffmann (1951).
His controversial 1960 film Peeping Tom, which was so vilified on first release that it seriously damaged his career, is now considered a classic and a contender for the first "slasher movie".[2][3][4][5] Many renowned filmmakers, such as Francis Ford Coppola, George A. Romero and Martin Scorsese have cited Powell as an influence.[6]
In 1981, he received the BAFTA Fellowship along with his partner Pressburger, the highest honour the British Academy of Film and Television Arts can bestow upon a filmmaker.
- ^ Thorpe, Vanessa (10 February 2019). "Scorsese editor Thelma Schoonmaker plans Michael Powell tribute". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
- ^ "The 30 Most Influential Slasher Movies of All Time". Vulture. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
The backlash for this British psychological horror film was so strong upon release that director Michael Powell never made another British film again.
- ^ Mark D. Eckel (2014). When the Lights Go Down. p. 167. WestBow Press.
- ^ Forshaw, Barry (20 September 2012). British Crime Film: Subverting the Social Order. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 56. ISBN 978-1-137-18497-9.
- ^ Crouse, Richard (26 August 2003). The 100 Best Movies You've Never Seen. ECW Press. p. 167. ISBN 978-1-55490-540-9.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Crookwas invoked but never defined (see the help page).