Michael Powell facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Michael Powell
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| Born |
Michael Latham Powell
30 September 1905 Bekesbourne, Kent, England
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| Died | 19 February 1990 (aged 84) Avening, Gloucestershire, England
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| Occupation |
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| Years active | 1925–1983 |
| Spouse(s) |
Gloria Mary Rouger
(m. 1927; div. 1927)Frankie Reidy
(m. 1943; died 1983) |
| Children | 2 |
Michael Latham Powell (born September 30, 1905 – died February 19, 1990) was a famous English filmmaker. He is best known for working with Emeric Pressburger. Together, they formed a company called The Archers. They wrote, produced, and directed many classic British films.
Some of their most famous movies include 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), Black Narcissus (1947), and The Red Shoes (1948).
His 1960 film Peeping Tom was very controversial when it first came out. It was so strongly criticized that it hurt his career for a while. However, today, many people consider it a classic movie.
Many well-known filmmakers, like Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, and George A. Romero, have said that Michael Powell influenced their work. In 1981, he and Emeric Pressburger received the BAFTA Academy Fellowship Award. This is the highest honor the British Film Academy can give to a filmmaker.
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Early Life and Education
Michael Powell was born in Bekesbourne, Kent, England. He was the second son of Thomas William Powell, who was a hop farmer. Michael went to The King's School, Canterbury and then Dulwich College.
In 1922, he started working at a bank, the National Provincial Bank. But he quickly realized that being a banker was not for him. He wanted to do something more creative.
Starting a Film Career
Powell began working in the film industry in 1925. He got a job with director Rex Ingram at the Victorine Studios in Nice, France. His father, who owned a hotel in Nice, helped him get this connection.
At first, he did many basic jobs around the studio. He swept floors, made coffee, and ran errands. Soon, he moved on to other tasks. These included taking still photos and writing titles for silent films. He even had a few small acting roles, often playing funny characters. His first movie appearance was as a "comic English tourist" in The Magician (1926).
In 1928, Powell returned to England. He worked on different film projects. He was a stills photographer for Alfred Hitchcock's silent film Champagne (1928). He also worked on Hitchcock's first "talkie" (a film with sound), Blackmail (1929). Powell said he suggested the famous ending of Blackmail in the British Museum. He and Hitchcock remained friends for many years.
After writing scripts for two films, Powell partnered with American producer Jerry Jackson in 1931. They made short films, often about an hour long. These films were needed because British cinemas had to show a certain number of British movies. During this time, Powell became very good at directing. Sometimes, he directed as many as seven films in one year!
His first official credit as a director was for Two Crowded Hours (1931). This thriller was quite successful, even though it had a small budget. From 1931 to 1936, Powell directed 23 films. Some well-known ones include Red Ensign (1934) and The Phantom Light (1935).
In 1937, Powell made his first truly personal film, The Edge of the World. He took his cast and crew to a very remote part of the UK. They stayed there for several months. The film told the story he wanted and also showed the beautiful, wild nature of the place.
By 1939, Alexander Korda, a famous producer, hired Powell. Korda was impressed by The Edge of the World. Powell was asked to help with a film called The Spy in Black. This is where he first met Emeric Pressburger in 1939.
Working with Emeric Pressburger
The original script for The Spy in Black was too long and didn't have good parts for the main actors. Korda introduced Powell to Emeric Pressburger. Even though they were very different people, they quickly realized they had similar ideas about filmmaking. They knew they could work well together.
After making two more films together, Contraband (1940) and 49th Parallel (1941), they decided to form a partnership. From then on, their films were credited as "Written, Produced and Directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger."
The Archers Film Company
Working together as "The Archers", they produced, wrote, and directed 19 feature films. Many of these movies were very successful and loved by critics. Their best films are still considered classics of British cinema. The BFI 100 list of "favorite British films of the 20th century" includes five of Powell's films, with four of them made with Pressburger.
However, Michael Powell's career faced a big challenge after his solo film Peeping Tom came out in 1960. Many British critics strongly disliked the film. Because of this, Powell found it very difficult to get new work in the film industry.
Despite the initial criticism, young critics in France and England later praised Peeping Tom. Over time, Powell's films became very popular and gained a "cult" following. By the time he passed away, he and Pressburger were seen as one of the most important filmmaking duos ever. Many famous directors, like Martin Scorsese, Brian De Palma, and Francis Ford Coppola, say they were greatly influenced by their work.
Personal Life
In 1927, Michael Powell married Gloria Mary Rouger, an American dancer. Their marriage in France lasted only three weeks. During the 1940s, he had relationships with actresses Deborah Kerr and Kathleen Byron.
From 1943 until her death in 1983, Powell was married to Frances "Frankie" May Reidy. They had two sons: Kevin Michael Powell (born 1945) and Columba Jerome Reidy Powell (born 1951). He also lived with actress Pamela Brown for many years until she died in 1975.
Later, Powell married film editor Thelma Schoonmaker in 1984. She was also Martin Scorsese's long-time film editor. They were married until Powell's death from cancer in 1990 at his home in Avening, Gloucestershire. His niece was the Australian actress Cornelia Frances.
Preserving His Work
The Academy Film Archive has worked to preserve some of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's films. These include A Matter of Life and Death and The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp. This helps make sure these important movies can be watched by future generations.
Awards and Honors
Michael Powell received many awards and honors throughout his career:
- 1943: Nominated for an Oscar for 49th Parallel as Best Picture.
- 1943: Nominated for an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for One of Our Aircraft Is Missing. He shared this with Emeric Pressburger.
- 1948: Won the Danish Bodil Award for Best European Film for A Matter of Life and Death. Shared with Emeric Pressburger.
- 1948: Nominated for the Venice Film Festival Golden Lion for The Red Shoes. Shared with Emeric Pressburger.
- 1949: Nominated for an Oscar for Best Picture for The Red Shoes. Shared with Emeric Pressburger.
- 1951: Nominated for the Grand Prize of the Festival at the 1951 Cannes Film Festival for The Tales of Hoffmann. Shared with Emeric Pressburger.
- 1951: Won the Silver Bear for Best Musical at the 1st Berlin International Film Festival for The Tales of Hoffmann. Shared with Emeric Pressburger.
- 1957: Nominated for a BAFTA Award for Best British Screenplay for The Battle of the River Plate. Shared with Emeric Pressburger.
- 1959: Won the Technical Grand Prize at the 1959 Cannes Film Festival for Luna de Miel. He was also nominated for the Golden Palm.
- 1981: Became a fellow of BAFTA.
- 1982: Awarded the Career Gold Lion from the Venice Film Festival.
- 1983: Became a fellow of the British Film Institute (BFI).
- 1987: Awarded the Akira Kurosawa Award from the San Francisco International Film Festival.
- 2014: An English Heritage Blue plaque was put up to honor Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. This plaque is at Dorset House in London, where The Archers had their offices from 1942 to 1947.
Michael Powell's Legacy
Michael Powell's work continues to inspire filmmakers around the world.
- Many famous directors, such as Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, and George A. Romero, have said he was a major influence on them.
- The Michael Powell Award for the Best New British Feature film was created in 1993. It is given out at the Edinburgh International Film Festival and honors one of Britain's most original filmmakers.
- Pinewood Studios, where Powell made many of his famous films, named a mixing theater after him: The Powell Theatre.
- The Film, Radio and Television Department at Canterbury Christ Church University has its main building named The Powell Building.
- A short film called Òran na h-Eala (2022) featured an actor playing Michael Powell. This film explored Moira Shearer's decision to act in The Red Shoes.
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