36° TORINO FILM FESTIVAL
POWELL & PRESSBURGER
THE ELUSIVE PIMPERNEL
by Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger
Country: UK
Year: 1950
Duration: 109'
Based on the books by the Baroness Orczy, the story of the Scarlet Pimpernel, the English lord who, disguised as a witless dandy, helped French aristocrats escape the guillotine. P&P play with all the elements of exciting adventures: escapes, disguises, duels (including verbal ones), misunderstood love. David Niven is perfect in the game of mistaken identities and in the game of blindman’s bluff (the key scene of the movie, with the camera becoming the blindfolded player).
Biography
film director
Michael Powell
Michael Powell (Bekesbourne, UK, 1905 - Avening, UK, 1990) started his collaboration with Emerich Pressburger (Miskolc, Hungary, 1902 - Saxstead, UK, 1988) in 1939. In 1943 they formed their own production company, Archers Film Productions. They made nineteen films together, such as The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943), Black Narcissus (1947), Red Shoes (1948) and The Tales of Hoffmann (1951). The Archers Film Productions came to an end in 1957 and the pair separated to pursue their individual careers (Powell in 1960 directed Peeping Tom) but they remained devoted friends for the rest of their lives.
FILMOGRAFIA
Michael Powell:
Two Crowded Hours (mm, 1931), My Friend the King (mm, 1931), Rynox (mm, 1931), The Rasp (mm, 1931), The Star Reporter (mm, 1931), Hotel Splendide (mm, 1932), C.O.D. (1932), His Lordship (1932), Born Lucky (1932), The Fire Raisers (1933), The Night of the Party (1933), Red Ensign (Vessillo rosso, 1934), Something Always (1934), The Girl in the Crowd (mm, 1934), Lazybones (1935), The Love Test (1935), The Phantom Light (1935), The Price of a Song (1935), Someday (1935), Her Last Affaire (1936), The Brown Wallet (1936), Crown V. Stevens (1936), The Man Behind the Mask (1936), The Edge of the World (Ai confini del mondo, 1937), The Spy in Black (La spia in nero, 1939), The Lion Has Wings (Leoni dell’aria, doc., 1939), Contraband (Contrabbando, 1940), The Thief of Bagdad (coregia/codirector Ludwig Berger, Tim Whelan, Il ladro di Bagdad, 1940), An Airman’s Letter to His Mother (cm, 1941), 49th Parallel (Gli invasori/49° parallelo, 1941), One of Our Aircraft Is Missing (Volo senza ritorno, 1942), The Sorcerer’s Apprendice (cm, 1955), Honeymoon (1959), Peeping Tom (L’occhio che uccide, 1960), The Queen’s Guards (Le guardie della Regina, 1961), Never Turn Back On a Friend (mm, tv, 1963), A Free Agent (mm, tv, 1964), The Bluebeard’s Castle (1964), The Sworn Twelve (mm, tv, 1965), A 398 46 (mm, tv, 1965), They’re a Weird Mob (Sono strana gente, 1966), Age of Consent (L’età del consenso, 1968), The Boy Who Turned Yellow (Il ragazzo che diventò giallo, 1972), Return to the Edge of the World (tv, 1978).
Michael Powell, Emerich Pressburger:
The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (Duello a Berlino, 1943), The Volunteer (Il volontario, 1943), A Canterbury Tale (Un racconto di Canterbury, 1944), I Know Where I’m Going (So dove vado, 1945), Black Narcissus (Narciso nero, 1947), The Red Shoes (Scarpette rosse, 1948), The Small Back Room (1949), Gone to Earth (La volpe, 1950), The Elusive Pimpernel (L’inafferrabile Primula Rossa, 1950), The Tales of Hoffmann (I racconti di Hoffmann, 1951), Oh... Rosalinda!! (id., 1955), The Battle of the River Plate (La battaglia di Rio della Plata, 1956), Ill Met by Moonlight (Colpo di mano a Creta, 1956). Emerich Pressburger
Michael Powell (Bekesbourne, UK, 1905 - Avening, UK, 1990) started his collaboration with Emerich Pressburger (Miskolc, Hungary, 1902 - Saxstead, UK, 1988) in 1939. In 1943 they formed their own production company, Archers Film Productions. They made nineteen films together, such as The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943), Black Narcissus (1947), Red Shoes (1948) and The Tales of Hoffmann (1951). The Archers Film Productions came to an end in 1957 and the pair separated to pursue their individual careers (Powell in 1960 directed Peeping Tom) but they remained devoted friends for the rest of their lives.
FILMOGRAFIA
Emeric Pressburg:
Twice Upon a Time (C’era una volta…, 1953)
Twice Upon a Time (C’era una volta…, 1953)
The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (Duello a Berlino, 1943), The Volunteer (Il volontario, 1943), A Canterbury Tale (Un racconto di Canterbury, 1944), I Know Where I’m Going (Io so dove vado, 1945), A Matter of Life and Death (Scala al Paradiso, 1946), Black Narcissus (Narciso Nero, 1947), The Red Shoes (Scarpette rosse, 1948), The Small Back Room (I ragazzi del retrobottega, 1949), Gone to Earth (La volpe, 1950), The Elusive Pimpernel (L’inafferrabile Primula Rossa, 1950), The Tales of Hoffmann (I racconti di Hoffmann, 1951), Oh… Rosalinda!! (id., 1955), The Battle of the River Plate (La battaglia di Rio de la Plata, 1956), Ill Met by Moonlight (Colpo di mano a Creta, 1957).
Cast
& Credits
regia, sceneggiatura, produttori/directors, screenplay, producers
Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger
soggetto/story
dal romanzo La primula inafferrabile di/from the novel of the same title by Emma Orczy
fotografia/cinematography
Christopher Challis
montaggio/film editing
Reginald Mills
musica/music
Brian Easdale
interpreti e personaggi/cast and characters
David Niven (Percy Blackeney), Margaret Leighton (Marguerite Blakeney), Cyril Cusack (Chauvelin), Jack Hawkins (il principe di Galles/prince of Wales)
produzione/production
The Archers, London Film Productions
Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger
soggetto/story
dal romanzo La primula inafferrabile di/from the novel of the same title by Emma Orczy
fotografia/cinematography
Christopher Challis
montaggio/film editing
Reginald Mills
musica/music
Brian Easdale
interpreti e personaggi/cast and characters
David Niven (Percy Blackeney), Margaret Leighton (Marguerite Blakeney), Cyril Cusack (Chauvelin), Jack Hawkins (il principe di Galles/prince of Wales)
produzione/production
The Archers, London Film Productions
