Few film-makers are as committed to championing the work of other directors as Martin Scorsese. Whether through the World Cinema Project, which he founded in 2007 to preserve and restore neglected masterpieces, or through his support, as an executive producer, of film-makers such as Joanna Hogg and the Safdie brothers, one suspects that he is driven not by ego, but by a genuine love of the medium. Nowhere is this more evident than in this generous, passionate and informative celebration of the work of film-making duo Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger (The Red Shoes, A Matter of Life and Death, Black Narcissus and more). This fascinating chronological examination of their fruitful collaboration is directed by David Hinton, but it’s Scorsese’s voice, enthusiasm and depth of knowledge that give the film its structure, insight and curiosity. While the film lacks the bravura flourishes that characterised Powell and Pressburger at their peak, it’s an engrossing celebration of two of British cinema’s most distinctive voices, and their creative harmony.
In UK and Irish cinemas now
