Painting With Light
Ever since I started this blog I've wanted to write something about the 1946 Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger film "A Matter of Life and Death", not just because it's one of the greatest British films ever made but it also had things to say about Englishness and the importance of our values and character in the modern, American-dominated world. I never could get it written though but with the death this week of it's legendary cinematographer Jack Cardiff I thought I'd just present the opening scene as a tribute to his astonishing work. You could argue whether or not it's the greatest British film ever made, but I certainly think this is the greatest, most emotionally gripping opening to a film ever.
Cardiff's most famous work was on Powell's "Black Narcissus" the following year which must be the most gorgeous, sumptuous and erotic film about nuns ever made, due in no small part to Cardiff's incredible Technicolor photography. Every shot of the film is worthy of framing and putting on a wall.
The scene where Kathleen Byron goes crazy is rightly famous, and even though she's mad as a hatter what man hasn't watched that and felt a little charge run up his leg when she puts her lipstick on? It reminds me of every beautiful but crazy girl I've ever known, you know they're dangerous but you can't help yourself. Though luckily I've never met one who wanted to push me off a cliff.
13 Comments:
Magnificent. I would evangelise about AMOLAD in particular to anyone who'd listen for years - no-one seeemed to have more than a very dim, saw-it-on-TV-years-ago recollection of it. We saw the restored print in the early 90s at the BFi and it was just stunning.
PS: Very spookily at almost the exact time you were posting last night I was in the pub with my mate Carlos for some reason saying 'Andy Marvell, what a marvel' and thinking about the opening sequence - then I came home and saw this. Frisson-esque huh?
Great stuff, as ever. Not seen either of these film, but on the strength of this post am going DVD-hunting at the weekend. Cheers!
I've been enjoying reading your blog over the last couple of months, and am pleased to see you write about Black Narcissus. My uncle was David Farrar, the lead actor in the film, and it's been amazing the resurgence of interest in the film over the last 10 years, with it's release on DVD and now Blu-Ray. It's a great film, and you can freeze frame almost any scene and it looks like a beautiful painting. Also amazing because it was all filmed in studios and not the Himalayas. David Farrar was in several good British films of that era, that might be interesting for your site, like 'Went the day well?' and 'The Small Back Room'. Thanks again. Duncan.
Well hello there. Kathleen Byron was in 'The Small Back Room' too wasn't she, playing your uncle David's (non-crazy) girlfriend this time.
I haven't seen 'Went The Day Well?' for years but it's an amazing film as I remember, a real unknown gem.
Jack Cardiff was a genius, but I always preferred The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp. I think Kathleen Byron is still treading the boards, she was in Saving Private Ryan as the wife of the war hero at the graveside in Normandy.
Coincidently, I saw a reference to 'Went the day well?' this week, in an article about Susan Boyle, saying she looked like one of the villagers from that film.
Duncan
p.s I've enjoyed many of your other blogs. Especially the references to Howard Devoto. I went to see Magazine's reunion concerts in London recently, and they were excellent.
"Went the Day Well" is a very dark film for that era (probably not surprising as it was based on a Graham Greene short story). The nice old lady from the post office bludgeons a German to death - and a young Thora Hird has a killing spree with a 303.
And the one tiny flaw in AMOLAD is that there were no mass bombing raids by the RAF on Germany by mid 1945 (when the flm is set) - almost every city had been pounded into rubble already and most of the country was already in allied hands ...
Agree about the opening scene. Not only does it look beautiful, but it is heartbreaking. I love the scene on the beach when he sees the young boy/faun. It's probably the most even film, in the sense that it is visually exquisite and wonderfully intelligent. So few films get that balance right.
Jack wrote a fantastic autobiography published in 1996 - Magic Hour. A lovely read.
Hey Lee, I've been visiting periodically since the #1 Song in Heaven days, and just did a double take on seeing this post, b/c Kim Hunter (pictured above) is my maternal grandmother! In fact, I'm writing this from the apartment she lived in from 1954 to 2002 (I live there now). So, thanks for the appreciation of the film (known as "Stairway to Heaven" in these parts). Thelma Schoonmaker, Michael Powell's widow (and Martin Scorcese's editor) spoke at my grandma's funeral. Anyroad, good post. Cheers, Emmett
You can't beat the big screen but, in the meantime, A Matter Of Life And Death is now a public domain text and you can watch it legit and for free online - here for the first half and there's a link to the second half there too.
Excellent post on Cardiff, Lee. AMoLaD is one of the handful of Powell/Pressburger I haven't seen, and after reading your raving post about it, I'll be getting it tonight from my brother's DVD rental shop. (They have it on a double-feature DVD set that also includes Age of Consent from 1969 and features a nubile Helen Mirren in her first screen role. That sounds yummy, but I'm sure it pales next to AMoLaD.
Randy Porter
Two great, great films, with too many wonderful aspects to list, but I love the immense office of the heavenly bureaucracy in A Matter of.... And comments from Kim Hunter's grandson and David Farrar's nephew!
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