365. Peeping Tom

Peeping Tom
1960
Directed by Michael Powell

I am a huge fan of horror films and they would probably rank #1 in my favorite genre list.  This film is particularly important because it was the first horror film to show murders through the killer's perspective.  This will be important fact to remember, because it is a question Ghostface asks in one of the Scream movies.

A creepy guy longs to capture fear on camera.  Using creepy guy logic, he decides the best way to do this is to kill women and film their dying screams on camera.

This was a weird film.  I forced my friends to watch it with me and they completely hated it.  I have now convinced my friends to watch so many weird films from the list that I am now forbidden to pick movies.

I, however, had a different reaction.  While I can't see watching this film again, I certainly appreciate its value.  It was deeply unsettling to see the watch the murders from the killer's perspective.  And although the concept may have lost its freshness by now, there is no denying what this film did for the horror genre.

Additionally, the acting was great; Karlheinz Bohm was creepy as hell and Moira Shearer is always a treat.  An essential watch for any horror fan.

RATING: ****-

Interesting Facts:

Destroyed the career of Michael Powell because of the scandal the movie aroused.

One of Premiere's 25 Most Dangerous Movies.

Opening scene:

211. The Red Shoes

The Red Shoes
1948
Directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger

Can a film be bad if it is centered around a crazy ballerina?  Of course not!

So with P and P you can always be sure of an absolutely beautiful movie.  Even that screen shot above is gorgeous; I always feel like I am seeing color for the first time when I watch one of their movies.  However, I have been pretty bored with their story lines so far.  This movie is the exception.

The film centers on Moira Shearer (one of the most underrated actresses by far) who becomes absolutely obsessed with ballet, neglecting her personal life along the way.  I have never actually been to the ballet, though it is on my bucket list.  Watching her dance was fascinating so if this movie is any indication, I will love it.

Anyway, much like in Black Swan, her life begins to follow the storyline of the ballet she is performing and everything goes to hell.

A movie about ballet that is over two hours sounds like a bore but it is actually probably one of the visually arresting, emotional movies you will ever see.

RATING: ****-

Interesting Facts:

Moira Shearer said doing this movie was a horrible ordeal and that Powell was an ass (well, those are my words).

Ludovic Kennedy knew he wanted to marry Moira as soon as she arrived on set.

Went majorly over budget.

194. Black Narcissus

Black Narcissus
1946
Directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger

So I practically begged my sister to watch this one with me (I mean, any film with a creepy nun is good, right?).  She ended up hating it, though.  Oops.  Not the first time I have made a movie choice faux pas.

Well, in any case, I am very neutral about this movie.  On the one hand, it is a very beautiful movie; it is no wonder that it won an Oscar for best cinematogrophy.  Maybe it is because I have been watching so many black and white movies lately but everything just pops.  I can only imagine what it was like for the audience back then.

To put it very basically, the film deals with nuns and their sexual frustration, which tends to make them go a little crazy (see scary photo above).  Quite an interesting topic to cover but I found myself not quite...convinced.  Maybe it was because the director's probably know nothing about the subject themselves.  They just didn't seem to capture it well; I just didn't feel the emotions that the characters were supposed to be feeling.  Maybe I am just too picky.

Overall, pretty but not much below the surface.  Much like the guys I have liked in the past.

RATING: ***--

Interesting Facts:

Lighting and color palette was inspired by Vermeer.

Scenery was all created by the studio.  Kind of a let down but still cool.

191. A Matter of Life and Death

A Matter of Life and Death
1946
Directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger (coolest name ever)

All right so I really screwed up here and now my Netflix queue is an absolute mess.  I accidentally skipped the next few movies but now I am getting a bunch of movies a little ahead of where I am.  This means that I will probably have to write about ten reviews in a row soon.  Ugh.

Well, anyway, at first glance this movie seems a bit silly.  A soldier escaped death and now some sort of heaven ambassador has been sent to retrieve him.  But he does not want to go because he has fallen in love with a girl for no other reason than her looks and his desperation!  Don't make him go until he gets into her pants!

Actually, though, it is a pretty beautiful film.  Earth is always in color and the "beyond" is in black and white.  This stark contrast is pretty effective and poetic.  Also, the pacing is excellent.  Immediately, you are thrown into the action and it doesn't really stop until the end.

So P and P narrowly avoid being lame and hokey.

RATING: ***--

Interesting Facts:

Kim Hunter was recommended by Alfred Hitchcock.

The cinematographer breathed on the camera lens to provide a foggy effect.

181. I Know Where I'm Going!

I Know Where I'm Going!
1945
Directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger

I was thoroughly confused throughout most of this movie.  Firstly, I had no idea what genre this film was.  At one point I thought it was a musical, owing to an odd soprano song randomly inserted in the middle and creepy chanting by poor people which I guess was supposed to be charming.  Then I assumed it was Gothic horror because of everyone fearing a castle for some unknown reason.  Eventually, I was forced to conclude they had aimed for romance since there was a pretty sappy ending.


This film centers on a 35 year old playing a 25 year old who is knows where she is going!  Where is going happens to be to a man who is she is marrying purely for his money.  What an admirable figure of feminism.  Anyway, because of the gale she cannot travel to the isolated island that for some reason her potential victim is located.


So the romance kind of sucks and the acting is just okay.  However, this film is remarkable for its sets and location; it is truly beautiful just to look at the screen.  Still, not enough reason for this movie to be on the list.

RATING: **---


Interesting Facts:


Paramount uses the script for this movie as an example of a perfect screenplay when scriptwriters are stuck.


Clip:

160. The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp

The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp
1943
Directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger

I have been in the biggest movie slump of my life these past few weeks.  I have watching a bunch of critically acclaimed bores (Last Tango in Paris, Zero for Kelvin) but nothing topped what I subjected my sister and I to the last week.  The first movie on the list alphabetically is the film 1900 so I put it on my Netflix list without checking it out too much and brought it to a movie night with my sister.  What I didn't realize was that it was around five and half hours long, boring, upsetting, and overall just the worse.  Whoops.


Anyway, this was a refreshing change.  This film is follows the life of General Clive Wynne-Candy throughout various wars from the early 1900s to "present day" (1943).  Wynne-Candy is considered one of the most lovable movie characters of all time and it is not hard to see why.  He is the quintessential British man: blustering, mustache-sporting, charming, and polite.  When I saw that the next film on the list was a war film from 1943, I figured it would be mindless propaganda along the lines of Yankee Doodle Dandy.  It wasn't pushing a message; it was just having some fun!


The acting is great, the color doesn't look gaudy, and the film has great pacing.  My one complaint would be that two and half hours long for a comedic movie is too long.  Still, well made and fun.

RATING: ****-


Interesting Facts:


Winston Churchill reportedly detested the film and wanted it banned.


Churchill got Laurence Olivier to give up the lead role because of the way it portrayed British patriots.


Duel scene: