The Cinema of Powell & Pressburger: Collection One (1939-1947)

Seven-disc set includes: The Spy In Black (1939)Exciting WWI spy melodrama about a German submarine officer who smuggles himself into England to learn the sailing date of the British fleet. The first collaboration of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger co-stars Conrad Veidt, Valerie Hobson, and Marius Goring. 77 min. BW/Rtg: NR 49th Parallel (1941)Taut British WWII thriller from Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger details the search for the crew of a German U-boat after the vessel runs aground in Canada's Hudson Bay. Laurence Olivier, Leslie Howard, Raymond Massey, Eric Portman, Anton Walbrook, Glynis Johns star in this Academy Award-winner for Best Story. AKA: "The Invaders." 123 min. BW/Rtg: NR The Life And Death Of Colonel Blimp (1943)The life, loves and career of an early 20th-century British soldier, from the Boer War to the London Blitz, are followed in this acclaimed Powell/Pressburger drama. Roger Livesey is the "gentleman officer" who finds himself outdated in the era of modern warfare. Deborah Kerr co-stars in a multiple role. 163 min. C/Rtg: NR A Canterbury Tale (1944)Underrated gem from Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger updates Chaucer's stories to World War II. Three British soldiers and an American G.I. retrace the route taken by pilgrims 600 years ago and share some mystifying experiences. Eric Portman, Sheila Sim, and Dennis Price star. 124 min. BW/Rtg: NR A Matter Of Life And Death (1946)Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's classic fantasy/romance stars David Niven as Peter Carter, a WWII British pilot who miraculously survives a crash and goes on to fall for American WAC June (Kim Hunter). When a brain injury suffered in the accident leaves Carter near death, his spirit is summoned before a heavenly court where he pleads to be allowed to return to Earth. With Roger Livesey, Raymond Massey, Richard Attenborough, Marius Goring. AKA: "Stairway to Heaven." 100 min. BW&C/Rtg: NR Black Narcissus (1947)Notable for it's ravishing color cinematography and subtly powerful eroticism, this Michael Powell/Emeric Pressburger classic set in a remote Himalayan convent tells the striking story of Sister Clodagh's (Deborah Kerr) efforts to lead a group of nuns in bringing medical care and Christianity to the natives. A devastating triangle develops between Clodagh, a British expatriate (David Farrar), and the emotionally unstable Sister Ruth (Kathleen Byron). With Flora Robson, Jean Simmons. 101 min. C/Rtg: NR Standard; Soundtrack: English mono; Subtitles: English; audio commentary; featurettes; theatrical trailers; more. Region Free