Cinema Unbound: The
Creative Worlds of Powell and Pressburger
As part of the BFI ‘Cinema Unbound: The Creative Worlds of Powell and Pressburger’ season, there will be an extended celebration of the works of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger at Showroom Cinema throughout November and December.
Featuring film, music, dance and artistic responses to Powell and Pressburger, as well as a celebration of their great collaborator, director of photography Jack Cardiff, Showroom’s season of 12 cinema titles showcase the works of Powell and Pressburger and their influence as some of the most creative, inspiring and innovative filmmakers in history.
The season will feature special guest speakers Andrew Moor, Lillian Crawford, and Pamela Hutchinson, who will provide expert insight to explore and contextualise the unbound creativity of Powell and Pressburger.
All screening and event tickets will be £5 with the exception of Matthew Bourne's The Red Shoes.
Film on Film: Early Powell and Pressburger
Showroom Cinema will open the ‘Cinema Unbound: The Creative Worlds of Powell and Pressburger’ season with a selection of early works by Powell and Pressburger, presented from 35mm prints.
A selection of three works providing a wider understanding of the origins of Powell and Pressburger before screenings of some of their most well-known films, the opening night screening of Contraband will feature a special extended introduction by Andrew Moor, author of ‘Powell and Pressburger: A Cinema of Magic Spaces’.
Films and events:
- Contraband + extended introduction by Andrew Moor
- The Spy in Black
- One of Our Aircraft is Missing!
Essential Viewing: Powell and Pressburger Classics
Showroom will return four of Powell and Pressburger’s most beloved classics to the big screen to showcase gorgeous new restorations of some of Britain’s greatest achievements in filmmaking.
A selection of four of the most wonderful, awe-inspiring films from The Archers begins with the timeless romance, I Know Where I’m Going! (1945), and continues perhaps the most incredible run of films in cinema history with beloved masterpieces, A Matter of Life and Death (1946), Black Narcissus (1947), and The Red Shoes (1948).
A special session with Pamela Hutchinson, author of ‘BFI Film Classics: The Red Shoes’, will accompany The Red Shoes on 15 December.
Films and events:
- I Know Where I’m Going!
- A Matter of Life and Death
- Black Narcissus
- The Red Shoes
- Special lecture on The Red Shoes by Pamela Hutchinson, author of ‘BFI Film Classics: The Red Shoes’
The Technicolor Films of Jack Cardiff
Cinematographer Jack Cardiff left an indelible mark on the films of Powell and Pressburger with a trio of visually stunning Technicolor films: A Matter of Life and Death, Black Narcissus, and The Red Shoes.
Showroom Cinema is proud to present a season celebrating Jack Cardiff and Technicolor work in the decade immediately following The Red Shoes, exploring the immediate influence of both Cardiff and the films of Powell and Pressburger on Hollywood.
The season will comprise of three titles playing alongside Cardiff’s Technicolor work with Powell and Pressburger; Pandora and the Flying Dutchman, The Barefoot Contessa, and The Prince and the Showgirl.
Films:
- Pandora and the Flying Dutchman
- The Barefoot Contessa
- The Prince and the Showgirl
Powell and Pressburger: Put on your Red Shoes and dance!
Outside of film, the work of Powell and Pressburger has had a wide-ranging influence on the world of music and dance.
Special guest Lillian Crawford will present a special introduction to explore dance in Powell and Pressburger on 8 December, and there will be special screenings of Matthew Bourne’s wonderful ballet adaptation of The Red Shoes
Showroom will round out the Powell and Pressburger season with a free listening party featuring a full album playback of Kate Bush’s seminal album ‘The Red Shoes’, and an accompanying playlist of music by artists including New Order, David Bowie, Stephen Sondheim, Pulp, Stacey Kent, Peeping Tom, Ray Davies, Dreadzone, Goldfrapp and more.
Listeners will be able to access Showroom’s accompanying Spotify playlist and programme notes.
Films and events:
- Special Talk by Lillian Crawford - “A Great Agony of Body and Spirit”: The Red Shoes, Ballet, and Michael Powell’s ‘Composed’ Cinema"
- Matthew Bourne’s The Red Shoes
- Powell and Pressburger listening party
Upcoming films & events
- The Prince and the Showgirl PG
- English
- Showroom Cinema’s mini-season of Technicolor films shot by legendary cinematographer Jack Cardiff concludes with Laurence Olivier’s The Prince and the Showgirl.
- Sun 10 Dec
- 12.45
- Mon 11 Dec
- 20.30
- Tue 12 Dec
- 15.30
- Wed 13 Dec
- 17.00
- Thu 14 Dec
- 15.30
- The Red Shoes PG
- English
- In Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's visually ravishing masterpiece, a young ballerina is torn between the demands of love and art.
- Sun 10 Dec
- 14.45
- Mon 11 Dec
- 17.45
- Tue 12 Dec
- 12.45
- Wed 13 Dec
- 19.30
- Thu 14 Dec
- 12.30
- Matthew Bourne's The Red Shoes U
- Matthew Bourne’s stunning ballet adaptation returns to Showroom Cinema as part of the ‘Cinema Unbound: The Creative Worlds of Powell and Pressburger’ season.
- Fri 15 Dec
- 18.00
- Sat 16 Dec
- 12.00
- 17.00
- Sun 17 Dec
- 15.00
- Put On Your Red Shoes and Dance - Listening Party
- Sun 17 Dec 19:00
- Join us in the Café Bar, where we will be rounding out the Powell and Pressburger season with a free listening party featuring a full album playback of Kate Bush’s seminal album ‘The Red Shoes’.
- The Red Shoes + Extended Introduction by Pamela Hutchinson PG
- English
- Pamela Hutchinson (author of ‘BFI Film Classics: The Red Shoes’) closes Showroom Cinema’s Powell and Pressburger season with a special extended introduction to The Red Shoes.
- Fri 22 Dec
- 19.00
