powell (and pressburger)

[Clinamenic]

Ken Loach
Tom Hooper
Mike Leigh
Richard Curtis

Very revealing:

 

[Clinamenic]

Distant Voices, Still Lives is playing at a local revival house in San Francisco next week, maybe even in 35mm, might go see that again. First saw it at the Gene Siskel theater in Chicago.

 

[craner]

It's a funny question because Chaplin, Hitchcock, Ridley and Tony Scott are better than most of the British directors who you would talk about as British directors but because all of their best work has been Hollywood product they don't really get put on the list. Michael Powell could easily have joined them, but chose not to. So he made (mostly) British films, but none of these would have happened without a large contingent of emigre Hungarians and Germans who helped to give these films their European texture and sensibility.

 

[Clinamenic]

It's a funny question because Chaplin, Hitchcock, Ridley and Tony Scott are better than most of the British directors who you would talk about as British directors but because all of their best work has been Hollywood product they don't really get put on the list. Michael Powell could easily have joined them, but chose not to. So he made (mostly) British films, but none of these would have happened without a large contingent of emigre Hungarians and Germans who helped to give his films their European texture and sensibility.

Yeah thats why I had reservations including about Chaplin and Hitchcock here (although I had been overlooking the Scotts). Of the pre-hollywood films Hitchcock made, I dare say 39 Steps is the only really good one. Think I've seen all of his before that, and that must be among the last he made before going to Hollywood (although I think he did a few more back in London in later years).

 

[version]

David Lean was good.

 

[Clinamenic]

David Lean was good.

Yeah he's definitely up there.

 

[Clinamenic]

Man, I've seen 26 hitchcock films, and thats not even half of his filmography.

 

[craner]

You could probably argue that one of the greatest British film makers of all was the Hungarian producer Alexander Korda.

 

[version]

Peter Watkins is intriguing. Saw Diary of an Unknown Soldier a while back and I'd like to see The War Game and Punishment Park.

 

[craner]

Man, I've seen 26 hitchcock films, and thats not even half of his filmography.

Rank them in order of preference now.

 

[Clinamenic]

You could probably argue that one of the greatest British film makers of all was the Hungarian producer Alexander Korda.

Oh interesting, yeah I see he's a producer of The Third Man, my favo(u)rite film.

 

[version]

Rank them in order of preference now.

Stop! He'll actually do it!

 

[Clinamenic]

Sure I'll rank hitchcock.

 

[Clinamenic]

Alas your warning is too late @version

 

[craner]

David Lean was good.

😴

 

[craner]

I dare say 39 Steps is the only really good one.

I think Hitchcock lovers would take exception to this and certainly stick up for The Lodger, Blackmail, The Man Who Knew Too Much, Sabotage and The Lady Vanishes. I'm not a Hitchcock lover, so I probably wouldn't.

 

[craner]

The one thing I will say for British film directors is that at least they're better than the French.

 

[version]

Craner, have you seen Dog Soldiers?

 

[craner]

Craner, have you seen Dog Soldiers?

No, do you think I would like it?

 

[version]

No, do you think I would like it?

Maybe. It's like Zulu meets Aliens with a bunch of blokey British army guys holed up in a cottage fending off werewolves.