Part of the enduring majesty of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's cinema comes from their ability to undercut the prim and proper sensibility of war-time filmmaking with moments that are deeply strange, sometimes even disturbing. In this video essay director Will Webb highlights scenes from Powell Pressburger films - including The Red Shoes, A Matter of Life and Death, I Know Where I'm Going and Black Narcissus - that tilt us off-balance, shaking what we thought we knew about the world's that one of cinema's greatest filmmaking partnerships created. This video essay is part of an ongoing season celebrating Powell Pressburger's work, Cinema Unbound: The Creative Worlds of Powell Pressburger. More information and tickets: Subscribe: Claim an extended BFI Player Subscription free trial (UK only)
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