‘Made In England: The Films Of Powell And Pressburger’ Blu-Ray Review – An Essential Guide For Cinephiles

Martin Scorsese first encountered the films of Powell and Pressburger when he was a child, sitting in front of the family TV. When their famous logo came up on screen, Scorsese says, “You knew you were in for fantasy, wonder, magic – real film magic.” With Made in England he tells the story of his lifelong love-affair with their movies, including The Life and Death Of Colonel Blimp, Black Narcissus, The Red Shoes and The Tales of Hoffmann. “Certain films you simply run all the time and you live with them.” Scorsese says. “As you grow older they grow deeper. I’m not sure how it happens, but it does. For me, that body of work is a wondrous presence, a constant source of energy, and a reminder of what life and art are all about.” Drawing on a rich array of archive material, Scorsese explores in full the collaboration between the Englishman Powell and the Hungarian Pressburger – two romantics and idealists, who thrived in the face of adversity during World War II but were eventually brought low by the film industry of the 1950’s. Scorsese celebrates their ability to create “subversive commercial movies” and describes how deeply their films have influenced his own work.

For in-depth thoughts on Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger, please see my colleague Larry Fried’s review from its original theatrical release here. 

Video Quality

Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger comes to Blu-Ray from Cohen Media Group with a fetching HD master which presents this documentary to the full extent of its limitations. This feature consists of a mixture of a newer interview with Martin Scorsese along with a plethora of older clips, archival interviews, and pictures to help round out the history of the titular duo. The new footage of Scorsese taking us to school is terrifically detailed with natural skin tones and some highly detailed facial features. 

Clips are used effectively to explore the content being spoken about. The glimpses at the projects are typically strong with only a small amount of variance to account for the original source. Any footage seems to be derived from the most stable origins available when the film was completed. Some footage is less than impressive due to the lack of a major restoration, but most looks good. The colors featured in the footage have a great amount of depth to them. The encoding does not stumble with compression artifacts or digital nuisances of the sort. While not all the footage benefits from an HD presentation, this documentary holds up well on the format. 

Audio Quality

This Blu-Ray disc comes with an ideal DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track that delivers all of the sonic information quite capably. Dialogue is spotlighted in the center channel as you get these anecdotes relayed in a controlled environment. The surround sound presentation allows for a decent amount of immersion, mostly when it comes to the music. All musical cues come through with a notable fidelity that gives the material the life it deserves. No unwanted digital anomalies or other hindrances were experienced. This track is a pleasant listening experience. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided.  

Special Features

• Theatrical Trailer: The minute-and-a-half-long trailer is provided here. 

Final Thoughts

Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger is a film tailor-made for cinephiles. What more can you ask for than one of the greatest filmmakers of our time meticulously excavating the films of the filmmakers who made him who he is? The format is deceptively straightforward, but it leaves you feeling nothing but love and appreciation for the art form. Cohen Media Group and Kino Lorber have released a Blu-Ray featuring a stellar A/V presentation but not much in the way of supplemental features. If you consider yourself a cinephile, you cannot pass this up. Recommended 

Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger will be available to purchase on Blu-Ray, DVD, and Digital on November 5, 2024. 

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Cohen Media Group and Kino Lorber have supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.