Special Collections and Archives
Michael Latham Powell was born In Bekesbourne in 1905, and attended The King’s School, Canterbury. He entered the film industry in 1925 working as a general hand at a studio in France, before returning to Britain and learning his craft.
In the early 1930’s, Powell began scriptwriting and directing. Powell’s first film was The Edge of the World (1937) a fictional retelling of the depopulation of the Scottish islands. The film impressed producer Alexander Korda who hired Powell to direct the wartime thriller The Spy in Black (1939), where he met the Hungarian-British screenwriter Emeric Pressburger (1902-1988) who was soon to become his production partner.
Together, under the production company The Archers, Powell and Pressburger made well-known British films: 49th Parallel (1941), One of Our Aircraft Is Missing (1942), The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943), A Canterbury Tale (1944), I Know Where I'm Going! (1945), A Matter of Life and Death (1946), Black Narcissus (1947), The Red Shoes (1948), The Small Back Room (1949), The Elusive Pimpernel (1950), and Gone to Earth (1950).
In 1960, Powell directed Peeping Tom (1960), which although criticised at the time for its sexual and violent content, has since been recognised by many filmmakers and critics as a masterwork.
In later life, Powell undertook a consultancy role with Francis Coppola’s American Zoetrope studio in Los Angles. In 1981, he and Pressburger were made fellows of BAFTA. It was followed two years later by a fellowship of the British Film Institute. Powell died in 1990 aged 84.
The collection consists of:
The materials in the archive have been donated by Thelma Schoonmaker Powell, John Sweet, Paul Tritton and Eddie McMillan, Senior Lecturer in Film Production at Canterbury Christ Church University. The materials comprise papers and audio-visual materials relating to Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s film A Canterbury Tale as well as subsequent academic conferences, lectures, exhibitions and activities relating to the work and life of Powell, including the making of the documentary film, The Pilgrim’s Return (2001).
The collection has been catalogued by Dr Daniella Gonzalez along with a team of staff, and student volunteers. Thanks go to Nick Berbiers, Cam Matthews, Yosselin Claudio Montano, Hannah Laws, Holly Myers, Evie Loos-Page and Marek Masojada.
Contents: correspondence, photographs, audio-visual material
Period: 20th - 21st century
Subjects: film history
Access to the collection is during core library hours, between 9.00-5.00 Monday to Friday. Please email library.canterbury@canterbury.ac.uk with your enquiry in advance of your visit.