Emeric Pressburger
About
Biography
Filmography
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Biography
Began his career writing screenplays in both Germany and France, notably for directors Robert Siodmak and Max Ophuls, before arriving in England in 1936. Pressburger contributed to several Alexander Korda projects before collaborating with director Michael Powell for the first time on the entertaining, intelligently convoluted thriller, "The Spy in Black" (1939).
Powell and Pressburger received co-directing credit on the similarly engrossing "Contraband" (1940) and became official partners in 1942. They formed The Archers production company, and went on to co-write, co-produce and co-direct 14 films between 1942 and 1956. Among their most outstanding productions were "The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp" (1943), "A Matter of Life and Death" (1945), "Black Narcissus" (1947), "The Red Shoes" (1948) and "The Tales of Hoffman" (1951). Although the Archers' film bore the credit "Written, Produced and Directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger" it is generally acknowledged that Powell did most of the directing, Pressburger was the primary writer, and the two men shared producing responsibilities. Whatever the case, the duo's films marked a watershed event in British film history, their genuinely strange and imaginative melodramas, beautifully written, produced and photographed, standing out among many more mainstream British films of the 1940s and 50s.
Pressburger's later efforts, including his only film as a solo director, "Twice Upon a Time" (1953), were generally less effective than his earlier work. He wrote Michael Anderson's adroitly handled WWII thriller "Operation Crossbow" (1965) under the pseudonym Richard Imrie and briefly re-teamed with Powell on the 1972 British children's film, "The Boy Who Turned Yellow."
Filmography
Director (Feature Film)
Writer (Feature Film)
Producer (Feature Film)
Misc. Crew (Feature Film)
Life Events
1934
Moved to Paris
1935
Co-screenwriting official debut for the French operetta, "La Vie Parisienne"
1936
Moves to England and writes script for "One Rainy Afternoon"
1938
First works with director Michael Powell by penning the screenplay of "The Spy in Black"
1940
Writes "Contraband" and debuts as a director, in collaboration with Powell, on the feature
1942
Debut as a producer of a feature, "One of Our Aircraft is Missing"
1942
Formed production company with Powell, The Archers and for more than a decade co-wrote, co- directed and co-produced with him
1948
Co-directed and co-wrote "The Red Shoes"
1953
First feature solo directorial effort, "Twice Upon a Time"
1957
Last project with Powell, "Ill Met by Moonlight"
1964
Last produced screenplay with his own name credited, "Behold a Pale Horse", based on his story, "Killing A Mouse on Sunday"
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