Films of Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger: The Archers — A Matter of Life and Death

Local professor Barry Marshall will screen and facilitate a discussion about A Matter of Life and Death (1946), where British wartime aviator who cheats death must argue for his life before a celestial court, hoping to prolong his fledgling romance with an American Girl. This film stars David Niven, Kim Hunter, and Roger Livesey.

The Archers was the British film Production Company of Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger, who made many of the great British films of the 1940s and 50s. They shared the director, producer, and writing credits of their films.

Many of The Archer films are nearly unclassifiable by genre, but they tend to inhabit magical, mystical, and hyper-real places, where amazing adventures take place. We will look at two of their greatest films:

• Thursday, September 22: A Matter of Life and Death (1946);
• Thursday, October 20: Black Narcissus (1947).

Barry Marshall is a Senior Affiliated Faculty member in the Visual and Media Arts Department at Emerson College, teaching classes in Film and Media History as well as Copyright. He has had an extensive career as well as a musician and record producer, and has produced and written songs for several films and television shows. He also curates and presents film programs at the Boston Public Library.

This program is presented by the Boston Public Library as part of their Never Too Late Group created with older adults in mind. Due to the ample seating available in the Rabb Lecture Hall, registration is not required; instead, seating is first come, first served.

About the BPL's COVID-19 health and safety protocols:

• Program attendees are recommended to wear masks covering the nose and mouth.
• Read the BPL's latest COVID-19 guidelines for visiting the library.
• Program performers will remove their masks during the program.

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