Customer Reviews

Emeric Pressburger: The Life and Death of a Screenwriter

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As is usual with many biographies, the genesis of a life is often much more interesting than its (generally successful) conclusion. The child is father of the man as Willie Wordsworth once wrote, and Mr Pressburger was true to his origins til the day he died. Hungarian Jew subject to the nightmare experienced by millions of fellow Europeans, he was a talented and richly cultured individual who very much made the most of his many talents, including an eye for the "girls". This is an interesting and well written biography which will appeal to those interested in cinema, European history, writing, and for those of you so inclined, the toings and froings of many of cinema's greats who were part of the cinema partnership of Mr Michael Powell, and Mr Pressburger. It also inspires one to have a relook at their wonderful films such as The 49th Parallel, The Red Shoes, I Know Where I'm Going, Black Narcissus and provides an understanding into the nature of "composed films".

Emeric Pressburger was a fascinating man. A Hungarian Jew
exiled during WWII he came to England and (together with
Michael Powell) made some of the most fascinating and
influential movies of the period.

This is the story of how Kevin MacDonald followed his
Grandfather's path through Europe and how and why a
non-native speaker could finish up being one of the
best observers of the English.

Emeric Pressburger often showed a deep understanding of
the British that is only granted to those "outside, looking
in". He always prided himself on being "more English than
the English". After all, some of use were just BORN English,
but he CHOSE to become English.