A fine host I’ve been! One more day, and I still have only one entry… shame on me. I’ve had a string of bad luck though, bad snow had me without Internet, I was sick, and then last minute Christmas shopping. Now for my entry I was preparing to show off my mid 1980s VHS versions of The Thief of Bagdad and The Red Shoes that I used to watch weekly as a child, but alas I cannot find my USB cord ANYWHERE. You’ll have to take my sworn word, but these tapes are older than I am, and well worn (although they still play).
I rewatched The Red Shoes for the first time in nearly ten years about 14 months ago, only to be won over once again by it’s magic. My passion for Powell & Pressburger were re-ignited and here I am today, doing a blog-a-thon for my favourite filmmakers. I had just re-discovered my Thief of Bagdad tape last week, and was hoping to rewatch it. I still have time, but it is running out! Hopefully I’ll have one or two more articles up today and tomorrow, in the mean time I have two questions.
The picture above is me at the age when I fell in love with the Red Shoes, approximately. I’m all for guessing 
1) What was your first Powell and Pressburger? What was your reaction?
2) How do you feel about revisiting childhood favourites? Have you ever been pleasantly surprised?
How fortuitous — my answer to question one is available in my movie blog, since I finally got around to posting my contribution to the Blog-a-Thon.
http://www.stennieville.com/index.php/movieblog/comments/a_matter_of_life_and_death_19462/
By: stennie on December 23, 2007
at 2:47 am
How fortuitous — my answer to question one is available in my movie blog, since I finally got around to posting my contribution to the Blog-a-Thon.
http://www.stennieville.com/index.php/movieblog/comments/a_matter_of_life_and_death_19462/
By: stennie on December 23, 2007
at 2:48 am
But I repeat myself! Sorry about that, I got some bizarre error the first time I tried to comment.
By: stennie on December 23, 2007
at 4:02 am
Well first you’ve been a fine host. I’m just glad someone did this because they are such deserving filmmakers for a blogathon.
Second, that picture is adorable.
Third, my first P&P was in fact The Red Shoes and I was mesmerized both many years ago and every time I’ve seen it since.
So thanks for everything. And now that I’ve done a blogathon here, maybe (just asking you understand) I can even get on your blogroll? I’m feeling a little left out.
Thanks again Justine. It was terrific.
By: Jonathan Lapper on December 23, 2007
at 5:33 am
My first Powell film was Thief of Bagdad. My first P & P films was I Know Where I’m Going. I saw both through William K. Everson in a class he had at NYU.
I have to wonder why in his autobiography, Powell did not write about the twist of working with two guys named Rex Ingram.
As far as revisiting films from childhood, I did see the Steve Reeves version of Hercules about twenty years later in theatrical re-release. It was sort of fun, but I viewed the film in the spirit of getting a sense of popular Italian cinema of that time.
By: Peter Nellhaus on December 23, 2007
at 2:11 pm
Wow…childhood favorites…that’s only likely to get me into trouble…
I loved ET, & Return to Oz. What does that say about me?
By: RC of strangeculture on January 2, 2008
at 7:44 pm