Riviera Revels Travelaugh No 1. 1927. France/USA. Directed by Harry Lachman. With Michael Powell. 4K DCP courtesy BFI National Archive. US premiere. Silent. 10 min.
Riviera Revels Travelaugh No 2: A Nasty Jar. 1927. France/USA. Directed by Harry Lachman. 4K DCP courtesy BFI National Archive. US premiere. Silent. 10 min.
After serving an apprenticeship with the American director Rex Ingram at his studio in Nice, a very young Michael Powell stepped out on his own with a series of silent shorts, shot in and around the Cote d’Azur. Directed by Harry Lachman (who himself would become a feature director of some standing), the “Travelaughs” featured a group of English tourists on a tour of the region’s natural wonders, punctuated by comic bits from the most eccentric member of the group, a befuddled birdwatcher named Cicero Simp (played with aplomb by Powell himself). The Red Shoes these are not, but they each illustrate Powell’s fascination with the cinema and his nearly fantastic dedication to it—as demonstrated by the mad stunts he undertakes without the evident aid of a double. The BFI has restored seven films from the series, which will be shown with Powell’s early “quota quickie” features.
Rynox. 1931. UK. Directed by Michael Powell. With Stewart Rome, John Longden, Dorothy Boyd. 4K DCP courtesy BFI National Archive. US premiere. 48 min.
“The influence of Fritz Lang is unmistakable on Powell’s earliest extant film—a thriller crafted with real visual style, despite its limited budget. The twisty plot concerns businessman F. X. Benedik (Rome), who has been receiving threats from a mysterious stranger. But all may not be what it seems” (BFI).