Riviera Revels Travelaugh No 10: Fauny Business. 1927. France/USA. Directed by Harry Lachman. With Michael Powell. 4K DCP courtesy BFI National Archive. US Premiere. Silent. 9 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 several films from the series, which will be shown with Powell’s early “quota quickie” features.
The Fire Raisers. 1932. Great Britain. Directed by Michael Powell. Screenplay by Jerome Jackson. With Leslie Banks, Anne Grey, Carol Goodner. 4K DCP courtesy BFI National Archive. US Premiere. 77 min.
“After a prolific run of ‘quota’ films, Powell signed to Gaumont-British on a four-film deal, where he benefited from better facilities and higher budgets. His first production was this atmospheric thriller about an insurance man in over his head with a gang of arsonists. A clear step up, the film boasts some well-staged set-pieces and is often surprisingly tough” (BFI).