The Volunteer. 1944. UK. Written and directed by Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger. 35mm courtesy BFI. 45 min.
Designed as a morale booster for a British public then enduring its fifth year of war, this short feature from the Archers avoids propagandistic bombast in favor of a lightly comic tone that suggests military service is not only a national obligation but a convenient opportunity for personal growth. Playing himself, Ralph Richardson narrates the story of a clumsy backstage assistant (Pat McGrath) who finds purpose and confidence when he signs up for duty on an aircraft carrier.
The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. 1955. Germany. Directed by Michael Powell. With Sonia Arova and the Ballet of the State Opera Hamburg. DCP courtesy BFI. 13 min.
“The first ballet film to be shot in CinemaScope, Powell’s dance short saw him teaming up once again with designer Hein Heckroth, cinematographer Christopher Challis, camera operator Freddie Francis, and editor Reginald Mills to bring some of the Archers’ magic to Goethe’s 18th-century tale. An ageing sorcerer leaves his workshop, and chaos ensues as his apprentice brings inanimate objects to life” (BFI).