This film is part of Rentals
The Tales of Hoffmann
Powell and Pressburger direct this adaptation of Jacques Offenbach's spectacular opera, featuring sensationally sumptuous production design.
Director: Emeric Pressburger and Michael Powell
Overview
Based on Jacques Offenbach's opera, The Tales of Hoffmann takes viewers through three fantastical stories, regaled to us by narrator E.T.A. Hoffman who revisits the tales of his three loves; Olympia, an animated doll, Giuletta the Venetian courtesan, and Antonia, a singer's daughter hidden away from the world.
Following their celebrated ballet sequences in The Red Shoes (1948), Powell and Pressburger envisaged Tales of Hoffmann as a further realisation of the marriage of music and film. And utilising an entirely synchronised soundtrack would give them the freedom to construct elaborate dance movements amid stunning sets and production design. Described by George Romero as "The film that made me want to make movies!" And hailed by such iconic figures as Martin Scorsese, Tales of Hoffman sees Powell and Pressburger at their most poetic.
mild violence
Related
Boys on Film 24: Happy Endings Boys on Film 24: Happy Endings
Anthology 2024 174 mins Director: Jason Bradbury, Jesse Ung, Diego Alvarez Parra, Itai Jamshy, Fabia Martin, Alejandro Sandoval Bertín, Sara Larrota, Benjamin Belloir, Jeremy McClain and Arthur Cahn
A compilation of new gay short films showcasing unashamedly positive stories of love, sex and romance to move, inspire and uplift.
Boys on Film 23: Dangerous To Know Boys on Film 23: Dangerous To Know
Anthology 2023 159 mins Director: VARIOUS, Renato Turnes, Máté Konkol, Sven Spur, Sam Max, Uriel Torten, Irasj Asanti, Elene Naveriani, Mark Pluck and Tom Young
The dangerous allure of risky attraction yields emotional results in Peccadillo’s 23rd edition of their Boys on Film compilation series.
Boys on Film 22: Love to Love You Boys on Film 22: Love to Love You
Anthology 2022 144 mins Director: Akira Kamiki and VARIOUS
The latest in Peccadillo’s critically acclaimed series features a fresh and exciting selection of the very best contemporary gay short films.
Boys On Film 21: Beautiful Secret Boys On Film 21: Beautiful Secret
Anthology 2021 134 mins Director: Jason Bradbury, Zachary Ayotte, George Dogaru, Pierce Hadjincola, Loïc Hobi, Sam Peter Jackson, Theo James Krekis, Joe Morris, Abel Rubinstein and Sinclair Suhood
The Boys on Film series turns 21. This compilation travels to Sydney then New York, via Romania, Canada and Switzerland for the best in new gay cinema.
Boys on Film 20: Heaven Can Wait Boys on Film 20: Heaven Can Wait
Anthology 2020 152 mins Director: Bassem Ben Brahim, Jimi Vall Peterson and Mickey Jones
On the cusp of adulthood, Peccadillo Pictures' long-running gay film series celebrates its 20th year with another selection of shorts from around the world.
The Uncertain Kingdom Volume Two The Uncertain Kingdom Volume Two
Anthology 2020 113 mins
Ten more films from The Uncertain Kingdom, a collection of new short films offering a unique portrait of our nation today.
The Small Back Room The Small Back Room
Thriller 1949 103 mins Director: Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger
An embittered bomb disposal expert is driven to drink in Powell and Pressburger’s compelling insight into the mental anguish of the alcoholic.
Oh... Rosalinda!! Oh... Rosalinda!!
Musical 1956 99 mins Director: Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger
Like the gloriously camp, all-singing, all-dancing cousin of The Third Man, the Archers’ take on Strauss’s operetta of infidelity is as frothy as the champagne it celebrates.
The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp
War 1943 164 mins Director: Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger
Powell and Pressburger’s masterpiece follows the rise and fall of a career soldier, from dashing and brave young officer in the Boer War to a pompous and old-fashioned Colonel by the time of World War Two.
A Canterbury Tale A Canterbury Tale
War 1944 125 mins Director: Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger
Powell and Pressburger's most personal film combines a Chaucer-inspired pilgrimage with a war-time celebration of English landscape and values to create a gem of British cinema.
A New Kind of Wilderness A New Kind of Wilderness
Documentary 2023 84 mins Director: Silje Evensmo Jacobsen
A tragedy shatters the idyllic world of a family living off-grid in the Norwegian wilderness.
Riefenstahl Riefenstahl
Documentary 2024 115 mins Director: Andreas Veiel
Captivating insight into the controversial filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl, who became world-famous for her Nazi propaganda.
Blue Road: The Edna O'Brien Story Blue Road: The Edna O'Brien Story
Documentary 2025 100 mins Director: Sinéad O'Shea
A candid portrait of a literary sensation that’s as enchanting as O’Brien’s wonderful novels.
The Penguin Lessons The Penguin Lessons
Drama 2025 112 mins Director: Peter Cattaneo
Steve Coogan is superb as a disillusioned teacher whose life is turned upside-down when he rescues a penguin in turbulent 1970s Argentina.
Cloud Cloud
Drama 2024 124 mins Director: Kiyoshi Kurosawa
An online scam leads to deadly consequences in Kurosawa Kiyoshi’s chilling tech thriller.
La Cocina La Cocina
Drama 2024 139 mins Director: Alonso Ruizpalacios
Tensions rise in a frenzied New York diner, in this loose reworking of Arnold Wesker’s 1957 play.