Michael Powell was interviewed at the NFT on 10th January 1971 by Kevin Gough-Yates as part of the John Player Lecture series, and also on the 28th July 1985 by Ian Christie as part of the Guardian Interview series. These are some brief extracts from the interview. Click on the links to play the clips in MP3 format.

From 1971:

On the possibilities of cinema

"I said somewhere 'I am the cinema'..."
mp3 (434k, 1m03s)

On his ambitions as a director

"Films were already my life in 1925..."
mp3 (599k 1m27s)

On the value of film as an artform

"This word 'image'. Films are literally moving images..."
mp3 (809k 1m58s)

From 1985:

On the internationalism of his films

"This is a 100% British Film, but it's photographed by a Frenchman..."
mp3 (202K 29s)

The 1971 Michael Powell interview forms part of an archive of more than 200 interviews with some of the greatest names in film and television history, which are available to listen to in the bfi National Library.

Not to be used without permission.