Michael Latham Powell (30 September 1905 – 19 February 1990) was an
English film director, celebrated for his partnership with
Emeric Pressburger. Through their production company "
The Archers", they together wrote, produced and directed a series of classic British films, notably
49th Parallel (1941),
The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943),
A Matter of Life and Death (1946, also called
Stairway to Heaven),
Black Narcissus (1947),
The Red Shoes (1948), and
The Tales of Hoffmann (1951). His later controversial 1960 film
Peeping Tom, while today considered a classic, was so vilified on first release that his career was seriously damaged.