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poster of The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp
Rating: 7.5/10 by 240 users

The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943)

General Candy, who's overseeing an English squad in 1943, is a veteran leader who doesn't have the respect of the men he's training and is considered out-of-touch with what's needed to win the war. But it wasn't always this way. Flashing back to his early career in the Boer War and World War I, we see a dashing young officer whose life has been shaped by three different women, and by a lasting friendship with a German soldier.

Directing:
  • Michael Powell
  • Emeric Pressburger
  • Kenneth Horne
  • Tom Payne
Writing:
  • Michael Powell
  • Emeric Pressburger
Stars:
Release Date: Mon, Jul 26, 1943

Rating: 7.5/10 by 240 users

Alternative Title:
The Adventures of Colonel Blimp - US
코로넬 블림프의 삶과 죽음 - KR
Het Begon in Berlijn - NL
Vida y muerte del coronel Blimp - ES
직업 군인 캔디씨 이야기 - KR
블림프 대령의 삶과 죽음 - KR

Country:
United Kingdom
Language:
English
Français
Deutsch
Runtime: 02 hour 43 minutes
Budget: $0
Revenue: $0

Plot Keyword: berlin, germany, army, world war i, world war ii, british army, british empire, satire, soldier, prison camp, london blitz, boer war, home guard
Subtitle   Wallpaper   Watch Trailer    

Roger Livesey
Major General Clive Wynne-Candy
Deborah Kerr
Edith Hunter / Barbara Wynne / Angela "Johnny" Cannon
Anton Walbrook
Theo Kretschmar-Schuldorff
Roland Culver
Col. Betteridge
Arthur Wontner
Embassy Counsellor
Ursula Jeans
Frau von Kalteneck
Harry Welchman
Major Davies
Robert Harris
Embassy Secretary
A.E. Matthews
President of Tribunal
Theodore Zichy
Colonel Borg (as Count Zichy)
Neville Mapp
Stuffy Graves
Vincent Holman
Club Porter (1942)
Spencer Trevor
Period Blimp
James Knight
Club Porter (1902)
Dennis Arundell
Cafe Orchestra Leader
Jan Van Loewen
Indignant Citizen
Valentine Dyall
von Schonborn
Carl Jaffe
von Reumann
Eric Maturin
Colonel Goodhead
Frith Banbury
Baby-Face Fitzroy
Muriel Aked
Aunt Margaret
Felix Aylmer
The Bishop
Edward Cooper
BBC Official
Pat McGrath
Tommy Tucker (uncredited)

CinemaSerf

Roger Livesey is superb in this wonderfully colourful depiction of the life of "Clive Candy". We start with his rather undignified seizure at the steam baths by the home guard he is supposed to command and by way of a continuous retrospective, discover just how this man arrived at this embarrassing predicament. First there was the South African campaign, then the Great War saw him gain some prominence and also, after quite a few scrapes, sees him befriend his opposite number, as it were, in the form of the dashing German "Theo" (a beautifully understated contribution from Anton Walbrook). Becoming firm friends, they share the same social circles and it's here that "Candy" meets his future wife - Deborah Kerr. Trials and tribulations and then WWII all affect this man as he is promoted through the ranks and faces tragedy very close to home before the realisation that, at an elderly age, perhaps he is no longer of any value! What Powell and Pressburger have encapsulated into just over 2½ hours here, is a delightfully evocative story that deals with friendship and honour, with love, despair and the human desire to feel needed and wanted - but never without losing sight of the humanity of the situations and, quite often, with some degree of dark and stoic humour. There is a lovely chemistry between Livesey and Walbrook, and Deborah Kerr positively glows as she remains the woman in his life - in various guises - throughout. The contrast between the evolving behaviours is subtly but potently drawn here: we see a society that no longer considered any "niceties" of war - symptomatic of a sea of changing attitudes with which both men struggle to adapt. Sure, there's nostalgia - but it's of a palpable and immersive nature. IT's not at all sentimental. We take sides initially - jingoism isn't far away, but certainly as it progresses and the decency of these individuals is laid bare, I found myself rather admiring the integrity on display here from two different but remarkably similar perspectives. As to that display, the aesthetic of this film is glorious. The wartime sets, the bucolic and peaceful scenes, the romance, the disaster - all delivered here with great skill by Georges Périnal's artistic touch and Allan Gray's charmingly complementary score. I can't really pick a favourite P&P film, but the three leads and the accomplished supporting cast assembled here make this one of their very best, complex and thought-provoking efforts that looks fantastic on a big screen.


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