'Colonel Blimp' is a difficult film to explain. First of all, 'Blimp' has little to do with its protagonist who's named Major General Clive Wynne-Candy. Colonel Blimp is actually a comic strip by David Low which was popular when the film was made in 1943. The comic features a stereotypical Englishman, known for his pomposity and was written by Low to satirize what he perceived as the reactionary views of certain politicians of the time (including Winston Churchill). Director Michael Powell indicated that the film is really a tribute to those who maintain their dignity, in their old age.
The film begins awkwardly in the present time of 1943. Wynne-Candy is now the leader of the Home Front, staffed with civilian volunteers and retired military men such as the General himself. Wynne-Candy is about to get his comeuppance at the hands of 'Spud' Wilson, the young lieutenant who also happens to be the boyfriend of Wynne-Candy's driver, 'Johnny' Cannon (role #3 played by Deborah Kerr). Spud breaks the rules by using Johnny as an unwitting spy, gathering intelligence on the General's plans during war games between the General's group and his. We then flashback to the time of the Boer War in 1902, where Wynne-Candy is on leave and receives a letter from Edith Hunter (Role #1 played by Kerr), a friend of a friend, who is now working as an English teacher in Berlin.
Edith complains to Wynne-Candy in the letter that a German, Kaunitz, is spreading lies about the conduct of the British Army in the Boer War. Against orders to intervene in a diplomatic matter, Wynne-Candy confronts Kaunitz in a café, who slaps him, and then Wynne-Candy manages to insult the entire Imperial German Army Corps. He ends up in a duel with a German officer, Theodor Kretschmar-Schuldorff, played by an excellent Anton Walbrook, and they both end up hospitalized. An unlikely friendship develops between the two men at the hospital, despite Theo's limited grasp of the English language (the running joke is Theo's response of 'very much' to almost every comment he responds to). At the end, Edith falls for Theo and we never see her again. All this would be mildly interesting (and/or entertaining) except for the fact that the scenes are drawn out for way too long and is done in the style of the typical drawing room comedies of the time.
Now a Brigadier General in the First World War, Wynne-Candy ends up meeting a young nurse, Barbara, (Role #2 played by Deborah Kerr) who he eventually marries. There's an interesting scene where Wynne-Candy finds out that Theo is now interned in a British prisoner of war camp following the Armistice. Theo refuses to speak to him presumably because he doesn't want to appear as a collaborator in front of his fellow prisoners. But later, about to depart for Germany, Theo calls the General, who brings him out to meet his various cronies, all a bunch of stuffed shirts. This group collectively personifies the title character. They all act as if the war never happened and want to be immediate friends with Theo, who after leaving the party, speaks of the group contemptuously, indicating that the British are 'weak'. Wynne-Candy is no different from his colleagues in their naive belief that the enmity between the two nations will soon be forgotten!
In perhaps the weakest part of the film, time passes in a series of montages. In one instant, a newspaper clipping from 1926 notes the passing of Wynne-Candy's wife. When Theo re-appears at an immigration hearing in 1939 in England, he reveals that Edith too is dead. So Powell manages to ensure that we learn virtually nothing about each of these female characters. Meanwhile, Theo, who looked like he was fast becoming a hardened Nazi when he gets on the boat back to Germany in 1919, now is a virulent anti-Fascist, after presumably softening up, following the death of his wife. Unfortunately, all of this plays out off-screen. Had the duel machinations perhaps been a bit shorter, there could have been some scenes, effectively depicting Theo's transformation.
Following Britian's entry into World War II, Wynne-Candy's dark moment comes when his BBC speech is canceled. Acting like the pompous Blimp, Wynne-Candy wants to employ 'nice guy' tactics against the Nazis and argues that the British shouldn't stoop to their level, when fighting them. The 'gentleman warrior' is deemed irrelevant and is forced to retire from active service. Theo also lectures Wynne-Candy on the necessity of pulling out 'all the stops', in the war against the Nazis.
We're now back to the present time, in the middle of those War Games between Wynne-Candy's Home Front and the regular army. Wynne-Candy is literally caught with his pants down, while he enjoys himself in a Turkish bath. While at first, he's humiliated by the young lieutenant's 'below the belt' tactics, and plans on punishing him, he recalls his own youth, when he disobeyed orders and confronted the wretched Kaunitz in the café. Realizing the error of his ways, he decides to invite the lieutenant to dinner. The older codger is not so bad after all, finally realizing his error in not adapting to the new times.
Deborah Kerr was a beautiful woman who sadly here has little to do in her three roles. Roger Livesey is saddled by the weak character of Wynne-Candy, who is both noble as the principled soldier and buffoonish, in his desire to ingratiate himself with just about everyone he meets. Only Walbrook as Kretschmar-Schuldorff, steals the show, with his nuanced performance as the bad guy/good guy Teuton.
'Colonel Blimp' will keep your interest more as a period piece than a great work of art. In the earlier scenes it needed to be more compact and at the mid-point, more detailed. At the end, its message is spot on, but comes off as agitprop, rather than compelling drama.
The film begins awkwardly in the present time of 1943. Wynne-Candy is now the leader of the Home Front, staffed with civilian volunteers and retired military men such as the General himself. Wynne-Candy is about to get his comeuppance at the hands of 'Spud' Wilson, the young lieutenant who also happens to be the boyfriend of Wynne-Candy's driver, 'Johnny' Cannon (role #3 played by Deborah Kerr). Spud breaks the rules by using Johnny as an unwitting spy, gathering intelligence on the General's plans during war games between the General's group and his. We then flashback to the time of the Boer War in 1902, where Wynne-Candy is on leave and receives a letter from Edith Hunter (Role #1 played by Kerr), a friend of a friend, who is now working as an English teacher in Berlin.
Edith complains to Wynne-Candy in the letter that a German, Kaunitz, is spreading lies about the conduct of the British Army in the Boer War. Against orders to intervene in a diplomatic matter, Wynne-Candy confronts Kaunitz in a café, who slaps him, and then Wynne-Candy manages to insult the entire Imperial German Army Corps. He ends up in a duel with a German officer, Theodor Kretschmar-Schuldorff, played by an excellent Anton Walbrook, and they both end up hospitalized. An unlikely friendship develops between the two men at the hospital, despite Theo's limited grasp of the English language (the running joke is Theo's response of 'very much' to almost every comment he responds to). At the end, Edith falls for Theo and we never see her again. All this would be mildly interesting (and/or entertaining) except for the fact that the scenes are drawn out for way too long and is done in the style of the typical drawing room comedies of the time.
Now a Brigadier General in the First World War, Wynne-Candy ends up meeting a young nurse, Barbara, (Role #2 played by Deborah Kerr) who he eventually marries. There's an interesting scene where Wynne-Candy finds out that Theo is now interned in a British prisoner of war camp following the Armistice. Theo refuses to speak to him presumably because he doesn't want to appear as a collaborator in front of his fellow prisoners. But later, about to depart for Germany, Theo calls the General, who brings him out to meet his various cronies, all a bunch of stuffed shirts. This group collectively personifies the title character. They all act as if the war never happened and want to be immediate friends with Theo, who after leaving the party, speaks of the group contemptuously, indicating that the British are 'weak'. Wynne-Candy is no different from his colleagues in their naive belief that the enmity between the two nations will soon be forgotten!
In perhaps the weakest part of the film, time passes in a series of montages. In one instant, a newspaper clipping from 1926 notes the passing of Wynne-Candy's wife. When Theo re-appears at an immigration hearing in 1939 in England, he reveals that Edith too is dead. So Powell manages to ensure that we learn virtually nothing about each of these female characters. Meanwhile, Theo, who looked like he was fast becoming a hardened Nazi when he gets on the boat back to Germany in 1919, now is a virulent anti-Fascist, after presumably softening up, following the death of his wife. Unfortunately, all of this plays out off-screen. Had the duel machinations perhaps been a bit shorter, there could have been some scenes, effectively depicting Theo's transformation.
Following Britian's entry into World War II, Wynne-Candy's dark moment comes when his BBC speech is canceled. Acting like the pompous Blimp, Wynne-Candy wants to employ 'nice guy' tactics against the Nazis and argues that the British shouldn't stoop to their level, when fighting them. The 'gentleman warrior' is deemed irrelevant and is forced to retire from active service. Theo also lectures Wynne-Candy on the necessity of pulling out 'all the stops', in the war against the Nazis.
We're now back to the present time, in the middle of those War Games between Wynne-Candy's Home Front and the regular army. Wynne-Candy is literally caught with his pants down, while he enjoys himself in a Turkish bath. While at first, he's humiliated by the young lieutenant's 'below the belt' tactics, and plans on punishing him, he recalls his own youth, when he disobeyed orders and confronted the wretched Kaunitz in the café. Realizing the error of his ways, he decides to invite the lieutenant to dinner. The older codger is not so bad after all, finally realizing his error in not adapting to the new times.
Deborah Kerr was a beautiful woman who sadly here has little to do in her three roles. Roger Livesey is saddled by the weak character of Wynne-Candy, who is both noble as the principled soldier and buffoonish, in his desire to ingratiate himself with just about everyone he meets. Only Walbrook as Kretschmar-Schuldorff, steals the show, with his nuanced performance as the bad guy/good guy Teuton.
'Colonel Blimp' will keep your interest more as a period piece than a great work of art. In the earlier scenes it needed to be more compact and at the mid-point, more detailed. At the end, its message is spot on, but comes off as agitprop, rather than compelling drama.