The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943)

Directors:

Michael Powell
Emeric Pressburger

Writers:

Michael Powell (written by) &
Emeric Pressburger (written by)

Release Date:

4 May 1945 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance | War

Tagline:

A Lusty Lifetime of Love and Adventure in Lavish Technicolor (US Lobby Card tag)

Plot:

Portrays in warm-hearted detail the life and loves of one extraordinary man. We meet the imposingly rotund General Clive Wynne-Candy...

Plot Keywords:

Officer | German | Military | Boer War | General

Cast

Roger Livesey	...	Clive Candy
Deborah Kerr	...	Edith Hunter / Barbara Wynne / Johnny Cannon
Anton Walbrook	...	Theo Kretschmar-Schuldorff
Roland Culver	...	Col. Betteridge
James McKechnie	...	Spud Wilson
Albert Lieven	...	von Ritter
Arthur Wontner	...	Embassy Counsellor
David Hutcheson	...	Hoppy
Ursula Jeans	...	Frau von Kalteneck
John Laurie	...	Murdoch
Harry Welchman	...	Major Davies
Reginald Tate	...	van Zijl
A.E. Matthews	...	President of Tribunal
Carl Jaffe	...	von Reumann (as Carl Jaffé)
Valentine Dyall	...	von Schönborn

Also Known As:

Colonel Blimp (USA)
The Adventures of Colonel Blimp (USA)

Runtime:

163 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English | French | German

Colour:

Colour (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Microphonic Recording)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #03762) | South Korea:12 (2003) | Australia:G | Finland:S | UK:U | Ireland:G | Spain:T

Filming Locations:

139 Park Lane, Mayfair, London, England, UK

Company:

Archers, The

Trivia:

The tapestry seen in the opening credits was made by the members of The Royal College of Needlework.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Clive first visits his Aunt's house, and the camera pans to the wall, where the animal heads will appear. You can clearly see a lighter patch of wallpaper where one of the heads will later be superimposed.

Quotes:

Clive Candy: I often thought, a fellow like me dies - special knowledge, all to waste. Well, am I dead? Does my knowledge count for nothing, eh? Experience? Skill? You tell me!
Theo Kretschmar-Schuldorff: It is a different knowledge they need now, Clive. The enemy is different, so you have to be different, too.
Clive Candy: Are you mad? I know what war is!
Theo Kretschmar-Schuldorff: I don't agree.
Clive Candy: You...!
Theo Kretschmar-Schuldorff: I read your broadcast up to the point where you describe the collapse of France. You commented on Nazi methods--foul fighting, bombing refugees, machine-gunning hospitals, lifeboats, lightships, bailed-out pilots--by saying that you despised them, that you would be ashamed to fight on their side and that you would sooner accept defeat than victory if it could only be won by those methods.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Colour Merchant (1998) (V)

Soundtrack:

The British Grenadiers

pacy, breathless brilliance since unparalleled on the big screen

Neither war films nor romances rate amongst my favourite film genres. Colonel Blimp is both of these and has to rate as my runaway favourite film. Made in 1943 by the irreplaceable icons of British film making Powell and Pressburger it displays a pacy breathless brilliance since unparalleled on the big screen.

The film follows the life and times of General Wynne-Candy from when he is an idealistic young officer returned on leave from the Boer War through to his retirement as an anachronistic and obdurate Major General.

The film is structured in three acts set in the aftermath of the Boer War, the first world war and the present (at the time of making the film) the height of the 2nd World War. But it is not just an examination of these conflicts. Its real power lies in Candy's pursuit of his ideal woman throughout each of these stages. All three women are played beautifully by Deborah Kerr who never surpassed the power of her performance in this film.

The other constant in the film is Anton Wallbrooks character of the sympathetic German with whom Candy builds a lifelong friendship and ultimately is probably Candy's only ever really satisfying relationship throughout his life.

For me the film operates on many complex levels. The romantic element is as affecting as anything you are likely to witness in the cinema. It achieves everything in the unrequited love department a la "the remains of the day" in a fraction of the time and as only part of the overall plot.

It deals with the moral complexities of war in a way that will have you debating the issues in your mind long after you have seen the film. This particular theme reaches its climax towards the end of the film when Candy is "retired" by the war ministry probably as a result of his outdated approach to strategy for the 2nd World War. Anton Wallbrook then delivers a setpiece speech which starkly outlines the evils of Nazism and the necessity to use any means to defeat it for the sake of freedom and humanity for coming generations.

Colonel Blimp with its pristine performances, absorbing plot, dazzling colour photography and economic flawless script easily gives Citizen Kane a good run for its money as the best film of all time.