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

Awards:

1 win

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
Muriel Aked	...	Aunt Margaret
Felix Aylmer	...	The Bishop
Frith Banbury	...	Baby-Face Fitzroy
Neville Mapp	...	Stuffy Graves
Vincent Holman	...	Club porter (1942)
Spencer Trevor	...	Period Blimp
James Knight	...	Club porter (1902)
Dennis Arundell	...	Café orchestra leader
David Ward	...	Kaunitz
Jan Van Loewen	...	Indignant citizen
Eric Maturin	...	Col. Goodhead
Robert Harris	...	Embassy Secretary
Theodore Zichy	...	Col. Borg (as Count Zichy)
Jane Millican	...	Nurse Erna
Phyllis Morris	...	Pebble
Diana Marshall	...	Sybil Hopwell
W.H. Barrett	...	The Texan (as Capt. W.H. Barrett U.S. Army)
Thomas Palmer	...	The Sergeant (as Corp. Thomas Palmer U.S. Army)
Yvonne Andre	...	The Nun (as Yvonne Andrée)
Marjorie Gresley	...	The Matron
Helen Debroy	...	Mrs.Wynne
Norman Pierce	...	Mr. Wynne
Edward Cooper	...	B.B.C. Official
Joan Swinstead	...	Secretary
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
John Boxer	...	Soldier (uncredited)
Erik	...	Cocker Spaniel (1920) (uncredited)
Ian Fleming	...	Maj. Plumley (1902) (uncredited)
Desmond Jeans	...	Barman (uncredited)
Patrick Macnee	...	Extra (uncredited)
Ferdy Mayne	...	Prussian Student (uncredited)
Pat McGrath	...	Cpl. Tommy Tucker (uncredited)
Ronald Millar	...	Sgt Hawkins (uncredited)
Charles Mortimer	...	Dr. Crowler at Duel (uncredited)
Pete Murray	...	Extra in Crowd at BBC Bunker (uncredited)
Peter Noble	...	Prisoner of War (uncredited)
Wally Patch	...	Sergeant Clearing Debris (uncredited)
Norris Smith	...	Napoleon Armstrong (1918) (uncredited)
Spangle	...	Cocker Spaniel (1920) (uncredited)
Waleen Tidy	...	Edith's Sister (uncredited)
John Varley	...	Soldier (uncredited)
George Woodbridge	...	Man with Debris Clearing Unit (uncredited)

Directed by
Michael Powell
Emeric Pressburger

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

Produced by
Michael Powell	....	producer
Emeric Pressburger	....	producer
Richard Vernon	....	assistant producer

Original Music by
Allan Gray

Cinematography by
Georges Périnal		(as Georges Perinal)

Film Editing by
John Seabourne Sr.		(as John Seabourne)

Production Design by
Alfred Junge

Costume Design by
Joseph Bato

Makeup Department
George Blackler	....	makeup artist
Dorrie Hamilton	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Tom White	....	production manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Kenneth Horne	....	assistant director (as Ken Horne)
Tom Payne	....	assistant director

Art Department
Peter Manley	....	art department (uncredited)

Sound Department
Desmond Dew	....	sound
C.C. Stevens	....	sound

Visual Effects by
W. Percy Day	....	process shots

Camera and Electrical Department
Jack Cardiff	....	camera operator: Technicolor
Harold Haysom	....	camera operator: Technicolor
Geoffrey Unsworth	....	camera operator: Technicolor
Bill Wall	....	chief electrician
Jim Body	....	clapper loader (uncredited)
Fred Daniels	....	still photographer: portraits (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Matilda Etches	....	costume executor

Editorial Department
Thelma Connell	....	assistant editor (as Thelma Myers)
Peter Seabourne	....	assistant editor
Clive Donner	....	trainee (uncredited)
Peter R. Hunt	....	associate editor (uncredited)

Music Department
Allan Gray	....	music arranger
Charles Williams	....	conductor

Other crew
C. Beard	....	period advisor (as Dr. C. Beard)
Douglas Brownrigg	....	military advisor (as Lieut-General Sir Douglas Brownrigg K.C.B. D.S.O.)
Natalie Kalmus	....	chief of color control department: Technicolor
Arthur Lawson	....	floor manager
Joan Page	....	secretary: Archers
Alec Saville	....	management
E.F.E. Schoen	....	period advisor
Sydney Streeter	....	management (as Sydney S. Streeter)
Roger Cherrill	....	production runner (uncredited)
Bill Paton	....	assistant: Mr Powell (uncredited)
Maggie Unsworth	....	script supervisor (uncredited)

Thanks
David Low	....	with acknowledgements to: creator of the immortal Colonel

Production Companies

• Rank Organisation, The (as Rank Film Distributors) (presents)
• Archers, The
• Independent Producers

Distributors

• General Film Distributors (GFD) (1943) (UK) (theatrical)
• United Artists (1945) (USA) (theatrical)
• Eagle Lion Film (1947) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1956) (USA) (TV)
• Carlton Visual Entertainment (2002) (UK) (DVD)
• Criterion Collection, The (19??) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Criterion Collection, The (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Divisa Home Video (2011) (Spain) (DVD)
• Video Collection International (1986) (UK) (VHS)

Other Companies

• British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)  Robert Harris by courtesy of (as B.B.C.)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

163 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English | French | German

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Microphonic Recording)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #03762) | South Korea:12 (2003) | Netherlands:AL (original rating) (1947) | USA:TV-G | Australia:G | Finland:S | UK:U | Ireland:G | Spain:T

Filming Locations:

139 Park Lane, Mayfair, London, England, UK

Company:

Rank Organisation, The

Trivia:

Three-quarters of the Germans in the crowd at the POW camp are "carefully painted and positioned" plaster models.

Goofs:

Miscellaneous: The notice Candy places in The Times about Murdoch's death states he died in a bombing raid in October, 1940. But when Candy is shown on the cover of Picture Post magazine sometime afterward, the magazine is dated September 21, 1940.

Quotes:

Clive Candy:Until now, Germany has used her arms with honor.
[pause, smiles]
Clive Candy:I admit he said nothing about her legs.

Movie Connections:

Featured in War Stories (2006) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Zampa

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.