The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943)

From the Boer War through World War II, a soldier rises through the ranks in the British military.

Directors:

Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger

Writers:

Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger

Stars:

Roger Livesey, Deborah Kerr, Anton Walbrook

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Anton Walbrook	...	Theo Kretschmar-Schuldorff
Deborah Kerr	...	Edith Hunter / Barbara Wynne / Johnny Cannon
Roger Livesey	...	Clive Candy
Roland Culver	...	Colonel Betteridge
Harry Welchman	...	Major Davies
Arthur Wontner	...	Embassy Counsellor
Albert Lieven	...	von Ritter
John Laurie	...	Murdoch
Ursula Jeans	...	Frau von Kalteneck
James McKechnie	...	Spud Wilson
Reginald Tate	...	van Zijl
David Hutcheson	...	Hoppy
A.E. Matthews	...	President of Tribunal
Neville Mapp	...	Stuffy Graves
Vincent Holman	...	Club Porter (1942)

Storyline

Portrays in warm-hearted detail the life and loves of one extraordinary man. We meet the imposingly rotund General Clive Wynne-Candy, a blustering old duffer who seems the epitome of stuffy, outmoded values. Traveling backwards 40 years we see a different man altogether: the young and dashing officer "Sugar" Candy. Through a series of relationships with three women and his lifelong friendship with a German officer, we see Candy's life unfold and come to understand how difficult it is for him to adapt his sense of military honor to modern notions of "total war."

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Plot Keywords:

friendship | boer war | german officer | red cross | military officer | 

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Taglines:

An unforgettable story of forty gallant years.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance | War

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English French German

Release Date:

4 May 1945 (USA)

Also Known As:

Colonel Blimp

Filming Locations:

139 Park Lane, Mayfair, London, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

£200,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Independent Producers, Archers, The

Technical Specs

Runtime:

163 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Microphonic Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

One of the earliest films to directly refer to The Wizard of Oz (1939) (one of the characters sings part of "We're Off To See the Wizard"), proving rather conclusively that "Oz" was more successful and popular on its first release than is sometimes claimed.

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Goofs

When Angela is playing darts, we see in close-up that two of her shots landed at the edge of the board. When she goes to retrieve them, however, she takes all three darts from the center.

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Quotes

Van Zijl: The Germans know how to make them talk.
Clive Candy: Well if they are, they're cracking. It's a sure sign. Nobody starts to fight foul until he sees he can't win any other way.

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Crazy Credits

The lead actors' names are sewn onto a tapestry-like picture, written on scrolls. This opening credits "needlework tapestry" was completed by the Royal College of Needlework.

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Connections

Referenced in The 100 Greatest War Films (2005)

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Soundtracks

Je suis Titania
(uncredited)
from "Mignon"
Music by Ambroise Thomas

User Reviews

A wonderful, deeply moving film.

The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp is one of the most deeply moving films I've ever seen. It's amazing how independent producers (the Archers--Powell & Pressburger) managed to put together a lavish Technicolor epic without government assistance in wartime England--but they did it. it contains one of the most subtle "why we fight" themes--to preserve the English (and, hopefully, American) sense of fair play exemplified by the title character. The emotional kicker is a scene which takes place in 1939 in a British police station, where the German (played by Anton Walbrook--a German refugee actor) calmly and drily narrates how and why he came to settle in England. Just the thought of the scene moves me to tears. It's a marvelous piece of acting. The narrative technique--the story contained in one, long flashback--was in vogue on both sides of the Atlantic in the early 1940s--one can think of Sam Wood's Saratoga Trunk (Warner Brothers, 1943) as a good example--but the shift from 1942 to 1902 is accomplished by a very deft piece of editing. Colonel Blimp enters the pool of the Royal Automobile Club an old man, and emerges 40 years earlier! Colonel Blimp's true subtext is how civilization, friendship, and love survive times of chaos and barbarism (not to mention war) and, indeed, triumph by their survival. It is especially timely at the time of this writing (late March 2003).