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Roger Livesey, Deborah Kerr, Anton Walbrook, Roland Culver, Albert Lieven ... see more see more... , Spencer Trevor , James McKechnie , Ursula Jeans , John Laurie , Phyllis Morris , Arthur Wontner , Count Zichy , Carl Jaffe , Eric Maturin , Muriel Aked , Felix Aylmer , Yvonne Andre , Dennis Arundell , Captain W. Barrett , Frith Branbury , Edward Cooper , Helen Debray , Valentine Dyall , Vincent Holman , David Hutcheson , James Thomas Lee Knight , Jan Van Loewen , Patrick Macnee , Neville Mapp , Diane Marshall , A.E. Matthews , Ferdinand "Ferdy" Mayne , Jane Millican , Corp. Thomas Palmer , Wally Patch , Norman Pierce , Joan Swinstead , Reginald Tate , Harry Welchman , John Boxer , John Varley , Robert H. Harris , Marjorie Gresley , David Ward

Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's much-lauded epic Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, which satirizes British traditionalism, stirred up impassioned hostilities and indignations among the Brits wh... read more read more...en released in 1943. It so infuriated Winston Churchill, in fact, that he refused to allow its exportation to other countries, particularly the U.S. When Blimp finally did premiere in the States in 1945, it screened in a drastically cut version. The sweeping story covers several decades. It begins at the tail end of the Boer War, when handsome young British officer Clive Candy, recently back from the battlefront, is infuriated by his discovery that Deutschland papers have played up the British atrocities in South Africa, propagandistically. He grows so irate, in fact, that he travels to Germany to address the problem. Once there, he meets an attractive British educator, Edith Hunter (Deborah Kerr) who spends her days teaching English as a second language to German students. They grow close, but Candy so aggravates the local indigenes that he winds up in a duel with a German officer, Theo Kretschmar-Schuldorff (Anton Walbrook). The men wound each other and are sent to the same hospital, where they become friends. Candy - who doesn't yet realize he's fallen in love with Edith -- senses that Theo and Edith are attracted to one another, and encourages the couple's marital union. Candy subsequently returns to England, then falls for and marries Barbara (again played by Kerr), a nurse who bears a strong resemblance to Edith. She later dies, but Candy meets a third woman during WWII, Johnny (Kerr a third time), assigned to drive him from one locale to another during his campaigns. Meanwhile, Theo - disgusted by Nazi atrocities -- absconds to England, where he reencounters his old friend, now a prattering old shuffler rapidly approaching the end of his career and raving continuously about Nazi conduct (or lack thereof) in battle. Powell and Pressberger adapted Colonel Blimp from a comic strip; it became one of the hallmarks of their careers. ~ Sidney Jenkins, Rovi

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Unrated, 2 hr. 43 min.

Directed by: Emeric Pressburger, Michael Powell

Release Date: June 10, 1943

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DVD Release Date: October 22, 2002

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The German Band The original poster dinnertime a color version of the poster Clive knows all Walbrook in 'The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp' Candy Contemplating Edith upset A young Theo Edith Roger Livesey A more rousing poster a cartoon Walbrook in 'The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp' The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp
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Flixster Reviews (289)

  • FilmFanatik
    January 26, 2012
    FilmFanatik
    The magic of the Powell & Pressburger directing and producing team has never been more prevalent or as affecting as it was than with their World War II character study epic The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp. Heralded as one of, if not THE greatest British film ever made, its po... read morewer lies soley in its performances and its dialogue. People that see it as nothing more than a pro-war statement seem to miss the point completely. To me, it's about what Colonel Candy goes through at the end of the film: not understanding what to do, even if you think you know you do. That sums up the film's overall message to me. If it were a pro-war statement, then he'd know exactly what to do. That's a sort of simple-minded view, but it's one I picked up on early on. Roger Livesey, Anton Walbrook and Deborah Kerr are magic, and their performances still have the power to affect. A colossally-well made piece of cinema.
  • bathshebamonk
    January 13, 2012
    bathshebamonk
    This film is an interesting look at young people looking at old people...what you see is a paunchy old guy with a moustache, but as the old guy says, "You don't know anything about me," and of course the movie endeavors then to tell us all about the old guy. It was a little humb... read moreling to realize that we are the last generation alive who heard first hand accounts from the turn-of-the century crowd and when we die it goes with us. But this movie is a marvelous film archive of what it was like then.
  • JonathanHutchings
    November 5, 2011
    JonathanHutchings
    How amazing is Anton Walbrook? He steals almost every scene he's in.
  • kenstachnik
    May 7, 2011
    kenstachnik
    Delightfully charming and British.
  • SirPant
    March 23, 2011
    SirPant
    The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp isn't just my favourite Powell & Pressburger film, it has shot right to the top section of my favourite films of all time. It's amazing to think that this was actually shot during the blitz in 1943. No wonder Mr. Churchill wasn't impressed but ... read moreI think the main message of what it is to be British was totally misunderstood as being unpatriotic at the time. I would love to know what people who watched it at the time thought of it, when many of the films of the time were, understandably, laden with propaganda. A truly brilliant film, with brilliant performances and one of the best written scripts in the history of cinema. I can't recommend it enough, it is an absolute joy!
  • matertenebraum
    February 10, 2011
    matertenebraum
    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 ... read moreunparalleled 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.
  • tsigur
    August 6, 2008
    tsigur
    Great movie! You really have to respect the craftmanship that goes into this film. Every shot is gorgeous and you can see where directors like Martin Scorcese were influenced. I didn't expect the happy tone of the film and was a little surprised at how it affected me. At certain ... read morepoints, the film is flat out funny and Albert Lieven is fucking fantastic. I figure since I won't get cable in the swamp for another week, I'll probably burn through these Janus films with the quickness.
  • binky013
    November 26, 2007
    binky013
    I'm still churning the title of this film in my head, wondering what exactly it has to do with the story. Colonel? Blimp? Whatever. Still, a great movie about war. I don't want to say it's anti-war; there is a definite militaristic patriotism running through this. I think t... read morehe term "jingoistic" applies, and I don't mean that as a negative criticism. I've read at least one comment that this is "an anti-war saga." I have to disagree. The British are upheld repeatedly, as a point of pride, for fighting "fairly," and this is why they have been so successful in, say, World War I. It is true, however, that the consequences of war are also weighed, and they tip the scales heavily.

    Excellent performances by an amazingly aged Roger Livesay and a young and radiant Deborah Kerr playing three roles. Above all, Anton Walbrook, as Theo Kretschmar-Schuldorff, is a superb scene stealer.
  • rubystevens
    November 26, 2007
    rubystevens
    war starts at midnight! a wonderful epic adventure of a british soldier's life. highly recommended to those who enjoy such stuff as much as i do. actually filmed during the london blitz! churchill was not amused.
  • garyX
    September 1, 2007
    garyX
    An acknowledged classic of british cinema, this journey through the life of a career military man is as modestly noble as the man it portrays. It has a light and comic tone punctuated by moving moments of extreme profundity, and tackles the subject of war and the fighting man wit... read morehout resorting to propaganda or manipulation. The three leads are all excellent, Deborah Kerr oddly playing three different parts, but it works. Roger Livesey in the role of the archetypal englishman (or at least the ideal of one) is immensely likeable and believable as history and politics shifts around him. Elegant, charming and intelligent.

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Critic Reviews

J. Hoberman
November 15, 2011
J. Hoberman, Village Voice

A 1943 Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger collaboration so unambiguously satirizing the military mind-set that Prime Minister Winston Churchill tried to have it banned. Full Review

Roger Ebert
November 19, 2002
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

The movie looks past the fat, bald military man with the walrus moustache, and sees inside, to an idealist and a romantic. To know him is to love him. Full Review

Philip French
May 20, 2012
Philip French, Observer [UK]

Arguably the finest British film made during the second world war... Full Review

May 18, 2012
The List

Blimp is a film that gives us musical mischief, marvellous moustaches, poignancy and peculiarity in droves. Full Review

Peter Bradshaw
May 17, 2012
Peter Bradshaw, Guardian [UK]

This glorious film is about the greatest mystery of all: how old people were once young, and how young people are in the process of becoming old. Full Review

Wally Hammond
May 17, 2012
Wally Hammond, Little White Lies

Staggering and heartbreaking. Still. Full Review

Alan Morrison
May 14, 2012
Alan Morrison, Empire Magazine

A wonderful salute to British decency and a touching portrait of a friendship that bridges national boundaries. Full Review

Neil Smith
May 10, 2012
Neil Smith, Total Film

Its status as a national treasure is assured, thanks to Roger Livesey's protean lead turn, Deborah Kerr's three incarnations of his ideal woman and the mastery of the medium that typified The Archers ... Full Review

Joshua Rothkopf
November 15, 2011
Joshua Rothkopf, Time Out New York

Maybe the most wonderfully British movie ever made. Full Review

Jaime N. Christley
November 13, 2011
Jaime N. Christley, Slant Magazine

Few British films from this period seem to mythologize the pre-war period of Churchill's youth and early career quite as potently. Full Review

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  • The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, Joe versus the Volcano, Vertigo, Mullholand Drive: What do these movies all have in common?  Answer »
  • In which British film does Deborah Kerr play three different characters?  Answer »
  • What movie did Winston Churchill want banned during World War II?  Answer »
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